A romance writing retreat on the coast of Maine. A blockbuster Van Gogh exhibition in Boston. A ferocious stepping competition in Hartford. Now that the sun is staying out later, you can, too. From theater to dance to top literary events, here are 30 can’t-miss events around New England as selected by Globe arts critics and writers.
VISUAL ART
J. M. W. Turner: Romance and Reality
Marking the beloved, bombastic British painter’s 250th birthday, this exhibition brings together dozens of works from the Yale collection. Comprising an array of Turner’s beguiling watercolors alongside major oil paintings such as Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed, 1818 (he had a knack for titles), it’s the biggest airing of the collection in decades. Details: March 29-July 27, Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven; 877-274-8278, britishart.yale.edu
Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits
Vincent van Gogh met few successes in his short, unhappy life, but between 1888 and 1889, he was as content as he’d ever been. In the French town of Arles, he found peace in the friendship of Joseph Roulin and his family. A collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the show brings together some 20 portraits made in that moment, and a glimpse of a famously tortured artist momentarily calmed. Details: March 30-September 7, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston; 617-267-9300, mfa.org
Reimagining Our Américas: Empathy and Activism Beyond Borders
A North-South, bi-hemispheric exhibition featuring such well-known contemporary artists as Graciela Iturbide and Meryl McMaster, Reimagining Our Américas examines how art can function both as a mechanism of resistance and a bulwark of hope. With works from Indigenous artists from North and South America and Black artists from the vast trans-Atlantic African diaspora, the show crosses borders and media from photography, drawing, and video to unite marginalized people in the common purpose of being seen and heard in a shambolic, post-Colonial world. Details: March 20-November 9, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 9400 College Station, Brunswick, Maine; 207-725-3275, bowdoin.edu
Making A Noise: Indigenous Sound Art
A slate of interactive works using ceramics and textiles is brought to sonorous life in this exhibition of contemporary art. That present-minded expression echoes, if you’ll pardon the pun, ancient traditions, as artists such as Kite, who is Oglála Lakhóta, evoke connections across millennia. Details: June 21-October 26, Shelburne Museum, 6000 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, Vermont; 802- 985-3346, shelburnemuseum.org
Chiharu Shiota: ‘Home Less Home’
A project for the Institute of Contemporary Art’s summertime Watershed in East Boston, Shiota’s mass-scale installations explore migration and the delicate nature of home — both making and losing one. At the Watershed, a vast grid of red and black ropes will suspend such objects as suitcases, passports, and even furniture, underscoring the precariousness of uprooting, and the challenge of finding new ground. Details: May 22-September 1, ICA Watershed, 256 Marginal Street, East Boston; 617-478-3100, icaboston.org
Boston Public Art Triennial
Ready or not, an age-old city is about to get a brand-new look with more than a dozen new public art projects dotting downtown from May 22 to October 31. For a town predicated on permanent monuments, this inaugural installation of fleeting public works will be a blast of fresh air — and a view into just as fresh possibilities for the city’s cultural landscape. Details: Various locations around Boston; 617-982-3860, thetriennial.org/2025
— Murray Whyte
BOOKS
Bookstock
Bookstock, an annual beloved tradition, takes over Woodstock, Vermont’s iconic Village Green with a blend of author readings, live music, and a massive sale of new and used books. This year’s lineup will include poetry heavy hitters Robert Pinsky, former national poet laureate, and Major Jackson, poetry editor at the Harvard Review. Details: May 16-18, Village Green, Woodstock, Vermont; bookstockvt.org
Maine Romance Writers Retreat
Whether you’re an experienced author or a fan thinking of diving into romance writing, this is the event for you. The weekend of workshops and networking includes talks about everything from finding your voice to crafting the perfect villain to creating rom-coms that appeal to Gen-Z readers. Details: May 17-18, Embassy Suites, 1050 Westbrook Street, Portland, Maine; maineromancewriters.com
StokerCon
Welcome to everything horror! Sponsored by the Horror Writers Association and named after Dracula author Bram Stoker, this annual convention is packed with workshops, panels, and vendors of ghoulish wares. Guests this year include Tim Waggoner, Adam L. G. Nevill, and the alarmingly prolific Joyce Carol Oates. Details: June 12-15, Hilton Stamford Hotel, 1 First Stamford Place, Stamford, Connecticut; stokercon2025.com
603 Writers’ Conference
Held every summer by the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, this one-day conference (named for the local area code) offers workshops and panels on the craft of writing and the business of publication. The day concludes with a pitch party for aspiring authors to tout and test their projects. This year’s keynote author is thriller legend Tess Gerritsen. Details: June 14, Southern New Hampshire University, Banquet Hall, 2500 North River Road, Manchester, New Hampshire; 603-270-5466, nhwritersproject.org
Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale
This year marks the 49th book sale to support the C. H. Booth Library in Newtown, Connecticut. Considered one of the largest and most well-run book sales in the country, the event features everything from rare first editions to all the latest graphic novels and manga. Includes CDs and vinyl records for the collectors in your life. Details: July 11-15, Reed Intermediate School, 3 Trades Lane, Newtown, Connecticut; boothbooksale.org
Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival
Launched in 2005, the festival has become a powerhouse that attracts some of the buzziest authors to its panels and readings. Among the confirmed presenters this summer are authors Danzy Senna and Evan Osnos, journalist Jonathan Capehart, and political commentator Chris Hayes. After a ticketed keynote on Friday evening, all of the events on Saturday and Sunday are free to the public. Details: August 1-3, Various locations in Chilmark; mvbookfestival.com
— Kate Tuttle
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The BSO premieres Coltrane: Legacy for Orchestra, a suite of the legendary jazz saxophonist’s works in arrangements by composer chair Carlos Simon (March 21-22). Later in the spring, the orchestra and music director Andris Nelsons present Decoding Shostakovich, a monthlong festival examining the Russian composer’s complex relationship to the politics of his era (April 10-May 3). Details: Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston; 888-266-1200, bso.org
A Far Cry
The conductorless string orchestra, now in its 18th season, presents “For” Seasons, a program that interweaves Vivaldi’s always-popular The Four Seasons (marking its 300th anniversary this year) with newer works that throw fresh light on our relationship to nature. Details: Groton Hill Music Center, 122 Old Ayer Road, Groton (March 28), and Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston (March 29); 617-553-4887, afarcry.org
Sphinx Virtuosi
The flagship ensemble of the diversity-minded Sphinx Organization presents American Form/s, a kaleidoscopic program of new and old American music that draws on elements of ragtime, bluegrass, jazz, and soul. Details: March 30, Prior Performing Arts Center at the College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester; 508-793-3874, musicworcester.org
Trio Mediaeval
The three voices of Trio Mediaeval create a sound of translucent beauty. The group closes Newport Classical’s Chamber Series with a program of traditional Norwegian and Swedish hymns, folk songs, and ballads. Details: June 13, Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn Street, Newport, Rhode Island; 401-846-1133, newportclassical.org
Symphony NH
Roger Kalia concludes his tenure as the long-running orchestra’s music director with an all-American program that includes Gershwin’s familiar Rhapsody in Blue and Florence Price’s less-familiar Piano Concerto in One Movement; Fei-Fei is the soloist for both. Copland’s Third Symphony rounds out the program. Details: May 10, Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 South Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire; 603-595-9156, symphonynh.org
Vermont Symphony Orchestra
The VSO’s season finale opens with two vibrant, recently composed works by female composers: Alexandra du Bois’s Fanfare and Jocelyn Morlock’s My Name Is Amanda Todd. The second half is given over to Mahler’s epic First Symphony. Music director Andrew Crust conducts. Details: May 10, The Flynn, 153 Main Street, Burlington, Vermont; 802-863-5966, vso.org
— David Weininger
THEATER
‘The Victim’
The reliably excellent Annette Miller stars in the premiere of a play by Lawrence Goodman built on three interconnected monologues. One is by a Holocaust survivor looking for ways to heal; one is by a physician whose racial diversity training has taken a dreadfully wrong turn; and one is by a home health aide dealing with racism in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Details: June 19-July 20, Shakespeare & Company, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox; 413-637-3353, shakespeare.org
‘Too Fat for China’
An eye-opening solo show written, directed, and performed by comedian Phoebe Potts about her disastrous attempt at a US adoption and her subsequent journey through the maze-like complexity of international adoption. Potts finds room for humor in recounting her experiences, while also not pulling any punches about the disquieting aspects of the process. Details: April 9-13, Lost Nation Theater, 39 Main Street, Montpelier; 802-229-0492, lostnationtheater.org
‘The Squirrels’
Call it a tale of haves and have-nots — or, perhaps, the have-nuts and have-nots. From playwright Robert Askins (Hand to God) comes this story of the epic conflict that erupts when a group of fox squirrels, near starvation, asks a group of gray squirrels to share its hoard of nuts. “We’re going to bite and claw and scratch until today looks like yesterday,” says the leader of the gray squirrels. Any resemblance to present-day humans is purely intentional in this allegory about inequality and political polarization, directed by Brooks Reeves. Details: April 18-May 18, Apollinaire Theatre Company, Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet Street, Chelsea; 617-887-2336, apollinairetheatre.com
