If the song has it right, now is the time for those autumn leaves of red and gold to drift by the window. But mine fell several weeks ago while I was at the shore. Upon returning, I was surprised to find our backyard maples had become “bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.” And yet the surrounding hills were amazingly alive with color. What artist could ask for a prettier palette?

But “The days grow long/And soon I’ll hear/Old winter’s song.” November begs us to start looking inward, toward the hearth, if not toward the galleries, theaters, and concert halls. Here’s what I’m aware of that will be on and off the wall in November and early December:
 
Snappy Rotten Acts
What: Wellsboro High School’s annual fall play, directed by Peter Davis. Three one-act plays full of comedy, zaniness, and just a bit of Shakespeare.
Where: Arcadia Theatre, 50 Main Street, Wellsboro
When: November 6 through 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: adults $7 and students $5 at the door
Information: (570) 724-4957
 
How to Write a Play
What: As preparation for the Taste of Tioga Playwriting Contest, Hamilton-Gibson will conduct two playwriting workshops for creative writers unfamiliar with writing for the stage. Workshops are free and open to all. Pre-registration is not necessary but appreciated. Follow-up workshops are scheduled in January to give authors an opportunity to hear their work read aloud and critiqued. Multiple copies of scripts-in-progress will be required. The public is encouraged to participate. 
Where: Deane Center, 104 Main Street, Wellsboro
When: November 12 and 26 from 7 until 9 p.m.
Information: Contact Larry Biddison at (570) 724-4586.

The Limeliters
What: Second concert of Wellsboro Community Concert Association’s sixtieth season. This vocal and instrumental group was a dominant voice in the 1960s’ folk-music scene.
Where: Steadman Theatre, Mansfield University
When: November 11 at 7:30 p.m. Free shuttles will leave Wellsboro High School an hour before show time.
Admission: by subscription or adults $25 and students $10 at the door. MU students free with ID.
Information: (570) 724-5225 or e-mail: swanson9@epix.net. Web site: www.WellsboroCCA.org.

Vesta Annual Show and Sale
What: This member exhibit of fine arts and crafts is always a highlight of the season. Admission is free.
Where: Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center, 134 Main Street, Wellsboro
When: November 30 to December 27. Gallery open 2 to 5 p.m. daily. Opening reception November 30 at 2 p.m. 
Information: (570) 724-1917
 
Dickens of a Concert: The Friendly Beasts
What: All four Hamilton-Gibson youth and children’s choirs celebrate the animal kingdom in a joyous winter holiday concert. Sponsored by Ward Manufacturing.
Where: St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Central Avenue, Wellsboro 
When: November 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: adults $7; students and children $4
Information: (570) 724-2079

A Christmas Carol
What: Hamilton-Gibson’s hour-long dramatized version of Charles Dickens’ classic story. Besides Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Future and Present, there’s the whole Cratchit family, including Tiny Tim. This popular annual event is a main feature of Wellsboro’s Dickens of a Christmas Festival.
Where: Arcadia Theatre, 50 Main Street, Wellsboro
When: December 1 (Dickens Day) at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Tickets: $10. Early booking recommended as performances usually sell out
Information and reservations: (570) 724-2079
 
Fezziwigs’ Follies
What: A Hamilton-Gibson Victorian variety show for the whole family. This Dickensian diversion is hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig (jovial characters from A Christmas Carol) and assisted by their three daughters and the suitors. Add the employees, a young Ebeneezer Scrooge, and the housemaid, baker, cook, and milkman, throw in a fiddler and other instrumentalists, and you have the ingredients for a jolly holiday gala. The show, just over an hour long, has limited seating.
Where: 100 Main Street (the former Davis Furniture Store), Wellsboro
When: December 1 (Dickens Day) at 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $10
Information and reservations: (570) 724-2079

Peace on Earth
What: Eighteenth Annual Holiday Choral Concert. Nearly 200 musicians under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler will capture the theme in a variety of classical and popular pieces enhanced at times by the magic of candlelight. The concert will feature music depicting peace in the sacred and secular world ranging from the Renaissance period to the present. Familiar carols and hymns for audience participation will be included as well as accompaniment with organ, brass, and percussion. The Troy High School choirs, under the direction of John Wile, will perform before and during the presentation in Troy. Shuttle service available at Mansfield University.
Where: Mansfield University’s Steadman Theatre and Troy High School Auditorium
When: December 1 at 7:30 p.m. (Mansfield) and December 2 at 3 p.m. (Troy)
Tickets:  Adults $8; students and children $5. Purchase Mansfield tickets online at http://music.mansfield.edu or call (570) 662-4710. For Troy performance call Deb Hulslander at (570) 297-4346.

Dickens of a Christmas
What: Wellsboro’s Twenty-fifth Annual Dickens of a Christmas Festival. Besides all the excitement indoors, things are going on in the streets. A full schedule of events appears elsewhere in Mountain Home, but don’t miss the Dickens Players performing Steve Bickham’s latest skit at 11 a.m. at the corner of Crafton and Main. During the day there’ll be open houses and teas throughout downtown, costumed strollers in period costumes, street musicians singing and playing seasonal songs, food vendors filling the crisp air with tempting aromas, and various peddlers, urchins, and snake-oil salesmen hawking their wares. The Dickens Players perform at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center at 12:30 p.m. The grand day winds down with the Wellsboro Men’s and Women’s Choruses singing under the Arcadia Theatre marquee from 3 to 4 p.m., followed by Evensong at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 4 p.m., and the candlelight parade and lighting of the town Christmas tree on the Green at 5 p.m. What a day!
 
Sing Along with Handel’s Messiah
What: For the second year, Hamilton-Gibson hosts a stirring afternoon of community arts at its finest. With local musicians providing the accompaniment and local singers providing the solos, everyone joins in on the choruses of Handel’s masterpiece. To audition for one of the solos (soprano, alto, tenor, or bass), contact the HG House at (570) 724-2079. Admission is free but donations will be accepted at the door.Sponsored once again by North Country Physicians.
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Pearl Street, Wellsboro
When: December 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Information:  (570) 724-2079, hamgib@epix.net, or www.hamiltongibson.org.

Larry Biddison, professor emeritus of literature at Mansfield University, sometimes acts in and directs Hamilton-Gibson Productions. You can contact him at onstageoffthewall@mountainhomemag.com.