Sensory-Friendly
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk has planned three special mornings for guests with sensory-processing differences to give them a fun, comfortable and accepting environment. On each of the Sensory-Friendly Mornings, April 2-4, from 8 a.m. to noon, the lights will be lower, the music and other sounds turned down or off. Two specially selected IMAX movies will be shown with lower volume and theater lights less dim. The first half of each morning will be before normal opening time so that staff can focus on special-needs guests and so that it will be less crowded for guests who need that.
There will be a special low-volume seal feeding is planned for 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 3. A “quiet room” will be available for guests who need a space to calm; for families who need to leave within the first 30 minutes of arrival, passes will be available to come back and try again another day.
For more information, visit maritimeaquarium.org or call 203-852-0700.
Baskets show
The Wilton Historical Society will present Hickory, Ash & Reed: Traditional Baskets, Contemporary Makers on March 31. The exhibit, which runs through Oct. 15, features basket makers including Jonathan Kline, Stephen Zeh, Lois Russell, Kari Lonning and Marion Hildebrandt whose work is contrasted with historic baskets from the society’s permanent collection. There will also be contemporary Nantucket baskets by Harry A. Hilbert and Gail Halvorsen.
The historical society is at 224 Danbury Road/Route 7; for more information, visit wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 10 to 4, and Sunday, 12 to 4.
A Cambodian Lullaby
Hip Hop artist Sokeo Ros uses classic Khmer dance as well as break dance and Hip Hop to tell the story of his odyssey from Cambodia to the street gangs of Providence, R.I., to his emergence as an artist, teacher and Ted Talk performer. He’ll perform A Cambodian Lullaby in spoken word, music and dance at the Schoolhouse Theater, 3 Owens Road, Croton Falls, N.Y., March 31 to April 17.
Performances run Thursdays through Sundays; tickets are $38 for adults, $35 for seniors and $15 for students. For reservations, call 914-277-8477.
Jazz Fest
Western Connecticut State University’s spring Jazz Festival opens Thursday, March 31, with sets by WCSU jazz music faculty and students at 7 p.m. at the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the Westside campus, 43 Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury. Admission is $10.
Jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano will perform with the WCSU Jazz Orchestra on Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. and alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett with the Kenny Garrett Quintet will play on Saturday, April 2, at 7, both at the performing arts center. Admission is $15 for Friday’s concert and $20 for Saturday’s. For reservations, visit wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com.
Legally Blonde
WHS Company, the performing troupe at Weston High School, will perform Legally Blonde this weekend: on Thursday, March 31, at 7:30, Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2, at 8, and Sunday, April 3, at 3 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for adults, with discounts for seniors and children, and will be available at whscompany.com.
Family Fun Night
Friday is April Fool’s Day, with some special family events planned. Western Connecticut State University Child Care Center will offer family-focused activities and entertainment from 4 to 9 p.m. in the Student Center on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White Street, Danbury. Refreshments will be available and tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 6-18; maximum for families is $25 and tickets will be sold at the door. College students and adults may stay for “after hours” events that start at 9, including a pool tournament, lip sync battles, a cash bar and coffeehouse performances by students and staff. For more information, visit wcsu.edu/childcare/
The Fairfield Museum and History Center plans April Fool’s Night for Families on Friday, April 1, from 6 to 8 p.m., a party with magic, jokes, crafts, food courtesy of b.good restaurant and a Shake Shack custard boot. The party marks the opening of a new exhibit, Fabulous Animals: The Illustrated World of Robert Lawson. Ticket information is available by calling 203-259-1598 or visit fmhcaprilfools.eventbrite.com.
Project Return Gala
Artists’ one-of-a-kind birdhouse works of art will go on view Friday evening, April 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fairfield Theatre Company’s Warehouse at 70 Sanford Street, Fairfield. The Meet the Artists Preview Reception is free and open to the public.
On Saturday morning from noon to 2, Bagels and Birdhouses Family Fun will have breakfast, crafts, tattoo art and other family-friendly activities; admission is free.
Finally, the weekend will culminate with the Latin Dance Party Auction Gala will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, celebrating the 30-year tenure of retiring executive director Susie Basier. Latin beats will be provided by Band Together, with drinks courtesy of Tito’s Vodka and food by OnTheMarc Catering. There will be a live auction of birdhouse art as well as a silent auction. Tickets to the gala are $150; for reservations, visit projectreturnct.org. Bidding is available online.
