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It’s that time of year, when we’re magically cheerified by Christmas ghosts, alleluias and dancing rodents.
To help you plan your already-packed holiday weeks, here’s a roundup of major performing-arts events happening on area stages. (We don’t have room to include all the events between now and Christmas, so if you don’t see something listed here, check your favorite venue’s website. And for our roundup of all the local Nutcracker choices, visit www.dfw.com.) Happy holiday event-going! Theater Friday-Dec. 23: Artisan Center Theater does Scrooge the Musical. 418 E. Pipeline Road, Hurst. $7-$16. 817-284-1200; www.artisanct.com. Friday-Dec. 22: Dallas Children’s Theater has a double dose of holiday fun with Madeline’s Christmas on the main stage and Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts’ The Nutcracker in the Studio Theater. Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman St., Dallas. $16-$26. 214-740-0051; www.dct.org. Saturday-Dec. 17: Seven in One Blow or The Brave Little Kid, a British-style holiday panto, with audience participation, gets swatting at Circle Theatre, 230 W. Fourth St., Fort Worth. $12.50-$30. 817-877-3040; www.circletheatre.com. Nov. 25-Dec. 24: Dallas Theater Center’s A Christmas Carol is the king of local Dickens productions. This year, former Dallasite Kurt Rhoads plays Scrooge. Joel Ferrell directs. Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd., Dallas. $15-$85. 214-880-0202; www.dallastheatercenter.org. Nov. 25-Dec. 18: Runway Theatre is also doing Scrooge the Musical. 215 N. Dooley St., Grapevine. $12-$15. 817-488-4842; www.runwaytheatre.com. Nov. 26-Dec. 30: Tre Garrett directs one of Rudy Eastman’s last original musicals, Auntee Explains X-mas, at Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main St., Fort Worth. $10-$25. 817-338-4411; www.jubileetheatre.org. Nov. 26-Dec. 23: Santa Claus the Musical sleighs into the Children’s Theatre at Casa Mañana, 3101 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth. $20-$25. 817-332-2272; www.casamanana.org. Nov. 29-Dec. 4: Snow and cheer and cutesy yuletide costumes will dominate in the tour of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, based on the movie, at Bass Hall in Fort Worth. $27.50-$110. 817-212-4280; www.basshall.com. Dec. 1-18: Theatre Arlington does the season’s second most popular title, It’s A Wonderful Life. 305 W. Main St., Arlington. $12-$17. 817-275-7661; www.theatrearlington.org. Dec. 2-18: Onstage in Bedford does Alan Ayckbourn’s hilarious Season’s Greetings. Trinity Arts Theater, 2819 Forest Ridge Drive, Bedford. $10-$15. 817-354-6444; www.onstageinbedford.com. Dec. 2-18: Creative Arts Theatre School does the comedy The Twelve Daze of Christmas. 1100 W. Randol Mill Road, Arlington. $8-$10. 817-861-2287; www.creativearts.org. Dec. 16-22: Kids Who Care does Jules Tasca’s adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories. Scott Theatre at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, 1300 Gendy St., Fort Worth. $17-$20. 817-737-5437; www.kidswhocare.org. Dance Friday Saturday: Ballet Frontier of Texas presents The Nutcracker at Will Rogers Auditorium, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth. $20-$30. 817-423-9888; www.balletfrontier.org. Nov. 25-Dec. 24: Texas Ballet Theater does its mammoth production of Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker. Nov. 25-Dec. 4 at the Winspear Opera House at the ATT Performing Arts Center, Dallas; Dec. 9-24 at Bass Hall, Fort Worth. $19-$99. 877-828-9200; www.texasballettheater.org. The troupe also brings back The Nutty Nutcracker, 7 p.m. Dec. 23 at Bass Hall. Dec. 8 9: Ballet Concerto’s annual A Holiday Special is performed at Will Rogers Auditorium, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth. $6-$20. 817-738-7915; www.balletconcerto.com. Dec. 8-11: Dallas Black Dance Theatre presents its Winter Series, at the ATT Performing Arts Center’s Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora St., Dallas. $10-$65. 