With the production of Sophocles's "Antigone" at Salem State College, director Celena Sky April wants to "change the audience's expectation about Greek tragedy."
She compares the experience of seeing the show with "a combination rock concert, high Mass, Supreme Court session, and Red Sox playoff game."
It includes drumming, original music, singing, and a blend of live and recorded sound. Professor Tatsuya Aoyagi has also created stage pictures with the chorus, aimed to heighten the raw emotion of the play.
Presented by the college's theater department, the show features Kristina Spinney in the title role and Bobby Savage as her uncle and enemy, Creon, the king of Thebes.
Performances are Thursday through Saturday and Dec. 6-8, 8 p.m.; Dec. 9, 2 p.m., at the college's Mainstage Theatre. Tickets are $15; $10 for students and senior citizens; free to Salem State students.
Call 978-542-6290 or visit salemstate.edu/arts.
FEEL LIKE A NUT: The Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport kicks off its season of holiday performances with a dynamic twist on a dance classic.
"Nutbuster," presented by Exit Dance Theatre, tells the traditional story of Clara and her nutcracker soldier. But in this version, the nutcracker is a lifeguard, his buddies are surfers, and Clara isn't so sure who's the hero.
In addition to performers from Exit Dance, the cast includes about 20 young dancers from throughout the region. Well-known dance segments from "The Nutcracker" are reworked with a modern, jazzy, humorous touch. There's a winter snow scene set to rocking guitar, punk angels moving to a techno beat, a battle scene between surfer dudes and greenhead flies, and a waltz of very unconventional flowers.
The score includes jazz versions of Tchaikovsky's music arranged by Duke Ellington and Wynton Marsalis, as well as original scoring by local musician E.J. Ouellette.
The show is geared for families. Performances are Nov 30 and Dec.1, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 1 and 2, 3 p.m.
Tickets are $16; $13 for senior citizens and Firehouse members; $10 for students. Call 978-462-7336 or visit firehouse.org.
TREE LIGHTING: The festive season at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly officially begins Friday with a holiday illumination.
The free event includes a tree-lighting ceremony with the theater's incoming artistic director and executive producer Barry Ivan, festive decorations, holiday confections, and hands-on crafts.
There also are appearances by cast members of the popular annual show "A Christmas Carol," as well as readings featuring the cast and Jon Kimball, outgoing artistic director and executive producer.
A caroling sing-along is led by the theater's Youth Performance Choir.
The event runs from 4 to 7 p.m. At 5:30, the theater's Overtures restaurant opens to serve a specially priced, family-friendly menu. The box office is also open and offering in-person discounts on subscriptions and tickets to "A Christmas Carol," which runs Friday through Dec. 23.
During "Holiday Illumination" and throughout the run of "A Christmas Carol," the theater collects unwrapped, unopened toys for boys and girls ages 2 through 12 for Tiny Tim's Toy Drive. The toys are donated to three area organizations - the Beverly Children's Learning Center, Beverly Bootstraps, and Head Start of Peabody.
AUTHOR'S CORNER: About 20 local authors and illustrators greet the public and sign books at the Holiday Season Author and Book Fair, sponsored by the Friends of the Newburyport Library, Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. The event, in the library's program room, is for all ages and free. There are also refreshments and free gift wrapping of books purchased. IN LOCAL GALLERIES: Oil paintings by John Richard Perry are on exhibit at the Ferry Wharf Gallery in Newburyport through the holidays. A 7th-generation marine painter, Perry has exhibited throughout the United States since 1970. His work is in the permanent collections of the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, the White House, the US Coast Guard Academy Museum, and Buckingham Palace, as well as in private and corporate collections. Paintings and monoprints by Muriel Angelil of Amesbury are on exhibit at The Gallery at Chelsea City in Chelsea, Tuesday through Jan. 26. A reception is Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. Angelil's work is inspired by movement, dance, and her passion for the Argentine tango. "Human Presence," an exhibit of work by five seniors at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, is at the college's 301 Gallery through Friday. A reception is Wednesday, from 6 to 8 p.m. Produced by the students, the show features a range of media focusing on the theme of human presence. The artists are Paulina Engel, Justin Rello, Eli Scott, Justin Paszul, and Daniela Wohlwend. Items for the People column can be sent to wdkilleen@comcast.net. Photos, as jpeg attachments, can be sent to globenorth@globe.com. 
