What's Happening: Third Friday Concert, 'Noises Off,' "Riding Hood'

APRIL 19

THIRD FRIDAY CONCERT: The Third Friday concert series at St. Patrick Catholic Church will welcome the Annasemble Chamber Orchestra from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 19. The orchestra is part of a larger orchestra: the Annasemble. The 10 to 12 musicians perform typically at a variety of functions and venues. Performances have been held at places such as The Village, The Windsor, Tacachale and the Thornebrook Art Festival. The group plays a variety of music genres. The concert at St. Patrick will feature a program that brings together music by Italian baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli and American and Irish roots music. This particular program includes music by local composers Bill Paine and Marie Anna and David Evans. St Patrick Catholic Church is located at 500 NW 16th Ave. The performance is free, but a freewill offering for performers will be accepted. For more information, visit spccgnv.org/concert.

APRIL 19 THROUGH APRIL 20 PLUS APRIL 26 THROUGH APRIL 27

“NOISES OFF!”: Chaos abounds when Theatre Santa Fe presents “Noises Off!,” Michael Frayn’s Tony-nominated comedy, at 7:30 p.m. on two Friday and Saturday nights, April 19-20 and April 26-27, in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College (SF). The campus is located at 3000 NW 83rd St. Tickets are $15 for adults; $9 for seniors, students, military service members, and children 12 and younger; and free for SF students, faculty and staff with college ID cards. Tickets are available from the Fine Arts Hall box office at 395-4181 or online at showpass.com/noises-off. According to SF Theatre Professor Russell Schultz, who is directing the student cast, this play has been called “a master class in farce” and is now recognized as a classic comedy. “Noises Off!” is a theatrical tour de force that features a manic group of second-rate actors racing against the clock to open a play called “Nothing On.” The audience will watch the slow demise of “Nothing On” and what’s left of the actors’ reputations. The phrase “noises off” refers to a stage direction for offstage sounds. In addition to the nine actors, students in SF’s Associate in Science degree program in Theatre and Entertainment Technology are working behind the scenes in stage management, assisting the director, costuming and set construction. The set is built in three units so the audience can see what is happening both onstage and backstage in the play “Nothing On.” “Noises Off!” premiered at the Lyric Theatre in London in 1982 and has since been produced worldwide, including on Broadway, at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Australia, and in numerous professional theatre companies and community theaters. The 2001 Broadway production with Patti LuPone and Peter Gallagher was nominated for a Tony and Drama Desk Award as Best Revival of a Play.

APRIL 19 THROUGH APRIL 21

“ANTARCTIC DINOSAURS”: Step back in time and discover life beneath the ice in “Antarctic Dinosaurs.” Today, Antarctica is a forbidding land of snow and ice, but 200 million years ago it was a lush, wooded habitat where dinosaurs thrived. Uncover the history of the world’s southernmost continent and the unique species that have called it home in this interactive, family friendly experience at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Rare fossils, touchable casts and interactive models bring the past to life while showcasing Antarctica’s distinctive dinosaur species. Examine a reconstructed forest, and encounter the early plants and animals that flourished in the once-green environment. Experience the extraordinary work that goes into digging for fossils with real equipment and a recreated quarry. Learn about the important research taking place in this frigid landscape and how it informs future changes to the world’s climate. This is a bilingual exhibit available in English and Spanish. Tickets are $10 for adults; $9 for Florida residents, seniors and non-UF college students; $7 for ages 3-17; and free for ages 2 and younger, UF students and museum members. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. It is located at 3215 Hull Road. For more information, visit floridamuseum.ufl.edu or call 846-2000.

APRIL 19 THROUGH APRIL 28

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S “MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS”: Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxury train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on Detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer — in case he or she decides to strike again. Find out what happens in the latest production from the High Springs Playhouse at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m. Sundays through April 28. The High Springs Playhouse is located at 23416 NW 186 Ave. in High Springs. Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $10 for  students and ages 65 and older. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit highspringsplayhouse.com.

