Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS ­— Celebrate the holidays with the whole family and join Saratoga City Ballet for its spectacular 27th Anniversary production of The Nutcracker, with Artistic Director Beth Fecteau at the majestic Hart Theater at The Egg, Empire State Plaza, Albany on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

This abridged version of Act II chronicles Clara’s enchanting journey into the Land of the Sweets and her adventures with all of its lively characters, including the Sugar Plum Fairy!  Danced to Tchaikovsky’s classic score, this production truly captures the magic of this timeless tale with a few modern twists thrown in.

Directed and choreographed by Beth Fecteau, this is Saratoga City Ballet’s 27th Anniversary production of the Nutcracker – a perfect holiday treat for audiences of all ages. Beth Fecteau’s choreography and production of Nutcracker premiered in 1996 at the Historic Cohoes Music Hall presented by Youth Ballet Company and Dance Eclectic.  After two years and a growing school and cast, this production moved to The Egg and was performed annually until 2004. Beth retired the production when she was named Director of the Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs merging Youth Ballet Company into what was the School of the Arts at the Museum of Dance.  Beth is thrilled to be sharing her work with new dancers and a new organization in the 27th Year of Saratoga City Ballet’s production.

Tickets are $30 Adults; $25 Seniors and Students; $15 students under 12! Tickets are available at www.saratogacityballet.com or at www.theegg.org. Group tickets available, please contact The Egg Box Office at 518-473-1845.

The Saratoga City Ballet Company is a not-for-profit organization providing dance students with opportunities to participate in professional quality productions. SCB strives for a high level of artistic achievement and to inspire and promote developing young dancers. For more information or to register for classes call 518-584-1895, visit www.saratogacityballet.com or email info@saratogacityballet.com.

ALBANY — Featuring the razor-sharp wit and bitter irony of “Angela’s Ashes” author Frank McCourt The Irish… And How They Got That Way offers audiences a musical chronicle of the Irish and their journey to and within America. 

A buoyant score, complete with fresh arrangements of over 30 songs ranging from classics to holiday favorites, provides a lively backdrop for the festivities. The show’s cast perform each song live, with the actors taking duties on several musical instruments.

The play transforms theREP’s stage into an Irish pub. Show posters and mementos from previous productions at theREP decorate the space, allowing revelers to raise a glass to the storied theatre’s past. 

Previews for “The Irish…” take place Nov. 19- 21. Opening night is Tuesday, Nov. 23. Regular performances continue through Sunday, Dec. 19. 

Capital Repertory Theatre, 251 N. Pearl St., Albany. Tickets range from $27–$62. Students with valid ID: $16 all shows. For tickets and information, call the Box Office at 518-346-6204 or visit www.capitalrep.org.

 ALBANY — The Egg has announced that Steve Hackett will be performing on Sunday, April 10 as part of the Rhythm International concert series.

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett reignites the musical mastery of the legendary band’s classic line up performing their live album, SECONDS OUT along with a variety of highlights from his solo career.

Tickets are $38, $48 and $58 and are currently on sale online at www.theegg.org or by telephone at 518-473-1845, or in person at The Egg Box Office Monday – Friday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

GLENS FALLS — The Arts District of Glens Falls has completed the most visible piece of its Arts Trail to date, with seven electrical boxes along the trail featuring painted murals by artists.

“This is only the beginning,” spokesperson Chad Rabinovitz, former artistic director of Adirondack Theatre Festival and co-owner of The Candy Space in Lake George, said in a statement. “We have major plans for public art, from large-scale murals on buildings to statement sculptures. You won’t be able to come to Glens Falls without knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a place that loves the arts.”

Artists chosen for the electrical box project were Hannah Williams, Shelley Fairbanks, Rodney Allen Bentley, Olga Aleksandrova, Kevin Clark, Stephanie Vaus and
Leah Hofgesang.

Also in the works is a Rain Art public art project — quotes from literature, chosen by the Teen Center at Crandall Public Library, spray painted onto the sidewalk outside the library with clear paint so the quotes are only visible when it rains.

