Audition for Valley Voices Story Slam
The live storytelling event series Valley Voices Story Slam is looking for New Englanders to audition for the first event of its upcoming season by Saturday, Oct. 18.
To audition, call 413-482-8607, then leave a voicemail with your first and last name, email address, phone number, and the first line of your story.
All stories for this event must relate to the theme “Cringe” and must be first-person stories from each auditioner’s own life. Props, costumes, notes, and musical instruments are not allowed, and stories cannot be longer than five minutes.
Any New Englander 18 or older is able to audition, regardless of experience with performing or storytelling.
All callers will be notified by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24. The show will be held on Thursday, Nov. 20, at Bombyx.
If you have any questions, visit nepm.org/valley-voices or email valleyvoices@aomtheatre.com.
Paradise City Arts returns this weekend
Paradise City Arts will return to the Three County Fairgrounds this Friday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 11.
The curated contemporary art and craft fair will feature more than 200 vendors and artisans showing paintings, photography, sculpture, fashion, metal, leather, ceramics, furniture, jewelry, prints, decor, and more.
The live music lineup includes Stompbox Trio, Signature Dish, The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, The Wolves, LeFever, Green Street Trio ft. Avery Joi, and Buddy McEarns Band.
This is also the first show for Mariah Swanson and Elana Chernick-Kritz, the new co-directors of Paradise City Arts, in their new roles.
Tickets are $18 general admission, $26 for a three-day pass, or free for children 12 and under. To buy tickets or for more information, visit festivals.paradisecityarts.com.
‘Sunday in the Park with George’ in Northampton
K and E Theater Group’s production of the Pulitzer-winning musical “Sunday in the Park with George” will be at 33 Hawley the weekends of Oct. 10 to 12 and Oct. 16 to 18 at various times.
The musical is about the Pointillist painter Georges Seurat, his process of creating his most famous painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” and his relationship with his lover and muse.
One of its most famous songs is “Finishing the Hat,” about the struggles of devoting oneself to a creative endeavor in isolation from the rest of the world.
Tickets are $29.49, fees included, at ketg.org/sunday-in-the-park-with-george.html.
Queen tribute band in Northampton
The band Almost Queen: A Tribute to Queen will perform at the Academy of Music on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 8 p.m.
Expect hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “Fat Bottomed Girls,” among others.
According to their press materials, “The band’s authenticity shines through in their impeccable attention to detail and genuine costumes, while their live energy and precision will leave music fans of all ages with an unforgettable concert experience. Almost Queen’s concerts are a true testament to the band’s love for Queen’s music.”
Tickets are $38.92 to $81.60, fees included, at aomtheatre.com, by phone at 413-584-9032 ext. 105, or in person at the box office.
‘Hedwig’ in Greenfield
Arena Civic Theatre’s production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” will be at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls on Oct. 9, 12, 14, 16 and 17, at 7 p.m. every day and at 1 p.m. on Oct. 12 as well.
The musical is about a genderqueer rock musician named Hedwig, her escape from East Germany, and her tumultuous relationship with a lover who steals her music.
In this production, two performers, Clay Gregory and Charlie William, alternate the roles of Hedwig and Yitzhak.
According to its publicity materials, this “stripped down, amped-up” production “honors the show’s gritty roots while pushing it into bold new territory/artistically charged, community-driven, and unapologetically queer.”
Advance general admission tickets are $29.49, fees included, via sheatheater.org. All proceeds will benefit the local nonprofit TransHealth.
‘Andy Warhol in Iran’ auditions
The Academy of Music will hold auditions for its spring 2026 production of “Andy Warhol in Iran” on Tuesday, Oct. 14, with callbacks on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. both nights.
The production is looking for two actors: one to play the artist Andy Warhol, an American male in his mid-40s; and another to play Farhad, an Iranian male in his early 20s.
Here’s the synopsis, from a press release: “The play begins in 1976 with less than 3 years before her exile, when the Empress Farah beckons Andy Warhol to begin pop-art portraits of the royals in Tehran. When a fascinating university student takes Warhol hostage in his hotel room (disguised as a room service waiter) to publicize his group’s demands, a life-or-death struggle ensues over revolution, responsibility, and the arts.”
Auditioners will be asked to read a monologue from the show and will be paired with other actors to read provided sides from the play.
The production will be at the Academy of Music from Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12, 2026. For more information, email director Linda McInerny at lmciner@gmail.com.