There’s a good chance the weather outside will be frightful this holiday season, but even if it isn’t, why venture out into the cold when you can stay warm inside a local theater? This season, new Seacoast theater traditions begin while other annual events come to an end. Whether you’re looking for holiday classics, new favorites, or the chance to sing along with your favorite song of the season, there are plenty of shows to choose from. Check each theater’s website for show times and ticket prices.
The Music Hall and The Music Hall Loft
28 Chestnut St. and 131 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2400, themusichall.org
The Music Hall and its sister venue offer up a veritable holiday feast on stage this year. First up is “An 1836 Portsmouth Nutcracker,” performed by students from the Great Bay Academy of Dance. The production is officially a Seacoast tradition — this is the 28th year it’s on stage at The Music Hall. Performances take place Dec. 4-5, including two abbreviated, child-friendly performances on Dec. 5.
In the spirit of coming together for the holidays, The Music Hall and the Ogunquit Playhouse once again team up for a production of Irving Berlin’s classic, “White Christmas.” The show runs from Dec. 9-20, part of The Music Hall’s Vintage Christmas series.
But, while some holiday traditions continue, one comes to an end. Kent Stephens’ Stage Force will stage its final performance of “The Ragpicker’s Dream,” which has appeared on local stages for 10 years, at The Music Hall Loft on Dec. 12-13. Stage Force will close its doors at the end of the year, and for this final performance, the company is presenting a “greatest hits” lineup featuring prose, poetry, and songs adapted from the works of John Cheever, Maeve Binchy, David Sedaris, and others.
Seacoast Repertory Theatre
125 Bow St., Portsmouth, 603-433-4793, seacoastrep.org
Young performers take the stage at the Rep this month as students in the Portsmouth Academy of Performing Arts (PAPA) premiere their new show, “Saving Santa.” Written by the Rep’s artistic director Miles Burns, the play tells the story of what happens when St. Nick goes missing after he delivers toys on Christmas Eve. “Saving Santa” runs Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m., Dec. 12-20.
Marguerite Mathews of Pontine Theatre in Portsmouth bring back old-time
traditions in “A New England Christmas.”
Pontine Theatre
959 Islington St. (West End Studio Theatre), Portsmouth, 603-436-6660, pontine.org
Pontine’s artistic directors Marguerite Mathews and Greg Gathers bring audiences back in time to a simpler holiday season with their annual production of “A New England Christmas,” which features original stagings of seasonal stories by New England authors. This year, Mathews and Gathers bring to life works by Gladys Hasty Carroll, Ogden Nash, and Mary Wilkins Freeman using Victorian-style toy theater, storytelling, and seasonal music. The show runs Dec. 11-13; be sure to have a cup of holiday punch and some cookies while you watch.
Garrison Players Performing Arts Center
650 Portland Ave., Rollinsford, 603-516-4919, garrisonplayers.org
The holiday spirit can be found in unexpected places — such as on the battlefield in World War II-era Europe. That’s the setting for “Not on this Night,” an original production that returns to Garrison Players’ theater Dec. 11-20. Written by Seacoast resident Evelyn Jones, “Not on This Night” is the story of a French farm girl who encounters two lost soldiers, one German, the other American, on the eve of the Battle of the Bulge and encourages them to put down their arms for a time. The first weekend of performances are free, and Garrison Players volunteers will be collecting non-perishable food donations throughout the run. This year’s performance is dedicated to Jones, who passed away in 2014, and Seacoast actor and veteran Timmy Plaisted, who died earlier this year.
The Players’ Ring
105 Marcy St., Portsmouth, 603-436-8123, playersring.org
The Ring’s holiday festivities kick off in December, when director Jennifer Henry’s staging of “A Christmas Carol,” written by Gary Newton and adapted by Christopher Savage, runs Dec. 4-23. Scrooge and company aren’t the only ones who get to have a little holiday fun this year, though. Magician Andrew Pinard brings “Discovering Magic” back for a second year on Dec. 26 and 27. Pinard blends slight of hand, con games, psychology, history, comedy, and more into a unique show.
Rochester Opera House
31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 603-335-1992, rochesteroperahouse.com
Regional dance company Sole City Dance brings Tchaikovsky’s ballet back to the Opera House with their production of “The Nutcracker,” running Dec. 11-12. Later in the month, director Sharon Arsenault brings her production of “A Christmas Carol” to Rochester from Dec. 17 to 20.
Star Theatre at the Kittery Community Center
120 Rogers Road, Kittery, Maine, 207-439-3800, kitterycommunitycenter.org
Patrick Dorow Productions returns to the Star Theatre for its fifth annual production of “Home for the Holidays,” running Dec. 18-20, a holiday musical featuring more than 45 local performers and musicians. All varieties of holiday music are featured in the Broadway-style show. Santa himself will make an appearance, and the show will also raise funds for Fuel & More, a Kittery-based group that provides heating assistance to town residents.
The Leddy Center
38C Ladds Lane, Epping, 603-679-2781, leddycenter.org
There is no shortage of venues to get your seasonal fix of “A Christmas Carol.” The Leddy Center’s annual production of the Charles Dickens classic returns to the stage from Dec. 4-13, helmed by director Elaine Gatchell and musical director Bruce Gatchell, and featuring a cast of local actors in all the familiar roles.