“Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” brings music from Looney Tunes to Symphony Hall for two performances on May 4, courtesy of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. George Daugherty conducts the multimedia production he created with David Ka Lik Wong. the SSO plays the Carl Stalling scores inspired by classical music golden hits. For details: www.springfieldsymphony.org.
The Tony Awards nominees for the 2023-24 season will be announced on April 30. The 77th Tony Awards ceremony are June 16, live from Lincoln Center. For details: www.tonyawards.com.
“A Complicated Woman,” a new musical inspired by the true story of theater producer John Kenley, opens Goodspeed’s 40th season at their Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut, May 10 to June 2. Kenley owned a string of theaters in the Midwest that brought big names of the day, from Hugh Downs to Jayne Mansfield to Burt Reynolds, to perform in plays and musicals. Off-season, Kenley lived in Florida as a woman named Jean. Jeff Calhoun, who staged “Newsies,” “Grease,” and “Bonnie & Clyde” on Broadway, directs the musical, with a book by Ianne Fields Stewart, music and lyrics by Jonathan Brielle with additional lyrics by Sam Salmond. The gender-diverse cast is led by Nora Brigid Monahan as John/Jean, and L. Morgan Lee, the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for a Tony Award (“A Strange Loop”). For details: www.goodspeed.org.
Shakespeare & Company will host a free, family-friendly Community Day on its 33-acre campus in Lenox on Saturday, May 25, featuring food, music, and several other Berkshire-based nonprofits on hand to share the myriad ways each serves the region. For details: www.shakespeare.org.
Alice in Wonderland comes to The Bushnell on May 4, courtesy of Connecticut Ballet. Brett Raphael’s whimsical production features Ava Prentice as Alice. For details: www.bushnell.org.
UMass Choirs and Orchestra perform Mozart’s “Requiem” on May 4 at the UMass Fine Arts Center. E. Wayne Abercrombie directs the choir, and Gonzalo Hidalgo Ardila conducts. The All-University Orchestra also performs works by Barber and Mozart. For details: www.fineartscenter.com.
“Twelfth Night,” Shakespeare’s comic fantasy, will be presented by UMass Theater through May 4, at the Rand Theatre on the Amherst campus. Milan Dragicevich directs, and Tim Eriklsen provides the music. For details: www.fineartscenter.com.
Ina Garten, “The Barefoot Contessa,” speaks at The Bushnell on Dec. 4. For details: www.bushnell.org.
“Madame Mozart: The Lacrymosa” will be presented by Great Barrington Public Theater on May 1, at St. James Place in Great Barrington. This play by Anne Undeland had a read-through last summer, and has been revised for this next read-through, which stars Tara Franklin and Ryan Winkles, and pianist Larry Wallach. The event is free. Reservations are required. Contact Tristan Wilson for reservations: tristan@greatbarringtonpublic.org.
The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival will bring world-class chamber music to five venues on the Cape, July 30 to Aug. 16. Each week is anchored by back-to-back concerts by today’s leading string quartets: Borromeo, Ying and Escher. Other festival highlights include a free jazz concert, the Cape Cod debut of Tangent Winds, and more. For details: www.capecodchambermusic.org.
Ballet Hartford has appointed Claire Kretzschmar, a former New York City Ballet soloist dancer, to be its artistic director starting in August 2024. She will succeed Ballet Hartford’s current director, Leyna Doran, who has led the company since 2019. Kretzschmar danced with New York City Ballet from 2010 to 2022, rising to the rank of soloist before retiring in 2022 to pursue teaching and ballet choreography. For details: www.ballethartford.org.
The Holyoke Civic Symphony ends its “Brass Menagerie” season with a concert called “Bone Appetit” on May 5 at Holyoke Community College. Matthew Russo is guest soloist, and the program includes Stravinsky’s “Firebird.” David Kidwell conducts. For details: www.holyokecivicsymphony.org.
The Easthampton Film Festival returns for its third year May 2-5, with independent film screenings at Abandoned Building Brewery, Easthampton Media, and CitySpace in Easthampton. This festival showcases the work of up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world with a particular focus on celebrating local talent and themes. Each screening includes an audience talk-back with attending filmmakers, and some venues include the availability of food and or beverages to enjoy with the films. This year’s short film screenings span several genres, including comedy, thriller, animation, local documentary, horror, and drama. There are also two networking events taking place as part of the program, where audience members and local filmmakers can meet and connect. For details: www.easthamptonfilmfestival.com.
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington seeks participants for the second annual “Mind the Gap,” an intergenerational collaborative performance-making program, June 24-28. The workshop culminates with a performance on June 28. The program is designed for youth (ages 14-21) and elders (age 60 and up). For details: bit.ly/rp28dv. Application deadline is May 3. To apply: www.mahaiwe.org/applymtg.
“What to Do If Your Balloon Pops,” the family-friendly circus extravaganza from the New England Center for Circus Arts, comes to The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, under the auspices of Berkshire Theatre Group and the Berkshire Eagle, on May 3. For details: www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
The Opera House Players in Enfield has announced its 2024-25 season, which includes the musical blockbusters “Rock of Ages,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Wedding Singer” and “Anastasia” (which had its world premiere down I-91 at Hartford Stage). “Kinky Boots” wraps up the current season, May 3-19. For details: www.operahouseplayers.org/shows.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theater at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He has worked for arts organizations nationwide and reported on the arts for print and broadcast. Mark produces and hosts “ArtsBeat,” “Athenaeum Spotlight” and “On the Mark” for WCPC, Channel 15 in Westfield, and WSKB 89.5 FM. His “Arts Beat” column appears Mondays in The Westfield News. He’s a regular contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio and a member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association.