Members of the Thalea String Quartet, who are taking part in a three-day residency program at The Pennington School will perform a free concert on Friday, October 18 at 7 p.m. in the school’s Meckler Library. The school is at 112 West Delaware Avenue in Pennington. Visit pennington.org.

SHAMPOO AND SASS: “Steel Magnolias” is on stage at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre through October 13.

The play Steel Magnolias explores the relationships between a tight-knit group of Louisiana southern ladies who gather in Truvy’s small-town beauty parlor, celebrating the milestones in each other’s lives. A production of the play is currently at Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College through October 13.

Truvy’s is where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done, including the town’s rich curmudgeon, an eccentric millionaire, and the local social leader. The play is filled with acerbic but humorous verbal collisions, exploring the unconditional strengths of sisterhood, resilience, and love. more

ActorsNET kicks off its 28th season with a production of Ira Levin’s classic Broadway hit Deathtrap, running from October 11 through 27 at the Heritage Center Theatre, 635 North Delmorr Avenue in Morrisville, Pa.

One of the longest-running plays in Broadway history, Deathtrap follows a once-successful playwright now grappling with a creative dry spell. When a former student sends him a promising new script, the struggling writer hatches a plan to collaborate with the young playwright — or perhaps something more sinister? What unfolds is a suspenseful and comic exploration of ambition, greed, and deception.

Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There will be a special Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. on October 19 in addition to the regularly scheduled evening performance. Visit actorsnetbucks.org for more information.

Enriqueta Somarriba

State Theatre New Jersey (STNJ) celebrates the power of classical performance with the annual Classical Season Celebration on Thursday, October 17, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. This year’s event will take place in STNJ’s intimate Studio space and, as a first for State Theatre, will be a performance entirely by candlelight. Pianist Enriqueta Somarriba will perform a 45-minute program of classical favorites woven together with pieces by Spanish composers.

“We are very happy to present this important annual event in a new and exciting way this year,” said Sarah Chaplin, STNJ president and CEO. “This fundraiser is essential to us as a nonprofit presenting theater, as it helps us receive vital support from our community to sustain our classical performances and arts education initiatives throughout the year.”

The event opens with a cocktail reception. The fundraiser supports the continued success of the year-round classical and educational programming — including STNJ’s Symphony Scholars program with the New Brunswick Public School District, Edison High School, and SpeakMusic Conservatory. more

JOIN THE PARTY: Más Flow, Princeton University’s Latin dance company, will be on hand for the Arts Council of Princeton’s (ACP) all-ages Dance Party, held outdoors in the ACP parking lot on Friday, October 11 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will host an all-ages Outdoor Hispanic Heritage Month Dance Party on Friday, October 11 from 7-9 p.m. The ACP is at 102 Witherspoon Street.

Attendees are invited to show off their moves and learn a few new ones as volunteer dance instructors from Más Flow, Princeton University’s Latin dance company, lead tutorials in favorites like salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, and more.  more

On Thursday, October 17 at 12:15 p.m., the 23rd season of Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will continue with a recital of music for oboe and piano in Niles Chapel at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.

The performers, oboist Melissa Bohl and pianist Phyllis Alpert Lehrer, are members of the teaching faculty of Westminster Conservatory. The recital is open to the public free of charge.

The program will include Seven Bagatelles for Solo Oboe by Gordon Jacob, Fantasy in F minor, op. 49 by Frederic Chopin for solo piano, and the Sonatina for oboe and piano by Franz Reizenstein.
Bohl is the principal oboist of the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, the Orchestra of St. Peter-by-the-Sea, the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra and the American Repertory Ballet Orchestra. She plays oboe and English horn with the Plainfield Symphony and performs regularly with many other area musical organizations, including the Garden State Symphonic Band and the Somerset Symphony Orchestra. At Westminster Conservatory, she teaches oboe and is head of the woodwind, brass, and percussion department.  more

The Princeton Garden Theatre will present the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story starting Friday, October 11. Tickets are now available for the run.

Reeve was a 1970 graduate of Princeton Day School (PDS). The film tells the story of his journey as a classically trained actor who, following a horseback riding accident, became a powerful advocate for disability rights. After becoming internationally recognizable, he felt more comfortable in his hometown.

