DATES/TIMES:
Wednesday - Saturday, April 26 - 29 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 30 @ 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Genesius Theatre | 153 N. 10th St | Reading, PA 19601

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY tells the dark, hilarious, and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house where they grew up and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this blistering and brutally funny masterpiece unfolds as the family patriarch vanishes. The Westons return to rural Oklahoma to care for their afflicted, manipulative mother, Violet. Armed with prescription drugs and paranoid mood swings, Violet reigns over the home as family secrets unfold. Tickets $20.
For tickets, visit the Genesius Theatre website.

DATE: Sunday, April 23
TIME: 4 p.m.
LOCATION: Sacred Heart Church | 740 Cherry St. | West Reading, PA 19611

Vespers is the sunset evening prayer service in the Orthodox, Western and Eastern Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours. The piece consists of settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox All-night vigil ceremony. It has been praised as Rachmaninoff's finest achievement and "the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church." It was one of Rachmaninoff's two favorite compositions along with The Bells, and the composer requested that its fifth movement ("Nunc Dimittis") be sung at his funeral. Tenor Piotr Buszewski is the guest soloist, with other solos performed by Choral Society members. Tickets $15 in advance / $20 at the door / $10 students.

For tickets and more information, visit Reading Choral Society website.

DATES/TIMES:
Thursday - Saturday, April 27 - 29 @ 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 30 @ 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Wachovia Theatre at Albright College | Enter 1621 N. 13th Street, Reading, PA

Lock up your daughters, the pirates are coming to town! As the curtain rises on this swashbuckling romance, we meet Frederic, an orphan who has mistakenly been apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates. He disavows the pirates' way of life and searches for the maiden of his dreams. Frederic's melodious tones win over the heart of Major General Stanley's songbird daughter, Mabel, but when the Pirate King discovers General Stanley has lied about being an orphan to keep the pirates from stealing all of his belongings and carrying off his bevy of beautiful daughters—mayhem ensues. This sparklingly witty operetta on the subject of romance and duty in the age of Queen Victoria makes for a perfect final act to the season.

Additional performance-related events for The Pirates of Penzance include:
Thursday, April 27: Post-show talkback & reception
Friday, April 28: Post-show improv by Less Than or Equal To in Roop Hall

To purchase tickets, please call the Albright Theatre Box Office at 610-921-7547.

APRIL 28 : Beetle Mania: The Art of Joan Danziger

DATE: Friday, April 28
TIMES:
1:30 p.m. - Senior Series
4:00 p.m. - Meet & Greet
LOCATION: Reading Public Museum | 500 Museum Rd. | Reading, PA 19611

Explore the extraordinary world of sculptor Joan Danziger of Washington, DC, whose creations—creepy, crawly specimens with six legs and wings—take center stage. Enter the world of Coleoptera, the largest and most diverse order of insects commonly known as beetles. Danziger’s colorful works, which will cling to the walls throughout the gallery, will be paired with some of RPM’s scientific collection of beetles, as well as some cultural artifacts from ancient Egypt and South America, decorated with the insects. The artist enlists metal wire, iridescent glass, celluclay, and paint to create her much-larger-than-life-sized sculpted beetles. Some of her sculptures measure nearly five feet!

For more information, visit the Reading Public Museum website.

APRIL 28: Boyertown kicks off Fourth Friday Art Walks

DATE: Friday, April 28
TIME: 5 - 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Downtown Boyertown

Lace up your sneakers and walk through historic Boyertown during the new Fourth Friday Art Walks, where great art, great music, great friends, and great food abound!

Each month, small businesses will feature local artists, poets, musicians, and more. Participating businesses will also offer specials and refreshments throughout the evening. This is your opportunity to see the amazing and unique things that Boyertown’s small businesses and local artisans have to offer.

Check out the Visit Boyertown website for more information.

APRIL 28: Opening Reception for Yocum Institute's Annual Preschool Art Exhibit

DATE: Friday, April 28
TIME: 5 - 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Yocum Institute for Arts Education | 1100 Belmont Ave. | Wyomissing, PA 19610



Every year, the Yocum Institute showcases the work of their preschool and kindergarten classes. The 2017 Preschool Art Exhibit features artwork in a variety of mediums from 81 students aged two to five years old. The exhibit will remain on view until May 14.

For more information, visit the Yocum Institute website.

