Is it too soon to think about the weekend? Arts Council Marketing Director Jennifer Gelband offers her top five arts picks for this week, going into next. These come from our member organizations and are also featured in The Arts Council's weekly newsletter. To subscribe to that, click here.
Little Shop of Horrors, March 1-4, 2 & 7:30 p.m., Center for Theatre Arts at Quinnipiac University.
The Quinnipiac University Theater Program will present one of the longest-running, off-Broadway shows that has since been produced worldwide.
Tickets: $15, $10 students and seniors.
More info: qulittleshop.brownpapertickets.com or (203) 582-8652.
Together with Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo and the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, the Peabody is seeking FrogWatch Citizen Scientist volunteers to help monitor frog populations in nearby wetlands during the spring and summer months. No need to be an expert; training is provided.
FrogWatch volunteers should have an interest in learning about frogs and toads, the commitment to learn and identify their distinct calls, and the ability to make several evening visits to a local wetland and report the data collected (about 15 minutes once or twice a week, one-half hour after sunset).
Training sessions are for the whole family and are free for members of the four institutions offering the training regardless of which site is chosen for the session. For others, the cost is $10 per family.
• Mar. 1, 7-9 p.m. (snow date Mar. 6, 7-9 p.m.), Hanson Exploration Station, Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
• Mar. 10, 1-3 p.m. (snow date Mar. 13, 7-9 p.m.), Third floor classroom, Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
• Mar. 20, 7-9 p.m. (snow date Mar. 22, Environmental Science Center (ESC), Yale University (next to Peabody Museum).
More info: Jim Sirch, james.sirch@yale.edu, (203) 432-6919 or http://peabody.yale.edu/events/become-a-frogwatch-citizen-scientist
Circophony's As You Wish! March 1-10, Oddfellows Playhouse, Middletown.
Circophony announces the world premiere of As You Wish, an original circus-theater response to The Princess Bride. Written and directed by Circophony director Dic Wheeler, the show is both a theater piece and a circus performance, uniquely combining the two art forms in a comical and skillful response to the cult classic The Princess Bride.
Tickets: As You Wish! opens with a Pay-As-You-Wish Preview March 1, 7 p.m. Remaining shows are $15 adults, $8 students and seniors.
More info: www.oddfellows.org or (860) 347-6143.
Kaleidoscope: Celebrating O.N.E.'s 44th Birthday, March 3, 7:30 p.m., Unitarian Society of New Haven, Hamden. Orchestra New England is 44 years old and is celebrating with a concert on its precise birthday (March 3, 1974). Enjoy a potpourri of old and new music, including a new work for violin by Mark Kuss performed by Concertmaster Rahael Ryger, and a posthumous performance of Bill Ryden's masterpiece "Kaleidoscope," with Patrick Smith as percussion soloist.
The event is followed by a reception with the artists.
More Info: http://www.orchestranewengland.org/page-1784436
Silence Breakers, March 4-April 5. Public reception: March 8, 5- 8 p.m., Ely Center of Contemporary Art.
Each year during Women’s History Month, the ECOCA showcases In Grace We Trust, an exhibition that commemorates the philanthropic work of Grace T. Ely. In Grace We Trust addresses ideas of tradition and change — a nod to the past as we confront current societal challenges, and rise together to create our future narratives.
This year, ECOCA is collaborating with Nasty Women Connecticut for the group show Silence Breakers, with artwork that addresses issues of abuse, consent, and identity, as well as themes of domesticity and home. The show will look at the often-blurred line between security and insecurity in the home, providing room to explore ideas around gender, equity, sexuality, individuality, and domestic life.
Throughout the month of March, the Ely Center will host a series of related public programming, including a panel discussion moderated by Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, performances, film screenings, workshops, and artists talks.
The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.
More info: www.elycenter.org and www.nastywomenct.org