For someone like me, who enjoys indoor performances as much as he enjoys outdoor activities, October has it all. Having seen Hamilton-Gibson’s 1992 production of The Boys Next Door, I’m looking forward to seeing this talented new cast give me another emotional roller-coaster ride. Later in the month, there’s “all that jazz” at MU, but my own focus at that time will be on conducting HG’s ninth annual theater excursion to Canada’s Stratford Festival to see King Lear, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Oklahoma! But there’s so much to see and do right here, I always have a hard time giving up a glorious weekend being knee-deep in leaves in my own backyard.
I call the following Tioga County performing and fine arts events to your attention:

Wellsboro Art Club Annual Exhibit
What: Member exhibit of mixed-media works by local artists, both amateurs and professionals.
Where: The Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center, 134 Main Street, Wellsboro.
Admission: free
When: October 7 through 28. Gallery open daily from 2 to 5 p.m. Opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. October 7, with a gallery talk at 3 p.m.
Information: (570) 724-1917

The Boys Next Door
What: Hamilton-Gibson produced Tom Griffin’s engaging play in 1992, and director Thomas Putnam will do it again this year. This very funny yet very touching play focuses on the lives of four variously challenged men living in a group home under the watchful eye of a sincere but increasingly despairing social worker. Filled with humor, the play is also marked by the compassion and understanding with which it peers into the half-lit world of its handicapped protagonists. The cast includes Mansfield’s Thomas Dalton, Johnna Neal, and Dorsea Palmer; Blossburg’s Shane Nickerson; and Wellsboro’s Pam Kathcart, Rob Kathcart, Noyes Lawton, Craig Shaffer, and Stephen Worthington.
Where: Arcadia Theatre, 50 Main Street, Wellsboro
When: October 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 7:30 p.m. and October 7 and 14 at 2:30 p.m.
Admission: FlexPass or adults $12; students $6. October 7 is designated as a pay-what-you-can date. The play is co-sponsored by Partners in Progress and Ginn & Vickery PC Attorneys at Law
Reservations and information: (570) 724-2079; hamgib@epix.net; and www.hamiltongibson.org                  

Mansfieldians and MU Jazz Ensemble
What: An evening of big band and vocal jazz as an “after tour” concert.
Where: Steadman Theatre, Mansfield University
When: October 20 at 8 p.m.
Admission: $10 adults; $5 student/seniors; free with MU ID
Information: (570) 662-4000

Autumn Chorale
What: All four Hamilton-Gibson choirs in concert. Sponsored by Knowles LP Gas.
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Pearl Street, Wellsboro
When: October 28 at 4 p.m.
Information and reservations: (570) 724-2079; hamgib@epix.net; and www.hamiltongibson.org

OctOBOEfest and OcTUBAfest
What: If you’re into double reeds and bass brasses (and puns) you’re in for a treat. The OctOBOEfest will feature performances by Susan Laib and others proficient in the low woodwinds. The OcTUBAfest will feature performances by the Mansfield University Tuba-Euphonium Consort (MUTEC), and various smaller ensembles and soloists from Steve McEuen’s Mansfield tuba and euphonium studios. The program will include a wide variety of styles and genres such as jazz, Dixieland numbers, and Bach preludes.
Where: Steadman Theatre, Mansfield University
When:  October 21 at 7 p.m. for OctOBOEfest and October 29 at 8:15 p.m. for OcTUBAfest
Information: (570) 662-4000

The Polish Chamber Singers  
What: This men’s choral ensemble, also known as Affabre Concinui (Latin for “ideally harmonized,” the ensemble’s artistic credo) will perform as part of the Young Men’s Choral Festival. Since its formation in 1983, the ensemble has performed extensively in Poland as well as in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Lebanon, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the Ukraine, the United States, and the Vatican at major concert halls and important music festivals. Their repertoire consists of well over 300 works ranging from Renaissance to contemporary, including many pop-music standards. The concert is sponsored by the Mansfield University Student Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.
Where: Steadman Theatre, Mansfield University
When: October 26 at 7 p.m.
Admission: $5; free with MU ID
Information: Peggy Dettwiler at (570) 662-4721 
 
Annual Choral Collage
What: A concert under the direction of Peggy Dettwiler featuring all five of the choral ensembles: the Men’s and Women’s Choirs, Festival Chorus, Mansfieldians, and the Concert Choir.  A unique piece written by Deborah Finestone, Mansfield alum MS’99, will be performed for the first time in the Mansfield area by the Festival Chorus. 
Where: Steadman Theatre, Mansfield University
When: October 27 at 8 p.m.
Admission: $5; free with MU ID free.
Information: Peggy Dettwiler at (570) 662-4721.

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.