APRIL 28: Guilty Parties of New Orleans staged reading presented by Theater of the Seventh Sister

DATE: Friday, April 28
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster | 328 West Orange St. | Lancaster PA

2017 marks 50 years since a prosecutor in New Orleans stunned the world by announcing that he had positively solved the Kennedy assassination and putting a beloved civic leader on trial for conspiracy. With all the novelty and intrigue of Mardi Gras, this sensational American story crowns a play that ruminates on the character of man and the very nature of truth. Tickets $15 adults; $10 students.

SPECIAL OFFER: Attend Guilty Parties of New Orleans on Friday and S poken Word Play 15: TRUTH on Saturday for $25. Spoken Word Play is a collaborative project in which writers & performers celebrate the spoken word in verse, story, and song.

For more information about the shows and to purchase tickets, visit the Theater of the Seventh Sister website.

DATE: Friday, April 28
TiME: 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Clay on Main | 313 Main St. | Oley, PA 19547

Maggie Spike, Maggie & Eric Gernerd, are a husband and wife singer-songwriter duo from rural eastern Pennsylvania. Known for their “mixed bag” of folk originals, they are not an easy band to label. Both Maggie’s and Eric’s song writing styles combine folk/rock, jazz, acoustic pop, Celtic, psychedelic, reggae, Americana, and world rhythm influences. Their music takes you to a place where melody, rhythm, harmony, and insightful lyrics create a sound that is easily accessible and highly entertaining. Light refreshments offered. Suggested donation $10.

For more information, visit Clay on Main website.

Next up at Clay on Main! The Ukulele Jam at the Half Moon Cafe on Saturday, April 30 @ 3:30 p.m.

APRIL 29: RSO presents The World of Shakespeare featuring Reading Choral Society Women's Chorus

DATE: Saturday, April 29
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Santander Performing Arts Center | 136 North 6th St. | Reading, PA 19601

Explore Shakespeare’s world with music inspired by The Tempest by Sibelius and featured in the film Prospero’s Books by Michael Nyman. Soprano Lianne Coble, mezzo-soprano Patricia Risley, and the Reading Choral Society Women’s Chorus are featured in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, interspersed with readings by actors from The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, evoking the spirit of magical possibilities. Tickets $20 - $80.

For tickets and more information, visit The Reading Symphony Orchestra website.

DATE: Sunday, April 30
TIME: 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Scottish Rite Cathedral | 310 South 7th St. | Reading, PA 19611

The Annual Spring Concert will celebrate Ringgold Band's 165th anniversary and director Jim Seidel’s 50th year with the band. The concert will feature Seidel's favorite selections from over five decades. The guest soloist is Bill Stowman, trumpet professor at Messiah College. Alexandra Vargas, RYBAA winner from Reading High School, will also perform a solo on alto saxophone. Tickets $15.

For more information, visit the Ringgold Band website.

Spring Fiesta Celebration

DATE: Saturday, May 6
TIME: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
PRESENTED BY: Muhlenberg Township

DATE: Saturday, May 6
TIME: 1 p.m.
PRESENTED BY: Children's Theatre of Albright

DATE: Saturday, May 6
TIME: 7:30 P.M.
PRESENTED BY: Albright College

DATE: Sunday, May 7
TIME: 4 p.m.
PRESENTED BY: Berks Youth Chorus

Berks Youth Chorus is calling all singers!

2017-2018 Auditions

DATES/TIMES:
Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Tuesday, May 16, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Other dates/times available by appointment
LOCATION: GoggleWorks Center for the Arts | 201 Washington St. | Reading, PA 19601

The Chorus will hold open auditions for membership in 2017-2018, its twenty-sixth season. Children and youth entering grades three through twelve in September 2017 are eligible to participate. The Chorus recommends that singers call 610-898-7664 to schedule an audition time slot or to schedule an audition at another time. MORE INFORMATION

Summer Sing! A fun week for children who like to sing

DATES: Monday, June 12, through Friday, June 16
TIME: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Hope Lutheran Church | 601 N. Front St. | Reading, PA 19601
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 15

Play hard! Work hard! Enjoy traditional camp activities and serious music making! Open to youth who completed grades 3 - 6 in June 2017. No audtion required. Registration fee $10. For registration form, visit the Berks Youth Chorus website.

What is Your Happily Ever After? Photography, Fine Art, and Prose Art Contest

Berks Opera Company welcomes Berks County residents to participate in its 1st Annual Community Art Contest. The theme is What is Your Happily Ever After, and culminates with an exhibition and selected visuals and prose represented in the scenic design of the August production of La Cenerentola (Cinderella) at the Miller Center for the Arts. The contest has three age categories: 6 - 8th grade, 9 - 12th grade, and adult in three artistic categories: fine art, photography, and prose. Information and entry links can be found at the Berks Opera Company's website.

Entry Deadline: May 31.