THEATER

An upcoming schedule of theater arts classes at The Schoolhouse Arts Center has been announced. “Creative Movement” will be held through May 28 on Thursdays from 10-10:45 a.m. Students will learn to follow the teacher to work on basic dance steps as well as movement games to explore the dancer’s own creativity and sense of movement with music. This class is for ages 3-5 and costs $100. “Storybook Theatre” will be held through May 27 on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Students exercise their natural creativity through movement, vocal work, games and improvisation to portray storybook characters. This class is for ages 5-9 and costs $145. “Beginner Jazz/Tap” will be held through May 28 on Thursdays from 4-5 p.m. This class is for ages 6 and up and costs $145. For a full listing of classes, go to www.schoolhousearts.org, or for more information, contact Dillon Bates at [email protected].

“Alligator Road” will run March 12-29 at Mad Horse Theatre Company, 24 Mosher St. in South Portland. The production was written by Maine playwright Callie Kimball, directed by Reba Short. Kimball’s plays have been produced to critical acclaim across the country and she teaches playwriting at Maine College of Art. Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. There will be an opening night reception immediately following the Friday, March 13 performance. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. Reservations are strongly recommended. Tickets can be purchased online at www.madhorse.com. Call 747-4148 for more information.

“Tick, Tick…Boom!” the musical will be on stage at City Theater in Biddeford from March 6-15. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.citytheater.org or by calling 282-0849.

“The 6th Annual Mystery Dinner and Silent Auction” will be held on March 21 at 6 p.m., hosted by The Best Western Merry Manor Inn of South Portland. All proceeds will benefit the Lafayette Family Cancer Center. There will be dinner, door prizes, cash bar and a 50/50 raffle, along with a silent auction held at the Last Chance Bar & Grill. Tickets are $50 per person. Overnight packages cost $179 and include dinner, the show and breakfast. For more information and reservations, call 774-6151.

Maine State Ballet’s premieres “Le Corsaire” at the Maine State Ballet Theater in Falmouth from March 28-April 12. The show boasts pirates, dancing, and sword fighting, all presented with a comic flair. The performances will be held on Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m.; Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Friday, April 10 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale online at www.mainestateballet.org or by calling the theater at 781-3587. Tickets cost between $19-25 and discounts are available for seniors and children. There is a $5 processing fee for phone and box office orders, but no fee for online purchases. For more information, visit www.mainestateballet.org.

School Around Us presents “Rumpelstiltskin, Private Eye,” which will be performed at The Brick Store Museum Program Center on Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m., Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m. This production is a film-noir fairytale spoof in which “Fairytale Land” has been hit by a crime wave. Tickets are available for purchase at The Brick Store Museum Program Center on Dane Street in Kennebunk. Adults are $10 and children are $5. For more information, go to www.schoolaroundus.org or call 967-3143.

The Ogunquit Playhouse has announced its upcoming 83rd season. The season will include; “Million Dollar Quartet,” “Sister Act,” “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” “Saturday Night Fever,” and round out the season with the Broadway musical comedy “Victor/Victoria.” The playhouse will once again partener with the Music Hall to bring the holiday musical “What Christmas” to the historic Portsmouth stage. For more information on the upcoming season, go to www.ogunquitplayhouse.org.

ART

“Visual Storytelling: Celebrating Maine Illustrators,” is The Brick Store Museum’s newest exhibition and will open March 20. The exhibit will not only display the history of illustration, but feature the artwork of illustrators, artists, and cartoonists living in Maine today. Illustrators taking part in the exhibit include Dahlov Ipcar, Ashley Bryan, Chris van Dusen, Wade Zahares, Stephen Costanza, Matt Tavares, Melissa Sweet and local artists such as Steve Hrehovcik and Nancy Cooper Funk, among others. Each artist has been invited to share 3-5 pieces of work.

