The lives of six women born and raised in the mountains of Southwest Virginia return to the stage this weekend as The Actor's Studio in Newburyport reprises its successful 2006 production of "Daughters of the Appalachians, Six Unique Women."

The play, written by storyteller Linda Goodman and presented by Barnyard Productions, opens tomorrow and runs the next three weekends at the theater in the Tannery at 50 Water St.

Goodman offers an intimate glimpse inside the customs and attitudes of this distinctive part of the country. Byfield's EJ Ouellette lends his original music to the production, providing fiddle and guitar accompaniment to punctuate each character's dialogue.

Newburyport theater director and acting coach Marc Clopton, who owns The Actor's Studio, and Georgetown producer Arlene Barnard co-direct the production. The cast features Christina Beck as Nellveda, Kate Bossi as Jessie, Rebecca Jones as Martha, Kelley Knight as Sara Jane, Kerry Shairs as Harlene, and Mary Shapiro as Boojie.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. through April 15. There will be no performance on Easter Sunday, April 8. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. They are available online at www.newburyportacting.com. and www.mktix.com. Call 978-465-1229 for more.

The Brew pours another show in Newburyport

Amesbury's The Brew is back to rock the Masonic Temple in Newburyport tomorrow night with its third all-ages show. The high-energy, improvisational rock quartet is producing the show, which starts at 7 p.m.

Its last show at the Masonic Temple at 23 Green St. drew 400 fans. "There aren't enough venues that will do all-ages events, so we decided to rent the Masonic Temple and do the show ourselves," said Chris Plante, the band's keyboardist-vocalist.

Tomorrow's show comes on the heels of The Brew's winter performance in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the annual Snow.Down. The bill included Little Feat, The Disco Biscuits, Brazilian Girls and Moe.

Over the past few months, the band has been voted Best Opening Act of 2006 by the Bruce Hornsby fan site for its show in Lowell last summer. It won Relix Magazine's latest Jamoff, and has signed with both a national booking agency and a management company. Next month, The Brew travels to Portsmouth, N.H., for an April 13 concert with Assembly of Dust at The Music Hall.

Tickets for tomorrow's show are $7. They are available in advance online at www.thebrew.biz. They will also be sold at the door. Call Great Bay Entertainment Group at 603-659-0611 for more.

Comedians make the rounds for benefit shows

A trio of Boston comedians shows off its standup finesse for a fundraiser for the Amesbury Rotary Club tomorrow night at 8 at the Amesbury Millyard Cultural Center in downtown Amesbury.

The bill features Chance Langton, Greg Boggis and Carolyne Plummer, who have performed at The Improv and on Comedy Central and XM Radio. Tickets are $20, and are available through Cathy Toomey at Stone Ridge Properties at 978-388-0880 and Curtis Wollitz at RTN Federal Credit Union at 978-388-9804. Visit www.amesburyrotary.org.

On Monday, Steve Wronker's Funny Business brings its comedy hypnosis show to the Rupert A. Nock Middle School Auditorium on Low Street in Newburyport. The show runs from 7 to 9 p.m., and benefits the campaign to restore Newburyport High School stadium.

The show is sponsored by the Newburyport Youth Football, Soccer and Lacrosse programs. Tickets are $8. Visit www.swfb.net for information on the show, or www.restoreourstadium.com for details on the stadium restoration campaign.

Music for Easter from the Candlelight Choir

Newburyport's Candlelight Choir and Orchestra performs the choral work "Stabat Mater" by Antonin Dvorak on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the First Religious Society, Unitarian Universalist, 26 Pleasant St., Newburyport. Featuring a devotional poem written in Latin in the 13th century that ends with the hope of the resurrection, the piece is fitting for the Easter season.

The choir has grown out of the original Candlelight Christmas Choir, which has sung during the holidays in Newburyport since 1925. The non-sectarian group is comprised of about 40 singers who present choral masterworks five times a year.

Soloists for Sunday's program are Pamela Murray, Deborah Rentz-Moore of Amesbury and Neal Ferreira of Newburyport.

The vocalists include Mary Collis, Anne Spraker, Pamela Marshall, Dianne Carroll, Betsy Hazen, Alex Mezey, Jane Niebling, David Clarridge, Bettina Turner, Ed Metcalf, Neal Ferreira, Nathan Felde, Phil Smith, Emery Rice and Frank Murgida, all of Newburyport; Harry Lucier of Amesbury; Dianne Carroll, Deb Hamilton, Ann Bardeen, Anita Wright and Ann Tucker, all of greater Newburyport; Nat Pulsifer and Bill Holloway of Ipswich, and Ellie Gustafson, Kristen Leary and Jim Gustafson, all of Haverhill. Frances Burmeister of Haverhill directs.

The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors. Ages 18 and under are welcome for free. Call 978-465-0602 for more.

