North of Boston

THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams
2025-10-16 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-10-22 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-10-23 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-10-29 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-10-30 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-11-05 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-11-06 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-11-12 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) and 3 more dates | Gloucester Stage Company, East Main Street 267, Gloucester, M, 01930, United States
Through Tom’s cinematic eyes, his family’s life isn’t the dream he imagined. In a rundown St. Louis apartment the matriarch, Amanda Wingfield, is desperately clinging to a past of parties and endless callers. Her adult children, Tom and Laura, become victims of her delusions as she pushes for Tom to provide for the struggling family and Laura to find a husband. The two seek solace in ways of escaping their mother and their own misery until a visit from a gentleman caller presents the possibility of new opportunities.
Renowned playwright Tennessee Williams opens the 2025 Season with this classic drama, directed by Doug Lockwood. Running from June 5 to 28, all performances are at Gloucester Stage’s Theater 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. Showtimes are Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm, and matinees Saturdays & Sunday at 3:00pm.

The Madness Within the Abbadia Mare at Hammond Castle Museum
2025-10-20 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-10-21 08:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Hammond Castle Museum, 80 Hesperus Avenue, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Limited Engagement! 3 Nights Only.
Join us this Halloween for an unforgettable evening based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe at Hammond Castle Museum.
Step back in time to the days immediately following the Stock Market crash, as ruin awaits many and the nation is on the brink of the Great Depression, to attend one of John Hays Hammond, Jr. famed soirees to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve.
In his strange fortress that he calls the ‘abbey by the sea’, you’ll meet the reclusive and eccentric inventor and the members of his inner circle who reveal secrets steeped in obsession, dread, and the macabre. Come dressed for a 1920s Halloween gathering, and journey through time and space as you descend into the darkened castle amidst its haunting chambers and your hosts’ descent into madness.
Featuring:
Leslie Hillman – Hammond’s devoted English butler, who has served at the castle for 35 years. Keeper of the castle’s secrets, he presents a chilling adaptation of Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado.
Leslie Buswell – English actor and member of the American Ambulance Service during WWI, Hammond’s close friend and romantic partner. He brings suspense to life in an adaptation of Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum.
Elin Watters – Originally from Sweden, she immigrated to the U.S. in 1920 and serves as a chambermaid at the castle. Wife of former castle butler Stanley Watters, she reveals dark obsession and guilt in her adaptation of Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart.
Irene Fenton Hammond – Accomplished author and artist, Gloucester local, and wife of John Hays Hammond Jr. She explores mesmerism and the supernatural in an adaptation of Poe’s The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.
Natalie Hays Hammond – Renowned fiber artist and member of the Massachusetts Women’s Defense Corps during WWII, and sister of John Hays Hammond Jr. She evokes dread and decay in adaptations of Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
John Hays Hammond Jr. – Prolific American inventor with over 500 patents and visionary owner of the castle and its vast collection of antiquities. A devoted admirer of Edgar Allan Poe, he guides audiences through an adaptation of The Masque of the Red Death.
This unique promenade theater performance begins on the drawbridge and winds through multiple rooms within the Castle. It runs just shy of 60 minutes in total. Performances begin at 6 pm and run every 15 minutes through 9:45 pm. Performances are limited to groups of 15 audience members at a time for an intimate experience. Each story is approximately 6 to 10 minutes long.
**Vintage Halloween attire styled from the 1920s is encouraged. ** Not recommended for children under 13 years old.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your performance time to allow enough time to park, walk down to the Museum, and for the check-in process. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate late arrivals. If you miss the start of your timed session, you will not be able to join another performance at another time. Please note: all ticket sales are final, refunds are not offered, and exchanges for other performance times are not permitted. Heavy traffic should be considered when planning your travel time.
**This ticket grants you access to The Madness within the Abbadia Mare: Inspired by the Pen of Edgar Allan Poe. At the time of this event, the Museum will be closed to tours. If you wish to tour Hammond Castle Museum on the day of the ticketed performance, Self-Guided Tour tickets may be purchased in the Museum Shop at a 20% discount. The last tours begin at 2:30 pm. Proof of purchase of The Secrets within the Abbadia Mare will be required.
All proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the Museum.

Edgar Allan Poe Double Header
2025-10-24 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-10-25 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Gloucester Stage Company, East Main Street 267, Gloucester, M, 01930, United States
Presented in partnership with The Hanover Theatre Repertory: An imaginative one-person retelling of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado
At turns dark and darkly funny, this 60-minute solo show is staged as a séance, inviting audiences to conjure two of Poe’s most notorious narrators.
In The Tell-Tale Heart, a nervous caregiver is driven to madness by an irrational obsession. In The Cask of Amontillado, the aggrieved Montresor lures his rival Fortunato to an untimely fate.
Created and performed by Livy Scanlon. The Edgar Allan Poe Double Header runs at Gloucester Stage from October 24th-25th and at The Hanover Theatre Repertory in Worcester, MA from October 29th-Nov 1st.