Evening Peeper Prowl
The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield, 2325 Burr Street, will offer an Evening Peeper Prowl, on Friday, April 1, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The group will walk into the Larsen Sanctuary to listen for spring peepers and also hope to encounter more secretive animals like spotted salamanders and wood frogs as well as the shy and increasingly rare woodcock.
Boots, flashlights and warm attire are strongly suggested and children must be accompanied by a participating adult. Cost is $8; pre-registration is required at 203-259-6305 x109.
Romeo and Juliet
Penny Lane Players of Fairfield, a homeschool theater group whose actors range from 5 to 17 years, will perform Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on Friday and Saturday evenings, April 1-9, at 7 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 on April 3 and 10. Performances will take place at the Greenfield Hill Grange, 1873 Hillside Avenue, Fairfield.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children under 12; for information, visit pennylaneplayers.org.
Piano Bar…n
Jeffery Albanesi and Pamme Jones, with pianist Tom Morris, invite people to join them at the Ridgefield Theater Barn on Friday evening at 8 for music and laughter at the Piano Bar..n. They’ll offer up favorites and encourage the audience to sing along; specially invited talent from New York and the surrounding area will take part.
Tickets are $25, with cabaret seating; guests may arrive at 7 and enjoy a meal or snacks before the show. For reservations, visit ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org.
Friday Baroque
The Music on the Hill Festival Chorus and a select vocal ensemble, with violinist Daniel Lee and friends, will perform Friday Evening Baroque on April 1 at 8 p.m. at the Wilton Presbyterian Church, 48 New Canaan Road. The concert will feature works by Telemann and Buxtehude along with the Durant Magnificat.
Tickets are $20 online or $25 at the door; for information, visit musiconthehillct.org or call 203-529-3133.
Bedford Antiques
The Bedford Spring Antiques show will take place at the Harvey School’s Athletic Center on Saturday, April 2, from 10 to 5, and Sunday, April 3, from 11 to 5. More than 25 East Coast dealers are expected to participate in the show and there will be a champagne preview party on Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m., when guests may make early purchases before the event opens to the public. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served; tickets are $75 in advance and $100 at the door.
Tickets for the weekend show are $10 at the door. The school is at 260 Jay Street/Route 22 in Katonah, N.Y. For more information, email or call 914234-9636.
Space Day
The Discovery Museum and Planetarium in Bridgeport will celebrate Space Day on Saturday, April 2, from 10 to 5. Guests may see solar scopes, moon rocks, meteorites; there will be rocket launches, space science demos, a new planetarium show premiere, and, weather permitting, RE/MAX hot air balloon rides at 4 p.m. ($10 donation).
The museum is at 4450 Park Avenue in Bridgeport; for more information, visit discoverymuseum.org or call 203-372-3521.
Amphibian Walk
The Norwalk River Watershed Association will have its annual Amphibian Walk in search of frogs and salamanders, eggs and tadpoles, newts and toads, on Sunday, April 3, at 1 p.m. at Merwin Meadows Park, Lovers Lane, Wilton.
People should meet at the hiking trail entrance off the parking lot at Merwin Meadows and wear tall, waterproof boots. All ages are welcome for the free event, co-sponsored by the Wilton Garden Club. For more information and to register, email or call 1-877-NRWA-INFO.
Recycle Right
The Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby will host a recycling program on Saturday, April 2, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. There will be interactive programs for children and adults; registration is required. The center is at 500 Hawthorne Avenue in Derby; for information and registration, email or call 203-734-2513.
Visions of Asia
The Ridgefield Library at 472 Main Street will present paintings and monoprints by Gayle Gleckner and Tony Woolner, inspired by a trip to Southeast Asia. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 2, from 2 to 4 p.m. and the exhibit will continue through April 29. For more information, visit ridgefieldlibrary.org or call 203-438-2282.
Juried Member Show
The Ridgefield Guild of Artists will celebrate its member artists in the annual Juried Member Show opening Saturday, April 2, with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. The show has been juried by Robbin Zella, director and curator of the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport.
The show runs through May 1; gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4. For more information, visit rgoa.org or call 203-438-8863.
New Duke
The Westport Arts Center will present the jazz ensemble New Duke on Saturday, April 2, at 3 p.m. This is a family-friendly performance and was rescheduled because of snow in January; it will take place at the Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Avenue, Southport.
Tickets are $30 and $10 for students and may be reserved at westportartscenter.org or call 203-222-7070.
Nite Spot Night
The Milford Arts Council, in association with Pantochino Productions, Inc., will present its next evening of cabaret entertainment, Hedda Lettuce, Big Queen Small Throne, on Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. at the Milford Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Avenue South.
Doors open at 7:30 for cabaret-style seating; tickets are $25 and may be reserved at milfordarts.org or by calling to 203-878-6647.
Fairfield Glee Club
The Fairfield University Glee Club, directed by Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell will perform Music for a Spring Evening on Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 4 Riverside Avenue, Riverside. The 100-voice mixed choir will feature club soloists, The Bensonians, the men’s a cappella group, and Sweet Harmony, the women’s a cappella group.
Tickets are $10 pre-sale (available at St. Catherine’s rectory) and $15 at the door; children will be admitted free.
The Sixties Show
The Palace Danbury will present The Sixties Show, featuring musicians formerly in Billy Joel’s and Elton John’s bands, The Boston Pops and currently in The Smithereens, on Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. They play note-for-note recreations of the greatest songs of the 1960s.
Tickets are $40; for reservations, visit thepalacedanbury.com or call 203-794-9944.
Re-Location
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Mathews Park, 299 West Avenue, Norwalk, will present its annual members exhibition, Re-Location, opening Sunday, April 3, from 2 to 5 p.m., with awards juror Gary Lichtenstein.
Gallery hours at the center are 9 to 5 from Tuesday through Sunday; the exhibit runs through May 22. For more information, visit contemprints.org or call 203-899-7999.
Ballet Etudes
The Ballet Etudes Company will perform Carnival of the Animals and Coppelia with guest stars from New York City Ballet on Sunday, April 3, at 4 at the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court. There will be a special needs performance at 1 p.m.
Both shows are family-friendly. For tickets ($40 for adults and $20 for children), visit westportplayhouse.org or call 203-227-4177.
Ensemble Companio
The Arts at St. Matthew’s will present Ensemble Companio, an all-volunteer chamber choir, singing its 2016 repertoire, Warnings, Wisdom and Wit, on Sunday, April 3, at 2 p.m. at the church complex, 48 New Canaan Road, Wilton. For ticket information, visit artsstmatthews.org.
Spring concert
The Connecticut Master Chorale will present its Spring Concert featuring Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert, as well as American Rhapsody by Z. Randall Stroope, and United We Stand, a patriotic medley, on Sunday, April 3, at 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 164 Deer Hill Avenue, Danbury.
Doors will open at 2:15 and tickets are $25 at the door. Advance tickets are $20; visit cmchorale.org or call 203-743-0473.
Fishman retrospective
Louise Fishman, one of America’s most important women artists, will have her first career retrospective, organized by the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, N.Y., and opening Sunday, April 3. The museum’s chief curator Helaine Posner said, “She’s at the top of her game.” Her work embraces Abstract Expressionism but reinvents it. A concurrent exhibition will take place at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; Paper Louise Tiny Fishman Rock will be on view from May 4 to Aug. 14. The Neuberger exhibit runs through July 31.
Museum hours are Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5, Wednesday, noon to 8, at Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road. General admission is $5 and $3 for seniors, free for children 12 and younger. For more information, visit neuberger.org or call 914-251-6200.
House concert
Rachell Wong, 2014 Heida Hermanns International String Competition Winner, will perform Sunday, April 3, at 3 at a Westport home, in a concert presented by the Connecticut Alliance for Music. The program will include works by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and more.
A limited number of tickets at $35 are available at camusic.org.
And coming up…
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will kick off its 50th anniversary with a photography exhibition of Connecticut landmarks, opening with a fund-raising reception on Thursday, April 7, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (tickets are $10). The artist and professor of photography Bruce Dunbar will show Endangered & Re-envisioned: Iconic Landmarks and Interiors, curated by Gail Ingis-Claus.
Visitors are invited to participate in a photo contest, sharing photos of the mansion on the museum’s Facebook wall from April 7 through May 1; the winner will be announced May 3 and prizes will be awarded on May 18. Visiting hours at the museum are Wednesday through Sunday with tours at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. General admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for children and young adults (8-18). For more information, visit lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or call 203-838-9799.
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