Open rehearsal for Boston Camerata's 'Sacred Bridge'

Get a sneak preview of The Boston Camerata's new program "The Sacred Bridge: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Medieval Europe," which it is preparing for concert, during an open rehearsal Sunday at 3 p.m. at First Parish Church, 20 High Road (Route 1A), Newbury.

Much of the music in the program was produced by religious minorities within Christian Europe. Some of the songs come from sad and cruel corners of the region, the ghettos of the North. Yet, according to concert organizers, although Jews, Muslims and Christian were separated and in frequent conflict, they were dependent on each other in many ways. The program traces some of those ways through the music and poetry of the time.

The Boston Camerata is preparing for upcoming performances at Assumption College in Worcester and by Radio France in Paris. Sunday's performance will be a working rehearsal. Although "The Sacred Bridge" program will be performed in its entirety, the music director may stop the ensemble to rehearse specific passages, as needed. A suggested $10 donation is requested at the door.

Music, literature combine in James Joyce tribute

Tenor Kevin McDermott honors James Joyce in an evening of music and history tonight from 7 to 8 in the Remis Lobby of the Performing Arts Center at The Governor's Academy on Elm Street in Byfield.

Kristen Miller, the orchestra director at The Governor's Academy, arranged for McDermott's visit, saying he brings literature and music together in an exciting and interesting way. McDermott will be accompanied by a pianist who is flying in from Germany for the performance.

Admission to tonight's performance is free. Visit http://www.james-joyce-music.com/bio_kevinmcdermott.html for more.

Ipswich artist shows maritime watercolors

The artistry of Ipswich's Ken Foubert is garnering attention this spring at Turgeon & Associates Attorneys, 27 Greenleaf St., Amesbury.

Foubert has a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Art Institute of Boston, and is a former member of the Copley Society and Reading and North Shore art associations. While he has worked in pen and ink drawings, his current focus is watercolors. He has produced a number of illustrations of local and Canadian maritime scenes and other themes.

A reception for Foubert takes place tomorrow from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Visit www.TurgeonLawFirm.com or http://kenfouberwatercolors.com for more.

Amesbury High artists shine in exhibit

More than 40 Amesbury High School students show their artistic talents in The Provident Bank's eighth annual Student Art Show in the lobby of the bank's Amesbury branch at 5 Market Square.

The exhibit highlights the creativity and imagination of the students, and provides them with a professional setting in which to display their art.

The show, part of the bank's Lobby for the Arts series, opens tomorrow and runs through April 30. A reception Thursday, April 5, is from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Gallery hours at The Provident Bank are Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Call Julie Ganong at 978-834-8587 for more.

Tibetan rights activist discusses new memoir

Author and Tibetan rights activist Daja Meston of Boston highlights his new memoir, "Comes the Peace: My Journey to Forgiveness!" tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Jabberwocky Bookshop in the Tannery, 50 Water St., Newburyport.

Born to the daughter of wealthy Hollywood insiders and a self-taught artist, Meston was an early casualty of the American counter culture. When he was 3, his mother, long fascinated with Eastern religion, entered a Buddhist convent in Nepal and left her son in the care of a Tibetan family. Meston was moved to a monastery when he was 6, and learned the precepts of Buddhist life and philosophy.

Meston was ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Nepal. A graduate of Brandeis University in Waltham, he became an activist for Tibetan rights and was arrested in China in 1999. Faced with life imprisonment in a Chinese jail, he jumped from a third-story window, capturing international attention.

Admission to tomorrow's program is free. Call 978-465-9359 or visit http://jabberwocky.booksense.com.

Early Childhood Fair packs fun into Newbury

The seventh annual Early Childhood Fair, sponsored by Community Partnerships for Children of Triton, Georgetown, Amesbury and Newburyport, takes place Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Newbury Elementary School on Hanover Street.

The event will feature family play activities, snacks and plenty of fun. Entertainer and educator Michael Wingfield will perform African-Caribbean rhythm and song, and invite children to join him in playing drums and other instruments. The Easter Bunny will be on hand for photos with children.

There will also be displays promoting services, agencies, preschool and day care programs and other activities available for young children and families in the Seacoast area.

Admission is free. For more, e-mail Marion Rizzo at mrizzo@communityactioninc.org or call 978-499-8290

New Orleans artist shows 'Fragile' side at Firehouse

Former New Orleans artist John Lawson will be feted at a reception for his "Fragile" exhibit on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Firehouse Arts Center Gallery in Newburyport's Market Square.

Lawson's pieces include works that incorporate items that were either made from or part of what survived from his New Orleans studio after it was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

A 16-foot section of an installation titled "Flood Line," which is a memorial dedicated to the victims of Katrina, is also on display. A 25-foot segment of the piece was recently permanently installed in New Orleans, and another 12-foot section was just accepted into the 21st International Juried Exhibition of New Jersey.

Mixed-media drawings and paintings from Lawson's ongoing "New England" series inspired by the coast and mountains of New England also figure into the exhibit. Lawson has recently moved to Great Barrington from New Orleans.