214-880-0202; www.dbdt.com. Dec. 17: Contemporary Dance/Fort Worth and Barefoot Brigade present the annual “The NOTcracker,” a collection of dance from local modern-dance companies. Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood St., Dallas. Free with museum admission ($5-$10). 817-922-0944; www.cdfw.org. Music Nov. 25-27: The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra does the pops show Home for the Holidays. Expect “snow” and Santa. Bass Hall, Fort Worth. $27-$79. 817-665-6000; www.fwsymphony.org. Nov. 30: Inspirational singer Sandi Patty returns to Casa Mañana for a one-night-only Christmas performance. Casa Mañana Theatre, 3101 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth. $38-$60. 817-332-2272; www.casamanana.org. Dec. 2-18 and Dec. 6: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has several holiday programs, starting with a pops Christmas Celebration, Dec. 2-18 ($36-$117), and then producing Fiesta Navidad with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano on Dec. 6 ($30-$90). At the Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., Dallas. 214-692-0203; www.dallassymphony.org. Dec. 4: Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison’s Holiday Show is back in Cowtown. McDavid Studio, Fort Worth. $35.20. 817-212-4280; www.basshall.com. Dec. 5: The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Southwestern Seminary Master Chorale present their annual Messiah, at Bass Hall in Fort Worth. $19-$65. 817-665-6000; www.fwsymphony.org. Dec. 8 9: The Arlington Master Chorale presents “Sounds of the Season” at First Baptist Church, 301 S. Center St., Arlington. $5-$15. www.arlingtonmasterchorale.org. Dec. 11: Broadway star Linda Eder brings her Holiday Show to the Winspear Opera House at the ATT Performing Arts Center, Dallas. $25-$75. 214-880-0202; www.attpac.org. Dec. 11-13: Schola Cantorum presents its holiday concert, “Strike the Harp and Join the Chorus,” Dec. 11 at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road, Fort Worth; Dec. 12 at Trinity United Methodist Church, 3321 W. Park Row Drive, Arlington; and Dec. 13 at White’s Chapel United Methodist Church, 185 S. White Chapel Blvd., Southlake. $10. www.scholatexas.com. Dec. 12: Michael Martin Murphey’s “Cowboy Christmas” returns to Bass Hall in Fort Worth. $34.65-$79.20. 817-212-4280; www.basshall.com. Dec. 15: Symphony Arlington’s holiday concert, in a Shakespeare-themed season, is called “If all the year were playing holidays …” and includes music by Britten and Vaughan Williams, and a holiday sing-along. Arlington Music Hall, 224 N. Center St., Arlington. $15-$45. 817-385-0484; www.symphonyarlington.org. Dec. 16: From the University of North Texas, it’s a holiday concert with the One O’Clock Lab Band. McDavid Studio, Fort Worth. $30. 817-212-4280; www.basshall.com. Dec. 18 19: The other big local Messiah is from the Dallas Bach Society, which has three events and locations. A Messiah sing-along is 2:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 7611 Park Lane, Dallas. Then the group performs without audience participation at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at St. Mark’s Church, 2024 S. Collins St., Arlington, and then at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas. Sing-along, $15-$20; other performances, $15-$40. www.dallasbach.org. Dec. 19: Pianist Jim Brickman brings “A Christmas Celebration” to Bass Hall in Fort Worth. $33-$82.50. 817-212-4280; www.basshall.com. Dec. 21: It’s Christmas with the Von Trapp Singers, presented by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Bass Hall, Fort Worth. $29-$78. 817-665-6000; www.fwsymphony.org. Dec. 26 27: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents popular synth and vocal outfit Mannheim Steamroller. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., Dallas. $40-$110. 214-692-0203; www.dallassymphony.org.Looking for comments?