Arts and Humanities

Christmas shows might be the 800-pound gorillas stomping on the December arts scene, but this year Congregation Adath Jeshurun is getting in on the action with "Chanukah Chappens," a multi-genre Chanukah show at The Bard's Town. The evening's two performances (7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) will feature storytelling, music, comedy, poetry and, of course, the lighting of the first candle on the menorah. 

“The Nutcracker,” a fantasy-fueled story of a young girl who dreams her toy prince to life and follows him through magical lands, debuted as a ballet in St. Petersburg in the late 19th century with choreography by the ballet master Petipa and music by Tchaikovsky. But it didn’t become an American holiday tradition until after World War II, when George Balanchine staged his version for the New York City Ballet and the ballet caught fire as a Christmastime production.

An annual holiday tradition starts back up this week at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Barbara Field’s stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” opens Thursday in the Pamela Brown Auditorium for its 37th run. 

The Louisville Orchestra will thank its donors with a special concert on December 5 at the Brown Theatre. The program is free for supporters of the season, but all are welcome to make a donation at the door in lieu of tickets. Led by music director Jorge Mester, the program will feature Gioachino Rossini's Overture to The Barber of Seville, Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor and Wolfgang Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.