Rocky Neck Art Colony Member Showcase
2025-11-07 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-08 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-09 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-14 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-15 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-16 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-21 12:00 - 17:00, 2025-11-22 12:00 - 17:00 and 1 more date | The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, 6 Wonson Street, Gloucester, M, 01930, United States
Member Showcase is Rocky Neck Art Colony’s final exhibition of the season featuring seven distinctive bodies of work by RNAC members – John Bassett, Michelle Champion, Eser Costanza, Joanne Hurd, Patricia Scialo, Brian Murphy, R. D. Murphy – selected by juror Shana Dumont Garr. This is exhibit is on display at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck through December 7. Gallery hours are Friday to Sunday, from 12pm to 5pm.
Dumont Garr selected works that “possess remarkable vibrancy of color, composition, and method. Some of this vibrancy emerges through palette and medium; others through a sense of whimsy or the handmade.” This exhibition celebrates artistic excellence and innovation across a wide range of media and subjects. By featuring more work from fewer artists, Member Showcase invites viewers to engage more deeply with each artist’s vision and process.

Singer-Storyteller Jack DesBois In Concert
2025-11-16 16:00 - 17:30 | Ward Hill church of Christ the King, 63 L Street, Ward Hill (Haverhill), MA, 63 L Street, Ward Hill, M, 01835, United States
Acoustic Christian Music for the Whole Family in Haverhill, MA
Topsfield-based classical and folk musician Jack DesBois will give a free-to-the-public concert at Ward Hill Church of Christ the King in Haverhill, MA, on Sunday, November 16 at 4:00pm, featuring music from his 2024 debut solo album “My Brother, My Sister, My Kin.”
Drawing from his backgrounds as a classically trained oratorio soloist, a scholar of the traditional folk songs of New England, a Christian poet and storyteller, and an admirer of a good song well sung, Jack has woven together an album of simply set and shining gems. His selections lead the listener on a journey from the craggy shores and enchanted rivers of the British Isles to the beckoning forests and mountain ranges of America, from the soul-stirring poetry of the classic hymns to the truth-seeking scratches of his own pen.
The album’s title is a nod to the words of Christ from Matthew 12:50: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Family is both a theme throughout the album and the backbone without which these recordings wouldn’t exist.
“These songs have been germinating in me for years,” writes Jack in the liner notes of the album, “decades in some cases—but it is the environment of home, where family surrounds and supports me, that has allowed the songs to flourish. They’ve grown from the fertile soil of family values, the diligent watering and weeding of practice and critique, and the warm light of Christ. And here they are, picked and washed and ready for you to enjoy. God bless you, my brother, my sister, my kin!”
“My Brother, My Sister, My Kin” is available on streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube, and CDs will be available for sale at the concert.
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When: Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 4:00pm
Where: Ward Hill Church of Christ the King, 63 L Street, Ward Hill (Haverhill), MA
Run time: approx. 75 minutes
Free, All Are Welcome
CDs will be for sale, and freewill donations will be gratefully accepted for Ward Hill Church’s window restoration fund.
Sponsored by DesBois Tutoring & Enrichment, a family-run academic tutoring and educational enrichment service based in Topsfield, MA.
jackdesbois.com ~ desboistutoring.org ~ wardhillchurch.wordpress.com

Deck the Halls at Hammond Castle Museum
2025-11-21 09:00 - 15:30, 2025-11-22 09:00 - 15:30, 2025-11-23 09:00 - 15:30 | Hammond Castle Museum, 80 Hesperus Avenue, Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Join us for the 2025 Holiday Season as we proudly present our 7th annual “Deck The Halls” holiday celebration!
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its own unique holiday theme. From nature’s bounty of fruits and greenery to the warm glow of candlelight, every detail creates a true feast for the senses. Along the way, you will encounter a royal guard of nutcrackers standing watch over a gingerbread house replica of the castle. Keep an eye out for playful elves and gnomes who are up to mischief—great fun for little ones! This year, the celebration will also shine with the glow of two menorahs on display, honoring the traditions of Hanukkah within the Museum’s holiday splendor.
For the first time, we are pleased to feature design elements created in partnership with Elaine Quinn Interiors, a boutique residential interior design firm based in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, bringing fresh inspiration and artistry to this year’s holiday presentation.
In addition to the holiday installation, guests will also have the opportunity to experience the Hammond in Italy temporary exhibition, which highlights John Hays Hammond Jr.’s time abroad and the profound influence Italian art and architecture had on his vision for the castle.
For an even more enchanting experience, join us for Deck the Halls by Candlelight on Thursday evenings throughout December. These extended-hour tours invite guests to explore the Museum after dark, when the holiday décor glows with flickering candlelight and twinkling lights, creating a truly magical atmosphere.
Guests should plan for approximately 60 minutes in total to take in the full holiday grandeur.
