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TSO brings ever-changing show to Covelli Centre

Trans-Siberian Orchestra was born with the song “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24),” recorded by the progressive metal act Savatage for its 1995 album “Dead Winter Dead.” Paul O’Neill, who wrote the song and started TSO, died in 2017, but the drummer on that recording, Jeff Plate, will be behind the kit when TSO returns to the Covelli Centre for two shows on Sunday. This year’s tour features an all-new production of “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve,” the 1999 television special and DVD that mixed seasonal favorites and TSO originals. “We've done this show several times ...

‘Spring Awakening’ is Kent-Trumbull’s fall musical

Paul Dahman first saw the musical “Spring Awakening" when he was a student at Otterbein University. “I love the themes of it, of pushing back against authority,” he said. “Questions are OK. It's important to question things and not be afraid to ask what more or why? I always think of it as almost a protest show. Change is inevitable. It's going to happen. It may take a while, but that change will come.” Dahman appeared in Kent State University at Trumbull Summer Stock’s production of “American Idiot,” and his wife Makenna Liller Dahman choreographed that show and ...

Mahoning Valley arts and entertainment

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e,” Tuesday through Jan. 29, 2026. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. ASHTABULA ARTS CENTER, 2928 W. 13th St., Ashtabula: “Hope in Artistry: Suicide Awareness and Prevention,” through Nov. 25. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. ashtabulaartscenter.org and 440-964-3396. BUTLER INSTITUTE OF ...

Gray Areas: LOOP brings variety, French Blue turns 20

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment: • The Mahoning Valley has plenty of talent, and LOOP Youngstown will use some of it to help raise money for an arts and culture center locally. The second LOOP Youngstown Variety Show and Art Raffle runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown. Emelia Sherin will serve as host for the event, which will feature different offerings every half hour. The Youngstown Area Community Concert Band will play Broadway favorites while James Shuttic does a live painting performance at 4 p.m. Short films ...

Top Hat prepares a ‘Grace’-ful return

Top Hat Productions is bringing back “Amazing Grace” for another chorus. The musical opens Friday for a two-weekend run at Fairview Arts & Outreach Center. In 2019 Top Hat was the first non-professional theater to produce the Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron musical. “It was still on tour when we received the rights, and we were their sort of flagship experiment,” director Brian Palumbo said. “They didn't have the formal scripts printed or any of the formal materials. We went literally by the tour notes, and there were conductor score notes from the tour when we received ...

YSU Theatre gets ‘Chill’ with contemporary musical

What was science fiction when “Be More Chill” debuted now is reality, according to Adam Day Howard, who will direct Youngstown State University Theatre’s production of the musical. Featuring music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, “Be More Chill” is the story of an outcast teen named Jeremy who ingests a SQUIP (Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor) to help him interact better with his classmates and become more popular. Using the processor leads to some unintended consequences. SQUIP isn’t that great of a leap from tools readily available today. “ChatGPT ...