Actors Theatre Playhouse
Main St., West Chesterfield, N.H.
http://www.atplayhouse.org, 877 666-1855
Thru-Oct 1: The Boys Next Door. Playwright Tom Griffin’s comedy-drama depicts life in a group home for the developmentally disabled. Wavering on the fine line between comedy and tragedy, Griffin draws from both traditions to create a touching, funny, sad, and moving portrait in which five challenged men survive by discovering what it means to have each other in their lives. Oct 8 & 15: Love, Loss and What I Wore. Nora Ephron’s and Delia Ephron’s concert staged production, based on the bestseller by Ilene Beckerman, is a collection of monologues and ensemble pieces about women, clothes, and memory. It covers important subjects such as mothers, prom dresses, and why we only wear black.
Brattleboro Music Center
38 Walnut St., Brattleboro
http://www.bmcvt.org, 802 257-4523
Oct 8: 6th Annual Blanche Moyse Memorial Concert, 7p. Once again, in Vermont’s leaf-color season, past members of the New England Bach Festival Orchestra will join the Blanche Moyse Chorale under the direction of Mary Westbrook-Geha to honor the memory of their mentor, Blanche Moyse, with a presentation of music of her beloved J.S. Bach. Oct 22: Chamber Series: Gilles Von Sattel, at Centre Congregational Church, Brattleboro, 7:30p. Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata, Op. 81a, Das Lebewohl Anton Webern Variations, Op. 27 Johannes Brahms Vier Klavierstücke, Op. 119 Robert Schumann Fantasy, Op. 17. Nov 4: Benefit Concert: Mohamed Shams, time TBD. Nov 11: Chamber Series: Con Moto, 7:30p.
Friends of Music at Guilford
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
16 Bradley Ave., Brattleboro
office@fomag.org, http://www.fomag.org, 802 254-3600
Oct 1: Vermont Virtuosi Flute Ensemble: Seven of the finest orchestral and solo flutists from N.Y., N.H., and Vt. perform on instruments from petite piccolo to colossal contrabass, in transcriptions of works by Bernstein, Vivaldi, Doppler, Debussy, Gershwin, and Leroy Anderson, as well as original works by Vermont composers David Gunn and Dennis Bathory-Kitsz. The concert is underwritten by generous grants from Brannen Brothers Flutemakers and Vernon Q. Powell Flutes. 7:30p; $15; students $10.
New England Youth Theater
100 Flat St., Brattleboro
http://www.neyt.org, 802 246-NEYT (6398)
Oct 7-9 and 14-16: Six Characters in Search of an Author. The story begins on a bare stage with a troupe of actors in mid-rehearsal. Six individuals break into the theatre and demand an author who will cast them in a play—and save their lives. Oct 22: Mentor Cabaret. Oct 28-30 & Nov 4-6: Clown Factory. The clowns are back in town for CLOWN TOWN 2016! This year we ask, What happens on a typical day in the Clown Factory? Nov 11: Putting on Our Finery Performance at West Village Meeting House, West Brattleboro, 7p. Dec 8-18: Mary Poppins. The story of the Banks family, who live in a big house in London on Cherry Tree Lane. The parents are at distant odds and the children are out of control and in need of a new nanny.
Next Stage Arts
15 Kimball Hill Road, Putney
Sept 16: Next Stage Speaks: Bianca Stone with host Chard DeNiord, 7p. Sept 23: The Everly Set: Sean Altman and Jack Skuller Approximate the Everly Brothers, 7:30p. Sept 30: Adam Strauss’ The Mushroom Cure, 7:30p. Oct 22: Patty Larkin Returns to Next Stage, 7:30p. Nov 12: The Cedric Burnside Project, 7:30p.
Northern Stage
The Barrette Center for the Arts
74 Gates St., White River Junction
http://www.northernstage.com, 802 291-9009
Sept 28-Oct 3: Macbeth. Full of sound and fury, “the Scottish play” follows Lord and Lady Macbeth on their bloody path to the throne. Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy probes the deepest realms of human nature, finding dark truths that still resonate. Nov 16-Dec 24: A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’ story of redemption remains as powerful and uplifting as ever. In an updated production expanded for the new Byrne theater, the biannual tradition will bring families together in a thrilling and moving way.
