“The Game’s Afoot,” Telstar High School Auditorium, Bethel

Apr. 25-28, Thursday-Sunday, 7pm/Thurs.-Sat, and 2pm/Sun, “The Game’s Afoot,” William Gillette is wounded following an attempt on his life at a performance and invites a few friends over for a Christmas Eve celebration at his Connecticut mansion while he recovers. In the vein of “whodunit” murder mysteries, the plot takes many twists and turns. When a murder happens at the mansion that evening, Gillette puts his Sherlock Holmes skills to the test in an attempt to solve the crime before something else goes awry, $8/adults, $5/students, free/5 and under, Telstar High School Auditorium, 284 Walkers Mills Road, Bethel. FMI: 207-824-2136, www.bethelmaine.com.
Apr. 25-28, Thursday-Sunday, 7:30pm/Thurs-Sat, 10am/Fri, 2pm/Sun, “The Foreigner,” presented by the University of Southern Maine, a depressed, painfully shy, socially petrified and introverted young man named Charlie arrives at a fishing lodge in rural Georgia seeking solitude, a quiet rest and peaceful weekend…but chaos ensues. Inspired and hilarious, this wildly comic depiction of our own absurdities may prove a cathartic reminder of the better aspects of our humanity, $8-$16, University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus, 37 College Avenue, Gorham. FMI: 207-780-5151, www.usm.maine.edu.
Apr. 27, Saturday, 9:30am-12:30pm, “Vernal Pool Walk with Greater Lovell Land Trust,” join Alanna of LEA and Leigh Hayes of GLLT for a yearly GLLT tradition of exploring the ephemeral pool at the Heald and Bradly Ponds Reserve. We’ll use dip-nets to take a closer look at aquatic insects and see if we can spot any amphibian evidence. If time allows, we’ll walk to Otter Rock as well! Meet at the Fairburn Parking lot (just after the boat launch) on Slab City Road in Lovell, 90 Slab City Road, Heald and Bradley Pond Reserve, Lovell. FMI: 207-647-8580, mainelakes.org.
Apr. 27, Saturday, 7pm, “Travis James Humphrey,” professional musician and Northern Maine native who learned his trade from his father, Tim Humphrey. After high school, Travis served with the United States Air Force as a bandsman for 8 years. He returned home to Maine in 2003 and became a working musician performing regularly to packed houses at Lenny’s and other clubs throughout Southern Maine. Travis, who mostly performs solo, has released four studio albums and opened shows for B.B. King, Ricky Skaggs, Roy Clark, David Mallett, Don Campbell, The Mallett Brothers Band, and many other fine artists. This is a Music with a Mission concert, $10-$12, North Windham Union Church, 723 Roosevelt Trail, Windham. FMI: 207-892-6142, mwamconcerts.com.
Apr. 27, Saturday, 7pm, “Cesni Tiro,” Çeşni Trio (pronounced Chesh-ni) performs their debut release, entitled The Fluid Score. At turns romantic and elegant, vivacious and playful, the music of Çeşni Trio is grounded in the flavors (çeşniler) of Turkish makam music while remaining deeply personal and contemporary. The trio guides listeners from dove-tailing contemplative melodies to odd-metered tunes that throw caution to the wind. Tev Stevig (tanbur, oud, fretless guitar and alterna-telli) and Michael K. Harrist (yaylı tanbur, double bass, ney and voice) first met in Istanbul in 2010. Back home in Boston, MA they found themselves playing and studying Ottoman art music together in Orkestra Marhaba. As an idea for a trio began to take hold, the group found kinship with Fabio Pirozzolo (darbuka, riq, bendir, tombak, davul) and Çeşni Trio was born. The ensemble is excited to release its first full length record release titled “The Fluid Score” in Denmark Maine. $8-$15, Denmark Arts Center, 50 West Main Street, Denmark. FMI: 207-452-2412, www.denmarkarts.org.
Apr. 27, Saturday, 8pm, “Composers Showcase,” featuring USM Composers Ensemble, The USM Composers Ensemble begins each semester with no music and a new assortment of players and instruments. Under the direction of resident composer, Daniel Sonenberg, ensemble members compose new music for this concert of world premieres, free, Corthell Concert Hall, USM, 37 College Avenue, Gorham. FMI: 207-780-5646, www.usm.maine.edu/music/boxoffice.
Apr. 27, Saturday, 8pm, “Session Americana,” folky, rocky, bluesy, Session is possibly a folk band in a whiskey bottle, a rock band in a tea cup. This band/collective of talented musicians craft a musical experience unlike any other. On stage is a collapsible bar table wired with microphones, a vintage suitcase recast as a kick drum, an old Estey field organ, a pre-war parlor guitar, a mandocello and all of its smaller siblings, a harmonica case fire damaged when Jack’s bar went up in flames and graffitied by Depeche Mode roadies, and an assortment of other instruments that get passed around in this freewheeling modern hootenanny. The anything-could-happen genuineness to this timeless music, sometimes presenting the latest batch of original songs, sometimes reaching back into the depths of the American “song bag”. The usual cast are Bill Beard (drums), Ry Cavanaugh (guitar), Kimon Kirk (bass), Jim Fitting (harmonica), Dinty Child (Multi-instrumentalist), and Jon Bistline, and ya never know who else might sit at the table. This band will push all your musical buttons, $20pp+$4/handling fee, credit cards not accepted on site for food or beverage, Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dug Way Road, Brownfield. FMI: 207-935-7292, www.stonemountainartscenter.com.