"Common Ground" A Contemporary Classical Concert

Sheffield Chamber Players and Pao Arts Center presents “Common Ground,” an evening of music from contemporary Asian-American composers to mark AAPI Heritage Month. Compositions includes recent chamber quartets by Reena Esmail, Lei Lang, Kian Ravaei, Kareem Roustom, and Paul Wiancko, performed by Sasha Callahan, Leo Eguchi, Megumi Stohs Lewis, and Alexander Vavilov. May 3rd at 7pm at Boston's Pao Arts Center, with a reception and light refreshments to follow. The event is free with RSVP and a suggested donation.

Pao Arts Center

Conference of the Birds

This mesmerizing, theatrical dance performance from ANIKAYA Dance Theater is inspired by a 12th-century Persian epic poem that tells the story of a hundred birds who embark on a quest to find their king—a mythical Phoenix-like creature. The birds journey through seven symbolic valleys only to discover their leader is a reflection of their collective, resilient selves. Underscoring themes of migration, and our need for each other, “Conference of the Birds” resonates with contemporary concerns about nature, intolerance and unity in struggle. Directed and choreographed by Somerville's Wendy Jehlen, with dancers from around the world. Through March 9th, with two shows on Saturday March 8th (4pm and 8pm).

Arrow Street Arts

Holiday Feast 

Holiday episodes from four classic Black TV sitcoms of the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s – performed live – comprise a hilarious night of seasonal delights as Front Porch Arts Collective serves up its “Holiday Feast” program, which played to capacity crowds in its 2023 premiere. A starry roster of Boston actors do staged readings (and some killer impersonations) of Christmastime scripts from the sitcoms A Different World, Amen, Family Matters and The Jeffersons. Director, actor and choreographer Jackie Davis helms the fun.Performances take place Dec. 12 @ 7:30 pm, and Dec. 13 &amp; 14 @ 8 pm at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. Tickets $25 at <a href="http://frontporcharts.org">frontporcharts.org</a> SPECIAL EVENT: “Black Santa Magic!” A pre-performance fundraising reception on Fri., Dec. 13 at 6:30 pm features a visit and talk with GBH reporter and anchor Callie Crossley about her collection of Black Santa paraphernalia, which is one of the largest known sets. Includes festive light bites and cocktail cheer and a special visit from The Porch’s own Black Santa, Maurice Parent. Tickets are $75, and include admission to that evening’s performance. <a href="http://frontporcharts.org/">FrontPorchArts.org</a> for details.

Central Square Theater

ArtsBiz: A Symposium on the Business of Music and Theater

Renowned pianist and Rhode Island College Artist in Residence Dr. Judith Lynn Stillman will present the inaugural “ArtsBiz” event, a free public showcase on November 21 that explores the business side of the performing arts. In partnership with RIC and its School of Business, Stillman leads this star-studded event featuring keynote addresses by The Public Theater’s Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Emmy/Tony-nominated actor Kate Burton. Highlights include a performance of Stillman’s acclaimed “Dvořák: A Bohemian Rhapsody” with Rhode Island Philharmonic musicians, as well as a panel on arts entrepreneurship with top regional arts leaders. “ArtsBiz” takes place November 21 at 12 noon, at the Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Sapinsley Hall at Rhode Island College, 600 Mount Pleasant Road in Providence, RI. Tickets are free but registration is required at artsbiz.org.

Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, Rhode Island College

OAK - A Front Porch Arts Collective Reading

Directed by Jonathan Kitt, OAK is a Southern Gothic horror story set in a community where fear spreads due to town-wide curfews and the lurking presence of a red-eyed monster. Cousins Suga, Big Man and Pickle face the temptation that has claimed so many before them—can they defeat the threat or will their names make the morning news? Casting to be announced later. Nov 2 @ 2 pm, Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston. Free.

Calderwood Pavilion

Welcome Home

Boston Moving Arts, one of the city’s rising nonprofit dance producers presents “Welcome Home,” a spirited, diverse production designed to create space for comfort and relief in stressful times. Performers include dancemakers, dancers and companies based in Boston (Rachel Linsky, Leah Misano), in Montreal (Andrew Skeels, who trained in Boston), and in Washington state (the German/American dance company FLOCK makes its Boston debut here). Producer David Orr says the performance showcases the richness and diversity of contemporary dance. He explored artists who were working on themes of homecoming, connection, and the human desire for peace and understanding. “Welcome Home” will be performed Fri., Oct., 18 and Sat., Oct. 19 at 8 pm, at the Boston University Dance Theater, 915 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.

BU Dance Theater

The Meeting Tree

Front Porch Arts Collective's popular reading series Family Recipes returns with The Meeting Tree by Boston writer and actor B. Elle Borders. Directed by Summer L. Williams, The Meeting Tree explores six generations of women who find themselves on opposite sides of a fractured family tree. Can modern generations correct past familial mistakes and heal long-held divisions that have festered? The play stars Cheryl D. Singleton, Marya Lawry, Shannon Lamb, Dayna Cousins, Jade Guerra, Sarah Bedard and Stephanie Bisono. This is a free staged reading. Now accepting waitlist reservations at the ticket link. Shows at 2pm and 7:30pm.