There will be an artists’ reception for “The Children’s Room” theme show challenge on Saturday, March 21 from 2-4 p.m. presented by The Seacoast Artist Association. There will be light refreshments and a vote for People’s Choice. The gallery is located at 225 Water St. in Exeter, N.H. For more information, call 603-778-8856.

Maine artists, ages 50 and older, are invited to exhibit their work at the 13th Annual Festival of Art to be held in Belfast, May 21 through 24. For registration information, contact Juliane Dow at [email protected] or by leaving a message at 338-8033. The entry deadline is March 31.

River Tree Arts is seeking artists for its upcoming exhibit entitled “ Color and Light” which will run April 3 to May 23. The show will be a celebration of the beginning of gallery season, spring and extended light. River Tree Arts members, as well as the community are welcome to submit work for consideration on March 30 from 10 a.m. to noon or 5-7 p.m. Artists may submit up to 5 paintings and large work is preferred. Artisans, including jewelry, pottery and gifts, may submit up to 8 pieces. There will be an opening reception on April 3 from 5-7 p.m. For more information, go to www.rivertreearts.org.

MUSIC

American singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff, will be appearing live in concert at Jonathan’s Ogunquit on Saturday, March 14 at 8 p.m. Bonoff has written songs for such artists as Bonnie Rait, Linda Ronstadt and Wynona Judd. Advance tickets are $32.50 and $36.50 day of show. Tickets are available on line at www..jonathansoqunquit.com or by calling 646-4777.

F_dhla (Foh-la) will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, at the West Kennebunk United Methodist Church. F_dhla is a trio comprised of flutist Nicole Rabata, fiddler Ellery Klein and guitarist Bethany Waickman. They have recently appeared at the Boston Celtic Music Festival, the Belfast Celtic Fest, and the Saltwater Celtic Fest. This will be a special program of traditional Irish music in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day for the West Kennebunk Concert Series.

“The Don Campbell Band: an Evening of Dan Fogelberg Music” will be held on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Biddeford City Theater. Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.citytheater.org, at the City Theater box office and at the door. Don Campbell is a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who has released 12 CDs of original music, and recently, “Kites To Fly: Celebrating The Music Of Dan Fogelberg.” For more information, go to www.heartofbiddeford.org.

The Allman Neville Pitchell Band will perform at Jonathan’s Ogunquit on Sunday, April 19 at 8 p.m. The band will perform blues, southern rock and New Orleans influenced music. For more information, go to www.jonathansogunquit.com

SPECIAL INTEREST

The 2015 Maine Short Film Festival, on it’s tour of Maine theaters, will screen at the Strand Theatre, 345 Main St. in Rockland on Sunday, March 29 at 3 p.m. The festival is sponsored by the Maine Film & Video Association, a not for profit trade association representing the filmmakers of Maine. The festival features nine short fiction and non-fiction films from eight Maine filmmakers. Tickets are $7.50 for general admission at the door. For more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com.

A drawing for the “Spring Fever Raffle” will take place on April 12 to benefit the Saco River Salmon Club & hatchery. This is part of the annual fundraiser to help restore Atlantic salmon to the Saco River. Only 300 tickets will be available for a donation of $20.00 each. Five tickets will be drawn for a variety of prizes. To enter the raffle, contact Garry at 283-4003. For more information, go to www.sacosalmon.com

AUDITIONS

The Hallowell Lyceum Series is calling for storytellers to participate in “The Hook Story Hour” on May 8 at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium. Based on the popular radio show “The Moth Radio Hour” heard on MPBN, “The Hook Story Hour” will be an evening of stories based on real life experiences in the Kennebec Valley told live in front of an audience. Organizers are looking for anyone with a story they are interested in telling to a live audience. Stories must be true, they must be told without scripts and they should be no more than seven minutes in length. To participate, prepare a two minute pitch for your story (or stories) based on an experience in your life connected to the Kennebec Valley. Gaslight Theater members will hear pitches live at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium on Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m., or you may upload your video pitch to YouTube or Vimeo and email a link to Gaslight Theater director Richard Bostwick at [email protected].