Other components of the project to establish an Arts District, seven years in the making, include banners demarking the border of the Arts District, a website at www.artsdistrictgf.com, both of which are already completed. 

Coming soon: Expect to see sidewalk stamps around the border of the Arts District, and bike racks that will soon be installed at the ten arts destinations representing 14 arts organizations within walking distance from one another.

Funding has come from the Glens Falls Foundation, the Touba Family Foundation, and several individual donors. Establishing the Arts District was part of the Glens Falls Downtown Revitalization Initiative’s plans, and a fundraising campaign to bring the art to life is now underway, under the umbrella of LARAC (Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible.

Donate $100 and become an official Arts Hero. The Arts District is sending out pins to each Arts Hero who donates $10 or more to ten different arts organizations in Glens Falls, including the Arts District of Glens Falls, in the year 2021. Donations are tax-deductible. Fill out the form at: www.artsdistrictgf.com/hero. Six 1,000 sponsorships are available for a large Adirondack chair to be installed at the heart of Downtown Glens Falls, featuring a cityscape of Glens Falls by Anthony Richichi. 

Sponsorships are available for large scale murals and sculpture that are planned. Contact kate@advokate.net or 518-353-2121 to express your interest.

SCHENECTADY — The national tour Broadway’s hit musical comedy THE PROM will play in Schenectady at Proctors, beginning with performances on March 1, 2022, and running through March 6.

THE PROM features direction and choreography by Tony Award winner & 2019 Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls, The Book of Mormon), a book by Tony Award winner & 2019 Tony, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) and 2019 Tony, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin), music by 2019 Tony & Outer Critics Circle Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and lyrics by 2019 Tony, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Circle Award Chad Beguelin.

Single tickets are available from the Proctors box office by visiting Proctors.org, or by calling 518-346-6204. For more information, visit https://www.proctors.org/. Tickets to THE PROM are also available as part of the Key Private Bank Broadway Series subscription package at Proctors.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 2021 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards has announced its musical line-up and emcee for the 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14 ceremony at Universal Preservation Hall. 

Schenectady’s DJ Ketchup is serving as emcee for the third iteration of the Eddies Music Awards. 

Performing are:  Dark Honey. The band bills itself as “lyrically rich, guitar-driven indie-pop-rock with the heart of a singer-songwriter and the soul of an emo kid.” 

Sawyer Fredericks with band. The band is coming off its fall U.S. tour to perform at the Eddies Music Awards. Americana singer-songwriter Fredericks won season 8 of NBC’s The Voice. 

 Boomhauer. Megan Houde, a well-versed singer / guitarist of rock and other genres, brings an all-star team from the Capital Region’s top North Country acts – Erick Hofmanis (The Schmooze), Matt LaFarr (King’s English) and Mateo Vosganian (Wild Adriatic) – to perform. 

 Sirsy. The rock duo of Melanie Krahmer and Rich Libutti has achieved considerable success for over two decades performing not only in the Capital Region but throughout the country. 

 For more information, go to: www.theeddiesawards.com. Tickets for the event are available at www.univeralpreservationhall.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Tuesday, Nov. 16 Rochmon Record Club will converge Live at Caffe Lena, to listen to, and learn about, Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness On The Edge Of Town.” 

Under a contractual “lockdown” – during which Springsteen contributed the song “Fire” to Robert Gordon and Link Wray, and the framework of “Because The Night” to Patti Smith – he went on the road with the E Street Band for three years after the release of his epic, career defining album, “Born To Run.”

Legal issues resolved, Springsteen and band re-entered the studio and recorded arguably their finest album. From the album opener “Badlands” to “Candy’s Room,” “Racing In The Street,” to “Prove It All Night,” Springsteen navigates a cautionary tale of the price of getting everything you want.

Doors at Caffe Lena will open at 6:30, the show begins at 7 p.m. with a live audio & video presentation by Chuck Vosganian aka “Rochmon” and his sidekick, Alyssa, aka “The Button Pusher.” 

Caffe Lena has returned to full capacity. Proof of vaccination required. For more information, go to: www.caffelena.org.