Deane Hall at The Calderwood Pavilion

SCENOGRAPHERS: A CELEBRATION OF JOHN CONKLIN AND FRANCO COLAVECCHIA

This exhibition at Midway Artist Studios offers a peek behind the scenes at two of opera’s most revered scenic designers including BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin, who has designed shows for the company for 30+ years. A collaboration between BLO, Midway Artist Studios, the Museum of Scenographic Design, and Illuminus, the two-part exhibition spans the Midway Gallery and BLO’s Opera &amp; Community Studios space. Open thru Sep 22, 15 Channel Center Street, Boston. Free reception Sep 12 @ 5:30 pm.

Museum of Scenographic Design

The Burning Fiery Furnace

THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE, a “church parable” opera by Benjamin Britten receives an intimate, emotional treatment by Enigma Chamber Opera under the direction of its Boston- and Scotland-based Artistic Director Kirsten Z. Cairns, who previously staged Britten’s “Curlew River” and “The Prodigal Son” to critical acclaim.&nbsp;Cairns’ humanistic approach to Britten’s work deftly brings biblical stories into the secular world, recasting the all-male characters as players in a social brotherhood who act out the stories for the communal good. February 16 and 17 at 7pm, Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.

Cathedral Church of St. Paul

"The Prodigal Son" screening and Q&A, with Enigma Chamber Opera

Although all of Britten’s “church parable” operas stand on their own, Enigma Chamber Opera’s staging of all three over three years is unprecedented in Boston. In anticipation of “The Burning Fiery Furnace” on February 16 and 17, a free screening of last year’s “Prodigal Son,” and a discussion about its biblical and secular themes, is planned for February 15, from 5-7 pm at the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul.&nbsp;The Very Reverend Rev. Amy McCreath, Dean of the Cathedral, and Enigma Chamber Opera Artistic Director Kirsten Z. Cairns will host the event and discuss the work at the event, which will include refreshments.

Cathedral Church of Saint Paul

Edge of Aquarius

Alexandria Nunweiler with collaborative dance company The Click presents a new dance/theater work “Edge of Aquarius.” The performance takes inspiration from the surprisingly strange phenomenon of birthdays – the rituals surrounding them, the odd bonds people have with others who share theirs, the increasing malaise about them as people age, and the rites of passage and physical milestones they represent. Several years in the back of her mind as an idea, Nunweiler was compelled to create the work when iconic actress Betty White died just shy of her 100th birthday. (She and White shared a January 17 birthday.) Interwoven with personal stories from performers, fun and irreverent props, and fascinating birthday lore, this piece takes a microscope to aging and the way we celebrate and commemorate milestones. Cake is involved.

The Foundry

Koltun Ballet Boston Nutcracker Suite

Watertown's Koltun Ballet Boston, helmed by former principal dancers Alexandra Koltun and Alex Lapshin, showcases the emerging talent in their Children’s and Pre-Professional dancing program with an enchanting school-wide performance of the Nutcracker Suite. Rising young ballet stars will take the stage to dance the much-loved highlights from this classic holiday production, featuring performances prepared by each level (ages 5-19) of this decorated Greater Boston dance school. Ticket-holders can enjoy a champagne reception following the performance. BU Dance Theater (915 Commonwealth Ave, entrance at 10 Buick Street), Sunday December 16th at 3pm.

Black theatre pioneers Front Porch Arts Collective presents "Holiday Feast," the final reading in the group's "Family Recipes Reading Series," which offers free, staged readings of favorite plays and Black sitcom classics. "Holiday Feast" encompasses vibrant, staged readings with Front Porch members from three episodes of beloved Black sitcoms 227, Girlfriends, and Living Single at The Modern Theatre (525 Washington Street) on December 9th at 8pm. This event is free, and tickets are available <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvOAI6ZtKxdgbS0mOEbYwd31Za9J98_AdM9eOD2pfHb11pJQ/viewform">here</a>.

The Modern Theatre

POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumb*ss Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive

Selina Fillinger’s Tony-nominated Broadway comedy has its New England premiere at SpeakEasy Stage this fall under the direction of Greater Boston theater icon Paula Plum. The absurdly funny comedy pulls back West Wing curtains to shine light on the brilliant and beleaguered women who keep things running behind the scenes. The fictional-but-familiar POTUS’s inner circle takes increasingly desperate measures to save the country when his sexist words and sex-related scandals spark a global crisis. Runs Sept 15 through Oct 15 at the Calderwood Pavilion's Roberts Studio Theatre.

Roberts Studio Theatre at Calderwood Pavilion

Koltun Ballet Boston 10th Anniversary Performance

Current students and returning alumni come together for an afternoon of dance to celebrate Koltun Ballet Boston (KBB) in its 10th anniversary year. Dancers from 8 to 18 perform a mix of classical and contemporary dance, echoing KBB'S wide-ranging dance curriculum. Former students who are now at prestigious companies and universities around the country, return to dance in tribute to co-founders Alexandra Koltun and Alex Lapshin, who opened the school after acclaimed dance careers at Boston Ballet and around the world. The celebration includes excerpts from “Don Quixote,” and performances by 2023 winners of the Youth America Grand Prix and Universal Ballet Competition, where Koltun took home several awards, and a celebration of dancers graduating this year.

Boston University Tsai Performance Center

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S19: interest based

WBUR’s 75th birthday celebrations 💫

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.