‘Blues for an Alabama Sky’
In this drama by Springfield-born Pearl Cleage, five friends negotiate the cross-currents of the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Depression in the summer of 1930: Angel, a singer who’s just been fired by the Cotton Club; Leland, a widower smitten with Angel; Guy, a gay costume designer who dreams of designing clothes for Josephine Baker; Delia, a staff member at Margaret Sanger’s new family planning clinic in Harlem; and Sam, a jazz-loving physician. Directed by Jackie Davis. Details: May 29-June 29, Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington Street, Providence; 401-351-4242, trinityrep.com/blues
‘Learning How to Read by Moonlight’
Natsu Onoda Power directs the premiere of Gaven D. Trinidad’s drama about the struggles of an undocumented Filipino family in a hostile political environment shaped by two presidents: Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines and Donald Trump in America. We see the story through the eyes of a 6-year-old boy who is learning English from an imaginary friend. Coproduction by Company One Theatre and CHUANG Stage. Details: At Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, from May 16-24, then at Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany Street, Boston, from May 29-June 1; 617-292-7110, companyone.org
‘Hurricane Diane’
Madeleine George’s incisive and boisterously funny play, directed by Zoë Golub-Sass, is a parable about climate change and the perils of interfering with nature. Diane of the title is the Greek god Dionysus, having assumed the guise of a lesbian landscaper from Vermont, and she’s on a mission to restore the earth “to its natural state.” Details: June 5-29, Hartford Stage, 50 Church Street, Hartford; 860-527-5151, HartfordStage.org
— Don Aucoin
DANCE
Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Led by former Alvin Ailey stars Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, the company carries that rich legacy into an expansive and athletic approach to contemporary ballet. For this production, the troupe brings a mix of its signature repertoire plus the social consciousness-themed 2019 work Woke, set to the music of Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Drake, and others. Details: April 11, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street, Portland, Maine; 207-773-3150, portlandovations.org
Boston Ballet’s Winter Experience 2025
This stellar program is bookended by two George Balanchine masterpieces that highlight the choreographer’s enormous range — the Stravinsky-scored neoclassic Symphony in Three Movements and one of the last great ballets he created before his death, Mozartiana. In between are Claudia Schreier’s innovative Slipstream and Leonid Yakobson’s brilliant solo Vestris. Details: March 20-30, Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston; 617-695-6955, bostonballet.org
Urban Bush Women
The celebrated groundbreaking company marks 40 years of weaving bold choreographic tapestries that combine contemporary dance, music, and text to highlight the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African diaspora. The anniversary centerpiece is This is Risk, which showcases four decades of combining art and social activism — looking back and forging ahead. Details: March 21-23, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston; 617-478-3100, icaboston.org
Hartford Step Off Classic
With its percussive synchronized movement and call-and-response elements, stepping’s long, rich history has roots in Africa. However, it’s been popularized as a tradition in African-American fraternities and sororities around the United States. This showcase competition offers Greek and community teams the opportunity to demonstrate their best moves and “Reign Over the Yard.” Details: April 12, Bushnell Auditorium, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford; 860-987-5900, bushnell.org
‘The Center Will Not Hold’
Created by tapper extraordinaire Michelle Dorrance and choreographer Ephrat Asherie, this new production features the two dancers plus members of Dorrance Dance Company and live original music composed by Donovan Dorrance (the Dorrances are siblings). Expect everything from hip-hop to Memphis jookin to body percussion. Details: April 25-26, Global Arts Live At Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston; 617-876-4275, globalartslive.org
Trisha Brown Dance Company
The iconic choreographer was a trailblazer in creating site-specific works placing dance in unusual environments. The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is featuring her 1971 classic Roof Piece to cap its 25th-anniversary-year celebration. The work will be performed throughout the MASS MoCA campus. DO look up! Details: May 24, MASS MoCA, 1040 Mass MOCA Way, North Adams; 413-662-2111, massmoca.org
— Karen Campbell
Don Aucoin can be reached at donald.aucoin@globe.com. Follow him @GlobeAucoin. Murray Whyte can be reached at murray.whyte@globe.com. Kate Tuttle edits the Globe's Books section. You can reach her at kate.tuttle@globe.com Karen Campbell can be reached at karencampbell4@rcn.com. David Weininger can be reached at globeclassicalnotes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidgweininger.