'Mother' dearest

CAMPUS CALENDAR

Tomorrow-April 27
‘‘Mother Courage and Her Children’’ The theater department at Salem State College closes its season with Bertolt Brecht’s ‘‘Mother Courage and Her Children.’’ The play showcases the horrors of wartime ambiguities by telling the story of a mother working both sides to provide for her family. Director Thomas Luddy set this production in a timeless war. ‘‘My goal is to have the audience focus on the idea of war itself,’’ Luddy says. ‘‘We witness Mother Courage’s choices and have to decide: Is she a kind of villain? A good mother? Or both?’’ Salem State College alum Megan Demarest (above) plays the title role. Thu-Sat 8 p.m. Sun Apr 27 2 p.m. $15, $10 seniors and students. Salem State College, Mainstage Theatre, Salem. 978-542-6290. salemstate.edu/arts

"Hoops on Wheels" The Celtics, a professional wheelchair basketball team in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, will play at Merrimack College to benefit Lazarus House, a Lawrence-based nonprofit serving the poor, sick, and homeless of the Merrimack Valley. The Celtics are made up of members of the New England Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans. The team will give a demo then take on teams made up of Merrimack faculty, staff, and students. Sorry, Merrimack; we're rooting for the vets. 7-9 p.m. Donation of food or cash. Merrimack College, Volpe Athletic Center, 315 Turnpike St., North Andover. merrimack.edu

"Animal Estates" Fritz Haeg's passion for art and animals intersects in his installation "Animal Estates." Each piece is a working habitat for an animal that humans have shunned. " 'Animal Estates' intends to eradicate the strict, arbitrary, and obsolete boundaries that humans have established between the manmade and the wild," Haeg says. "As animal habitats dwindle daily, 'Animal Estates' welcomes wildlife back into our lives." Haeg will talk about his work tonight at MIT. 6:30 p.m. Free. MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies, 265 Massachusetts Ave., 3rd Floor, Room N52-390, Cambridge. 617-767-8334. mit.edu

Business sense for musicians Berklee's Envisioning 21st Century Music Business Models series kicks off on Thursday with a focus on digital music licensing. Marybeth Peters, US Register of Copyrights, will give a keynote address followed by a discussion with record industry executives, artists, journalists, and managers, including Mike Dreese, owner and CEO of Newbury Comics, Susan Butler, senior legal and publishing editor of Billboard magazine, and Gregg Latterman, manager of John Mayer and the Fray. 7-9:30 p.m. Free. David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston St., Boston. 617-747-2152. berklee.edu/ news/2008/03/0326.html

"Into the Woods" Assumption College presents Stephen Sondheim and James Lapin's "Into the Woods." The musical is the collision of several fairy tales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel) that tackle the age-old question: what happens after everyone lived happily ever? Thu-Fri 7 p.m., Sat 5 p.m., Sun 2 p.m. $15, $10 students, $5 kids 9 and under. Assumption College, Laska Gym, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester. 508-767-7410. assumption.edu