APRIL 20

“16TH ANNUAL SPRING YOUTH CONCERT” FEATURING “LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD”: Sun Country Dance Theatre is set to present its 16th annual Spring Youth Concert, featuring the return of its original story ballet, “Little Red Riding Hood.” The performances will be presented beginning at 2:30 p.m. April 20 at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Event organizers say the dance theatre is committed to its mission of providing invaluable arts opportunities for the youths of the community, and as such they will once again offer free tickets to all children ages 11 and younger (available in person at the Phillips Center box office only — not online). All other tickets for the production are $18. The return of SCDT’s original story ballet, “Little Red Riding Hood,” which premiered in 2013, will highlight the production. Choreographed by SCDT Artistic Director Judy Benton to the music selections of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, this enchanting ballet has been adapted from the fairy tale and follows Little Red throughout many adventures on her birthday. Join Little Red and her best friend, the Duck, as they travel through the forest to Granny’s house, where they encounter many magical creatures — and, of course, the wolf is always lurking close by. In addition to “Little Red Riding Hood,” the performance also will showcase the dancers of SCDT performing a diverse array of new works by both resident and guest choreographers, ranging in styles from classical ballet to contemporary and modern dance. Contributions to the production by special guest performers from both Florida and New York City further celebrates the diversity of the arts and the collaboration of many performing artists to share the love of their art with the community. Professional dancers from The Florida Ballet (Jacksonville) also will be featured as guest artists for this production. SCDT is the resident nonprofit performing company of Dance Sun Country at Sun Country Sports Center. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit tickets.performingarts.ufl.edu. To order tickets through the box office, call 392-ARTS or 800-905-ARTS.

APRIL 21

SUNDAY ASSEMBLY: Sunday Assembly Gainesville will feature guest speaker Emily Westerholm, who serves as the executive director of the Released reentry program. In addition, she works as a mental health therapist specializing in trauma and substance use disorders. She holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling and is a registered mental health counseling intern in Florida. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and Society of Criminology and Social Justice Division. The title of her talk will be “Invisible Consequences: Exploring the Stigma and the Trauma of Incarceration.” Music will be provided by Sunday Assembly musicians. Sunday Assembly Gainesville is a secular congregation that celebrates life at 11 a.m. the third Sunday of each month. The group will meet at the Pride Center located in the Springhill Professional Center,  3850 NW 83rd St., Suite 201. It also is possible to attend via zoom. Sunday Assembly Gainesville is a chapter of the Global Secular Sunday Assembly Movement. For more information, visit sagainesville.weebly.com or email SundayAssembly32601@gmail.com.

APRIL 24

HANNEKE CASSEL AND KEITH MURPHY: Magnolia Roots Music will host Hanneke Cassel for an evening of fiddle music. She is bringing Keith Murphy on guitar at the Thomas Center. Effervescent and engaging, Boston-based fiddler Cassel’s style fuses influences from the Isle of Skye and Cape Breton Island with Americana grooves and musical innovations, creating a cutting-edge acoustic sound that retains the integrity and spirit of the Scottish tradition. Her music is a blend of the contemporary and traditional, described by the Boston Globe as “exuberant and rhythmic, somehow wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness.” Newfoundland-born guitarist Murphy began absorbing his native musical languages — folksongs, ballads and dance music — from an early age. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, he has long applied considerable energy to the rhythmic side of music, becoming a valued band member and highly sought-after sideman on guitar, mandolin and foot percussion. See them perform from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Thomas Center, located at 302 Northeast Sixth Ave. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/cscapril24.

APRIL 27

BARBERGATORS CHORUS: Join the Barbergators Chorus as they celebrate more than 50 years of harmony in Gainesville with their 50th Anniversary Show, set for 7 p.m. April 27 at First United Methodist Church. The Barbergators formed in 1973 and has been an active part of the Gainesville arts community ever since. The group will take their audience on a tour of songs from their rich history. Featured performers will include the Wise Guys, a hilariously entertaining quartet who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first Sunshine District Championship. Also featured will be Time of Our Lives, the Gainesville Harmony Show Chorus and, of course, the Barbergators Chorus. Tickets are $15 to $35, and can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/bcspring24, from any Barbergators member, or by calling 358-1311. First United Methodist Church is located at 419 NE First St.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What's Happening: Sunday Assembly, Hanneke Cassel, Barbergators