Old Castle Theatre Company
331 Main St., Bennington
http://www.oldcastletheatre.org, 802 447-0564
Oct 7-23: The Ride Down Mt. Morgan. The play concerns Lyman Felt, a poet turned insurance tycoon in his 50s. Driving down Mt. Morgan in the snow, Felt crashes his car and is taken to an upstate hospital. Summoned to his bedside are his daughter and his two wives: Theo, the older WASP-ish woman whom he married decades earlier, and Leah, the young Jewish businesswoman who had been Lyman’s lover and insisted on becoming his wife. Now Felt’s past—and his appetites—have caught up with him.
Sandglass Theater
17 Kimball Hill, Putney
http://www.sandglasstheater.org, 802 387-4051
Nov 13-20: Voices of Community: Brings together artists, activists, and members of the community for a variety of events addressing the need for the arts to be a powerful means for effecting social change.
Southern Vermont Arts Center
Arkell Pavilion at West Road, Manchester
http://www.svac.org, 802 362-1405
Aug 26: Ragtime and Boogie Woogie with Bob Milne, 7:30p. Sept 16: Brubeck Brothers Jazz Quartet: A tribute concert to their father, Dave Brubeck, 7p.
Stone Church Arts
20 Church St., Bellows Falls
http://www.stonechurcharts.org, 802 463-3100
Sept 24: Forest Dance. Gary Stroutsos, flute; Tony Garone, guitar and vocals, 7:30p. Oct 1: A Celtic Harvest Celebration. Aine Minogue, harp and vocals, 7:30p. Oct 13-16: Vermont Bluegrass and Old Time Festival. Oct 13-15, 5p; Oct 16, 5:30p. Nov 4: Around the World with the Harp. Judi Byron, harp and vocals, 7:30p. Nov 26: Neptune’s Car, folk duo, 7:30p.
Vermont Jazz Center
72 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro
http://www.vtjazz.org, 802 254-9088
Sept 17: Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio, 8p. Consistently voted as one of the top guitarists in readers’ and critics’ polls, a cutting-edge player who has recorded with diverse legends and cut his own highly regarded path. Oct 1: Caili O’Doherty Quartet, 8p. A young artist and a winning pianist and composer, O’Doherty combines intelligence with energy, swing, and finesse. Oct 15: Chico Freeman Plus+Tet, 8p. One of the major forces to have emerged in jazz. Compared to the greats in jazz history, one of the “young lions” on the 1980s. Nov 12: We Four: Javon Jackson and Jimmy Cobb, 8p. Saxophonist Javon Jackson and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb’s All-Star Quartet celebrate the music and spirit of John Coltrane by performing his classic repertoire. Dec 2: The VJC Big Band and Wanda Houston: A Tribute to Ella, 8p. The VJC’s 17-piece big band pays tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. Features vocal diva Wanda Houston.
Vermont Performance Lab
http://www.vermontperformancelab.org
Sept 16-17: Doggie Hamlet, 5p. Choreographer Ann Carlson and her collaborators of dancers, border collies, sheep, and local musicians weave instinct, mystery, and movement into the performance spectacle. Sept 21: Panel Discussion: Artists Taking Stock of Guns, 7p. Sept 23-24: A Gun Show, So Percussion, 7p. In the wake of the unfathomable school shootings in Newtown, Conn., members of So along with collaborators theater artist Ain Gordon, and choreographer Emily Johnson, teamed up to investigate the history of American gun manufacturing and the impetus for the right to bear arms. Oct 19: In The Works, Action Movie, by the Wives, 7p. The WIVES is a multi-disciplinary and shamelessly sensational three-woman performance collective visiting us from Montreal.
Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Various locations in Vermont
http://www.vso.org, 800 876-9293
Sept 30: Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents: Made in Vermont Statewide Tour, Latchis Theater, Brattleboro, 7:30p. A delightful opener from Mozart sets the tone for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s 23rd annual “Made in Vermont” statewide tour program. This year we proudly feature VSO principal trumpet and English horn in Copland’s haunting showcase, “Quiet City.” Many of our area restaurants and pubs feature this music, including Duo, The Four Columns, and Phelps Barn. Check websites for schedules.
