ALL TOGETHER NOW: A cappella groups have gained popularity in high schools the past few years, following in the path of the Beelzebubs of Tufts University.
Two of those groups, ``In Range" from Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury and ``Jazz Choir" from Triton Regional High School in Newbury, serve as warm-up acts for the Beelzebubs at Pentucket Friday.
It is the fourth annual Beelzebubs concert to benefit the Pentucket Fine and Performing Arts Foundation.
The Beelzebubs, a male ensemble, was formed in 1962 by a handful of Tufts students. It grew throughout the decades, adding different styles to its repertoire, recording albums, and touring the country and Europe. Beginning in the 1990s, the group introduced a new way of arranging and performing contemporary popular music, while also presenting some music from its past.
The show begins at 6:30 p.m. at Pentucket Regional, 24 Main St. (Route 113) in West Newbury. Tickets are $12, $8 for students and senior citizens. Discounted tickets, $10 and $6, are available in advance at the GAR Memorial Library in West Newbury and the Merrimac Library.
DRIVE IN: The Mugford Street Players opens its production of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, ``How I Learned to Drive," at Marblehead's Firehouse Theatre on Friday, with the run covering the next two weekends.
The play, by Paula Vogel, is about a woman's coming of age in the 1960s as she learns the rules of life behind the wheel of a Buick.
Dave Rich of Marblehead and Meagan Hawkes of Wakefield star in the roles of Uncle Peck and Li'l Bit. Jim Butterfield of Marblehead, Kristine Burke of Salem, and Deborah Linehan of Beverly are members of the Greek Chorus.
The show is produced and directed by John Fogle of Marblehead. Stage manager is Cathyann Swindlehurst of Marblehead; set design is by Jean and John Fogle; costumes by Anne Hinton of Beverly; and lighting design by Walter Eduardo of Waltham.
The Mugford Street Players has presented more than 50 productions, from both classic and modern literature, since 1975. ``How I Learned to Drive" is the troupe's first production in the newly renovated Firehouse Theatre at 12 School St.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m., and Sundays, 5 p.m., through Nov. 5. Tickets are $20, $14 for students and senior citizens. Call 781-639-0195 or visit mugfordstreet.com.
HANGUPS: A one-act opera, ``The Telephone" by Gian-Carlo Menotti, is presented today as part of the St. John's Concert Series in Beverly.
The heroine, a role sung by soprano Krystal Bly, uses her cellphone constantly and almost misses an important interaction with Ben, a role sung by baritone Erik Sumner.
Ronald Arnatt, a native of London now living in Gloucester, is the performance's accompanist. He is director of music at St. John's Episcopal Church in Beverly and artistic director of the concert series.
The free performance begins at 2 p.m. at St. John's, 705 Hale St. Call 978-283-9046 or visit sjcs.info.
HEALTHY CAUSE: The work of 13 local artists is featured in 2007 calendars and note cards on sale to benefit Families First, a community health center in Portsmouth, N.H.
The artwork was chosen from 100 pieces submitted for display at the Children's Museum of Portsmouth last spring.
Featured artists are Julie Cyr, Ken Fellows, Tanya Glenn, Magi Leland, Peter Welch, Linda Isaacson, Patricia Wulfson, Joan Harlow, Leslie Doherty, Cleone Tiffany Graham, Julie Eagan, Deb Giles, and Jann Foster.
Sales, sponsorships, and donations from the calendars and cards help Families First offer a range of health care and family support services to individuals and families, regardless of the ability to pay.
The calendars and note cards are sold in stores throughout the Seacoast, and can be purchased online at FamiliesFirstSeacoast.org. Call 603-422-8208, ext. 126.
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: The work of 22 photographers is featured in ``Proof: In B&W" at artSPACE@16 in Malden, opening Saturday with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. The exhibition is juried by Paul Wainwright, a photographer and educator from Atkinson, N.H. He gives a gallery talk at 3 p.m. The exhibition is open Saturdays through Nov. 18 . . . The Newburyport Art Association hosts ``Trick or Treat -- An Art Show to Capture and Inspire the Imagination," featuring whimsical works by Sharleen P. Hurst of Hampton, N.H., and Sharon Silverman of Methuen. The all-ages celebration of autumn fun opens Saturday with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m., and runs through Nov. 5.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: Rose Wolf reads from her book, ``UniVerses," a collection of 50 fantasy poems, at Cornerstone Books in Salem on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Subjects range from popular media to personal experiences. Wolf has been writing imaginative verses since childhood. She has published two collections and is at work on a third . . . Ann Downer discusses her new fantasy book, ``The Dragon of Never-Was," at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport next Sunday at 4 p.m. The book is part of the Hatching Magic Series for middle-grade readers. Downer, of Somerville, has four previous children's books.
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