Summer officially starts next week, but with the wave of gloomy weather you’d never know it. Not to worry, since the season lineup of plays and musicals from regional theaters promises a great 2025-26 season. The Umbrella Stage Company’s 2025/26 theater season invites audiences to a vibrant showcase of courage, heart, and hope featuring an award-winning premiere, a revisited classic, and two musicals that celebrate the impact of art. The season includes the Boston premier of “The Counter,” a play about the connection between a retired firefighter and a diner server, Sept. 26-Nov. 9; “Tick, Tick…Boom!,” a rock opera prequel […]
Opinion
Family Recipe Box: Strawberry fields forever in Fitchburg
You may think you know what a strawberry tastes like, but until you’ve picked your own, you have no idea how crisp, sweet, fragrant and filling a farm-grown strawberry can be. So mark your calendar and visit Hollis Hills Farm this weekend, where tens of thousands of strawberries are growing right now. Just five minutes […]
Eye on Art: Lowell’s galleries offer a lot to like in June
As always, there’s a lot to like about Lowell – especially when it comes to art. Some of these exhibits have been up for a while, and others opened more recently. But all are worth checking out. “Awakenings” is open through July 7 in the 4th Floor Mini Gallery at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Ave. This exhibition applauds the timeless promise of renewal and the hope for brighter days ahead. Step into a world of light and color, where the muted grays of winter make the way for the vibrant palette of spring. Through a variety of styles and […]
Stages: MRT is represented at 42nd annual Elliot Norton Awards
Merrrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell was represented at the 42nd Elliot Norton Awards, held on Monday night at Boston’s Huntington Theatre. This year’s recipient of the 2025 Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence is Kathy St. George, an acclaimed actress based in Boston, whose work has been seen in Boston, New York, nationally, and throughout New England, including several productions at the MRT two decades ago. Acting professionally since 1981, she made her Broadway debut in “Fiddler on the Roof” at Lincoln Center. She later played two roles in the Tony-Award winning 1990 revival of “Fiddler” at the Gershwin Theatre […]
Editorial: Nurses’ poll, poor hospital ratings tell tale of declining care
The quality of hospital care in a state with some of the most prestigious medical centers in the world continues its years-long trend of decline. That’s not some Ivy Tower opinion, but rather one from those on the front lines of health care. It’s what the annual survey of registered nurses found, reinforcing conclusions reached […]
Family Recipe Box: Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
Four years ago, my family began a tradition to honor our grandparents and family who has gone before us: raising the Armenian Flag at Fitchburg City Hall in honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24). I did not anticipate how much this would mean to me emotionally, but I definitely felt emotion the first […]