Last year, the Firehouse organized an exhibition of Lawson's recycled Mardi Gras bead work that was spared from the flooding of Hurricane Katrina, which consumed his home. The Firehouse established a fund to help Lawson replace some of his art materials lost in the storm. Lawson has organized the follow-up exhibit to thank the community.

"Fragile" runs through April 9. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Call 978-462-7336 or visit www.firehouse.org for more.

YWCA Newburyport dives in for 'Last Lap'

Take a final dip in the YWCA Greater Newburyport's pool on Saturday before it closes for renovations. The YWCA at 13 Market St. is hosting a "Save the Last Lap for Me" family event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The day will feature open swim, a moon bounce in the gym, an old-fashioned tea party in the YWCA's 19th century parlor from 2 to 4 p.m., ice cream and more. Newburyport Mayor John Moak and Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer joined by representatives from their respective communities will dive off in a four-person swimming relay race contest at 1 p.m. A second race featuring teams sponsored by the Institution for Savings, Provident Bank and Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank, financial supporters of the YWCA's capital campaign, will follow.

The YWCA will also be selling raffle tickets for prizes, including an evening cruise on the Erica Lee, Red Sox tickets and gift certificates from local merchants. All proceeds will benefit the YWCA's Building a Healthier Community Capital Campaign, a $3.25 million fundraising endeavor to fund a new four-lane swimming pool, separate therapy pool, locker rooms and a fitness center, as well as renovations to the child care center and gym. For more, visit www.ywcanewburyport.org or call 978-465-0981.

Boulder Competition Series scales MetroRock

MetroRock Indoor Rock Climbing Center, 40 Parker St., Newburyport, is hosting the "Crush It" Boulder Competition Series on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The climbing competition is open to all ages and skill levels, from junior division to pro division. Anyone is able to compete, or simply check out some of the area's top professional climbers. For more, call 978-499-ROCK (499-7625), or visit www.MetroRock.com.

Italian supper benefit for West Newbury playground

An all-you-can-eat Italian supper is on the menu Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Grange Hall, 21 Garden St., West Newbury, to benefit the Action Cove Playground in West Newbury.

The Action Cove Playground opened in 1991 through the efforts of two local women, Kathy Jennell and Eileen Getches, but time and use has taken its toll on it. The playground has been closed since last year because of safety concerns. A new committee including Barbara Kresge, Greta Shepard and Jennell has been working on upgrading the playground. Town meeting has contribute $20,000 toward the effort.

Saturday's supper is sponsored by the Laurel Grange. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children under 12 in advance at the G.A.R. Memorial Library in West Newbury, or $8 for adults and $6 for children at the door. Ages 3 and under get in free.

'Painting as a Spiritual Practice' Student Show

The students of Paula Estey's "Painting as a Spiritual Practice" show off the results of their work in a show opening Sunday at Unity on the River, 58 Macy St. (Route 110), Amesbury.

The show features artwork by Sarah Holdem, Julie McConchie, Valerie Hart, Christine Green, Brian Brogan, Elizabeth Rose, Adele Volta, Meg Alfoni, Helen Hamel, Ronda Underriner, and Jane Thompson-Renzi.

An opening reception takes place Sunday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The show runs through April 30. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit www.paulaestey.com for more.

Bridge Gallery welcomes spring with new show

Bridge Gallery, 113 Merrimac St., Newburyport, opens its Spring Show and Sale on Tuesday. The exhibit highlights the work of 15 area artists, including April's featured painter, Charlotte Taplin Huebner of Salem, N.H.

Huebner, a plein air painter, has won many awards in local art shows, including at the Newburyport Art Association and the Greater Salem, N.H., Artists Association. She enjoys recording "life and the world around us."

The Spring Show includes paintings of local landscapes, river and ocean scenes, portraits of old Newburyport houses, representational pieces and some avant-garde works.

Bride Gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. A special reception for Huebner takes place Friday, April 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.

Prints of local scenes fill Anna Jaques Hospital

The prints of John and Nancy Nelson of Durham, N.H., comprise the latest collection of artwork to grace the main halls of Anna Jaques Hospital, 25 Highland Ave., Newburyport.

The Nelsons focus their work on familiar local scenes. The exhibit runs through April 28.

Poet offers insights to 'Living Off the Grid'

Former Maine Poet Laureate Baron Wormser will be reading and signing his new memoir, "The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet 's Memoir of Living Off the Grid," on Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at The Book Rack, 52 State St., Newburyport.

Wormser reveals the life he and his family enjoyed when they decided to forego electricity and running water both for economic reasons and due to the determination to live deeply connected to the land.

The author of seven collections of poetry, Wormser's poems, essays and reviews have appeared in a variety of journals. The Maine resident teaches at the Frost Place in Franconia, N.H.

Admission is free. Call The Book Rack at 978-462-8615 or visit www.bookrackbookstore.com.

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