“I can fool a lot of people,” he said when receiving a PDS Alumni Achievement Award in 1990, “but it’s so great to come back to a place and just be me again.”

The Princeton Garden Theatre is at 160 Nassau Street.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Mill Ballet School in Lambertville honors the legacy of its founder, Mark Roxey, whose Latino heritage has shaped his artistry and passion for dance, fostering an inclusive environment for students and audiences alike.

Roxey began his formal training at The Joffrey Ballet in New York City and has performed and choreographed internationally. His creative vision has touched countless lives through Roxey Ballet and Mill Ballet School.

To celebrate Roxey’s contributions and Hispanic culture, Mill Ballet School has launched Latin Ballroom classes for students of all ages and experience levels.  more

“GREEN FIRE ESCAPE”: This watercolor on paper work by Mark Oliver is featured in “Available Light,” on view at the David Scott Gallery in the offices of Berkshire Hathaway, 253 Nassau Street, through December 31. An artist reception is on Saturday, October 19 from 2 to 5 p.m.

David Scott Gallery, 253 Nassau Street, now presents its latest exhibition, “Available Light,” a collection of paintings by New York architect and artist Mark Oliver. Recently named one of the top 100 watercolor artists in the U.S., Oliver’s paintings have appeared in TV shows such as Billions, Ray Donovan, and Gossip Girls. The exhibition runs through the end of the year. An artist reception is on Saturday, October 19 from 2 to 5 p.m.

As a student of architecture at Westminster University, London, Oliver learned something that would become an integral part of his design aesthetic. “We were taught that natural light is the most important element of architecture,” he said. “We had to use it to shape and define, to blur and shade.”  more

An artist-led group exhibition is at historic Kings Oaks farm, 756 Worthington Mill Road, Newtown, Pa., through October 20. The exhibition features work by 27 artists from across the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Russia, Scotland, Thailand, and Ukraine. Paintings, drawings, prints, collages, ceramics, sculptures, textiles, and installation art are on display in two historic farm buildings. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and by appointment. For more information, visit kingsoaksart.com or call (215) 603-6573.

“ROBERT DURAN”: A new exhibition on view October 19 through March 16 at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton offers visitors the opportunity to trace the arc of artist Robert Duran’s evolutions and experiments in painting, drawing, and watercolor from about 1967 to the late 1990s.

The New Jersey State Museum will present a new exhibition and accompanying publication featuring the work of an artist who spent the latter part of his life working in New Jersey. “Robert Duran,” opening October 19, offers visitors the opportunity to trace the arc of Duran’s evolutions and experiments in painting, drawing, and watercolor from roughly 1967 to the late 1990s. The exhibition will be on view in the first floor gallery through March 16, 2025. Major support for this exhibition and the accompanying publication has been provided by Karma Gallery. Additional support has been provided by the New Jersey State Museum Foundation through the Lucille M. Paris Fund and the Martha Vaughn Fund. more

“DUSK”: This oil on canvas work by Alla Podolsky is part of “Not to Be Forgotten,” her joint exhibition with Laura Rutherford Renner, on view October 10 through November 3 at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville. An opening reception is on October 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville will present “Not to Be Forgotten,” a new exhibit of paintings by Laura Rutherford Renner and Alla Podolsky, October 10 through November 3. An opening reception is on Sunday, October 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Rutherford Renner, from Collingswood, enjoys painting figures engaged in the experience of their environments. She said, “Capturing contemporary life snapshots in two dimensions is an exercise in problem solving and creativity. I enjoy mixing pure colors, keeping my palette simple to create authentic observation. The quiet engagement of brush to palette and brush to board provides daily calm and purpose.” more

“SPROUTING MIND”: This mixed media work by Alia Bensliman is featured in “From North Africa to North America,” on view October 11 through December 13 at the Silva Gallery of Art at the Pennington School. A reception is on Thursday, October 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The Silva Gallery of Art at the Pennington School will host “From North Africa to North America,” an exhibition of work by Alia Bensliman, from October 11 through December 13.

A reception, open to the public, will be held on Thursday, October 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with remarks at 7 p.m. more