Stephen Turner of Rowley plays Scrooge in Theater in the Open’s “A Christmas Carol’’ at the Firehouse Center in Newburyport.
Globe North Arts
‘A Christmas Carol’ presented in Newburyport
Stephen Turner of Rowley plays Scrooge in Theater in the Open’s “A Christmas Carol’’ at the Firehouse Center in Newburyport.
SCROOGE IN NEWBURYPORT: Theater in the Open presents “A Christmas Carol,’’ by Charles Dickens, at the Firehouse Center in Newburyport Thursday through next Sunday.
The holiday classic features Stephen Turner of Rowley as Ebenezer Scrooge. Also in the cast are Victor Atkins and Bonnie Lake, both of Newburyport; Missy Chabot of South Hampton, N.H.; and Paul Wann, Bonnie Jean Wilbur, and Damon Jespersen, all of Newbury.
The show, which features lots of music and spectacle, is directed by Stephen Haley.
Shows are at 8 p.m.Thursday and Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $15; $13 for students, senior citizens, and Firehouse members.
Call 978-462-7336 or visit www.firehouse.org.
DANCE FANTASY: Ipswich Moving Company presents “Pooka in the Woods,’’ a Celtic celebration of the solstice through story, dance, and music, Saturday and next Sunday at the Ipswich Performing Arts Center.
The theater is transformed into a magical forest where dancers turn into swans, aerial creatures become old ladies, and the pooka - part human, part animal spirit - leads a celebration of the winter solstice.
Janet Taisey Craft directs and choreographs, along with company dancers Chandra Cantor, Jenny Carlson, Adrienne Mincz, DeAnna Pellecchia, and Sativa Saposnek.
Michael Hamill, George Little, and Sarah McManaway perform live Celtic folk music.
The audience is invited to an informal question and answer session with the company following the performance.
Shows are 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $20; $15 for children and senior citizens. Call 978-356-5565 or e-mail jtcraft@comcast.net. For more, visit www.ipswichmovingco.org.
RING THE BELLS: Friends of the Woburn Public Library present the Sudbury Bell Ringers, followed by soprano Caitlin Doherty, at the library at 2 p.m. today.
The Bell Ringers from the Memorial Congregational Church in Sudbury have played hand bells since 1955. The sound the group produces includes five octaves of hand bells and three octaves of hand chimes.
Doherty, a young singer from Woburn, performs a range of music from classical songs to show tunes. She is accompanied by Marion Mulrenan Murphy.
Admission is free to the event, which includes a sing-a-long, refreshments, and raffles.
AUTHOR’S CORNER: “Not Home for the Holidays: Writers and Photographers Speak About War,’’ to benefit Operation Troop Support, is presented at Cornerstone Books in Salem at 2 p.m. Saturday. Frank Schaeffer, father of a Marine deployed to Iraq, is author of “Keeping Faith,’’ “Faith of Our Sons,’’ and coauthor of “AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service - and How It Hurts Our Country.’’ Brian MacQuarrie is a Boston Globe reporter who was embedded in a unit during the Iraqi invasion. Kim Ponders, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force and one of the first American women to fly in a combat zone in Desert Storm, is the author of two novels, “The Art of Uncontrolled Flight,’’ and “The Last Blue Mile.’’ Barry Goldstein, author of “Gray Land: Soldiers on War,’’ spent two years photographing and interviewing more than 50 actively serving members of a veteran Army battalion. Contributions to the Danvers-based Operation Troop Support, monetary or nonperishable and nonbreakable new items, will be collected.
IN LOCAL GALLERIES: Mimi art gallery in Ipswich presents an exhibit of work by nine of its member artists during the holiday season. All the pieces are small, 4 by 6 inches at most. They range from abstract photos and multimedia pieces to seascapes and cityscapes. The artists are Kim Alemian, Robert Heath, Bea Modisett, Casey Baker, Kathy Archer, Daisy Adams, Cathy Paige, Penny Neal, and Catalina Viejo. . . . Cynthia Curtis Pottery in Rockport holds its fifth annual studio potter and student show and sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Featured are wheel-thrown and hand-built functional ceramics made by teachers, adult students, and studio potters. Profits benefit the Cynthia Curtis Pottery Scholarship Fund. . . . Indigo Artist Studio in Newburyport holds an open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The studio is working and gallery space for artists Mary Pollak and Lillian Coolidge. Pollack creates small monotype collages on canvas and mixed media landscapes. Coolidge paints oil landscapes.
Arts items may be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. 
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