Greater Portland Auditions & Calls for Art Friday 4/5 Edible Book Festival, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square; create a piece of edible art referencing a book or poem, children’s submissions welcome; drop off entries 3-4:45 p.m. in Rines Auditorium, view/vote 5-7 p.m., awards/feast 7-7:30 p.m.; no fee to register: weyand@portland.lib.me.us, 871-1700 ext. 723; information […]

As the calendar flips to April an incredibly broad range of musical opportunities beckon concertgoers. The top draw will be a megastar in the Nashville firmament: Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” tour motors into the Cumberland County Civic Center on Tuesday, April 9. A few blocks away on that same night, the Portland Symphony Orchestra holds […]

A pair of theatrical productions take center stage on southern Maine’s performing arts calendar. The biggest is one of the top shows in recent Broadway history. “Rock of Ages” is a jukebox musical that has an interesting story line and features rock hits from the 1980s. Expect it to rock Merrill Auditorium this Saturday. “Noises […]

Greater Portland Auditions & Calls for Art Friday 4/5 Edible Book Festival, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square; create a piece of edible art referencing a book or poem, children’s submissions welcome; drop off entries 3-4:45 p.m. in Rines Auditorium, view/vote 5-7 p.m., awards/feast 7-7:30 p.m.; no fee to register: weyand@portland.lib.me.us, 871-1700 ext. 723; information […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Friday 3/22 Tom Allen: “Dangerous Convictions: What’s Really Wrong with the US Congress,” 12 p.m., Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt Road, Falmouth, 781-2351 ext. 206. Saturday 3/23 Josh Pahigian, author of “Strangers on the Beach,” 2 p.m., Thomas Memorial Library, 6 Scott Dyer Road, Cape Elizabeth, 799-1720. Film Friday 3/22 […]

Spring arrives this week with a wide variety of choices in the performing arts. My “must-see” pick for the week is “Time Stands Still,” a taut, powerful drama by Donald Margulies. It was a hit on Broadway and Los Angeles, and is proving equally popular at The Public Theatre of Lewiston-Auburn. Joy Kills Sorrow is […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Wednesday 3/13 Marianne Boruch, 7 p.m., Woodbury Campus Center, University of Southern Maine, Portland, 780-8393. Thursday 3/14 Poetry at the Library with Annie Finch, 7 p.m., Merrill Memorial Library, 215 Main St., Yarmouth, 846-4763. Ongoing Community Chorus, rehearsals 10 a.m. – noon, first and third Saturday, the St. Lawrence Arts Center, […]

Southern Maine’s arts and entertainment machinery is certainly in high gear this week, with many great events competing for time and attention. Most significant is this weekend’s three-day Longfellow Chorus Festival, which includes a performance of the rarely heard “Hiawatha” series, based on an American epic poem with music composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Good Theater […]

Female musicians take the top two spots on this week’s picks of the tix. The top act is Jewel, a singer-songwriter who has sold multiple millions of records over the past 18 years. She will play Merrill Auditorium this Sunday. Cherish the Ladies is an all-female ensemble that plays traditional Irish music. They’ll visit Portland’s […]

Greater Portland Books & Authors Wednesday 3/6 Teen graphic novel club: “American Born Chinese,” 3 p.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 773. Brown Bag Lunch Series: James Arthur, 12 p.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 723. Friday 3/8 Author Talk with Miriam Nesset, 12 p.m., Portland Public […]