CT Arts Connections You Don't Want to Miss

Pictured is a scene from the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida.”
Photo by Marty Sohl, Metropolitan Opera

The Met: Live in HD -- Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida

1 pm (live) and 6:30 pm (encore)
Saturday, Dec. 15
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT; Tickets: $25, $20 seniors, $10 children/students. The Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396. (1-877-278-7396).

Photo: Courtesy of the Palace

Sugarplums will dance and flowers will waltz when Woodbury Ballet Theatre present its annual “Nutcracker at the Palace” 4pm Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Palace Theater, Waterbury.

Based on the original story written by E.T. Hoffman and featuring Tchaikovsky’s magical score, “The Nutcracker” has become a beloved holiday tradition for the young and young at heart. The Woodbury Ballet Theatre’s production features professional guest artists, resident professional dancers and students of the Woodbury Academy - the official school of the Woodbury Ballet - who will dance the children’s roles.

“The Nutcracker” is a fantasy based on the magic of a young girl’s dream of a Nutcracker Prince come-to-life and her journey to the enchanting land where snowflakes dance and flowers waltz. The ballet is a wonderful way to introduce young children to the world of classical music and traditional dance in a live performance that features grand sets and scenery, theatrical effects and innovative choreography by Randyl Errica, Artistic Director for the Woodbury Ballet. The grandeur of the Palace stage, which serves as the backdrop for this enchanting ballet, sets the performance apart from other productions.

Tickets for the ballet are $48, $38 and $28: 203-346-2000; www.palacetheaterct.org Box Office, 100 East Main St.

AUDITIONS FOR GOODSPEED MUSICALS

Goodspeed Musicals is holding auditions for local Equity Adult male and female actors for its 2013 season, on Saturday Dec. 15 from 10 am to 5 pm at the McMillian Rehearsal Studio on Route 82 in East Haddam. All auditions are by appointment only. Call Company Management at 860-873-8664, ext. 387, Monday through Friday, 10 am - 5 pm.  Goodspeed Musicals 2013 season will be Good News (3/12-6/22), Hello! Dolly (5/28-9/14) and The Most Happy Fella (8/19-12/1). Candidates must be available for four weeks of rehearsal and a four to 14-week performance run.

 

Interested performers should prepare two songs (up-tempo and ballad, 32 bars – not the entire song). Bring a resume, photo and sheet music. Music must be legible and in the proper key (no lead sheets please). An accompanist will be provided. Performers of all ethnicities are strongly encouraged to audition.

HOLIDAY OFFERINGS at THE BIJOU
Nuncrackers, the Nunsense Christmas musical "A Christmas Story," and more are on tap at the Bijou Theatre in Bridgeport (along with free popcorn). Check out the schedule at thebijoutheatre.com.

President Obama has signed the The Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act, ensuring the minting of a special coin honoring the great and witty author whom William Dean Howells called "The Lincoln of Our Literature." Sales of the coin will benefit four key historic and research sites dedicated to preserving the legacy of Mark Twain.