Riverside Theatre presents “Almost, Maine” from Tuesday, March 24, through Sunday, April 12, on the Waxlax Stage at 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Tickets are $75. Audience members can also attend “Go Behind the Curtain,” a behind-the-scenes class exploring the history of the play and its author, playwright John Cariani. Sessions meet from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, March 26, and Thursday, April 2. “Go Behind the Curtain” tickets are $75. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com.
The Environmental Learning Center will hold a meet and greet of artists with works in the exhibition “Inspired by Nature: Art of the John’s Island Club” from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26. Guests can also view original works inspired by local landscapes, wildlife and waterways. Live music, complimentary food and refreshments will be provided. Admission is free and open to the public. The Environmental Learning Center is at 255 Live Oak Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-589-5050 or visit DiscoverELC.org for details.
MusicWorks Concerts presents “Beatles vs. Stones” on Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the Emerson Center, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. The concert invites audiences to compare two legendary British rock bands as tribute performers recreate some of their greatest hits.
MusicWorks Concerts continues its spring lineup with Good Vibrations: A Celebration of the Beach Boys on Thursday, April 2, at 7 p.m. The show features a tribute band performing the classic harmonies and feel-good summer hits known to generations of fans. Tickets start at $51. Visit MusicWorksConcerts.com or call 772-777-9321.
The Emerson Center is also hosting Buzz & Flutter: Art Inspired by Pollinators, an ongoing art exhibition through Wednesday, April 8, at the Art at the Emerson Gallery (address above). The show celebrates bees, butterflies and other species vital to pollination through paintings, photography and mixed-media pieces. Admission is free. For gallery hours or further information, call 772-778-5249 or visit TheEmersonCenter.com.
The Laura Riding Jackson Foundation presents Poetry and Barbeque: In a Southerly Light … Revisited at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at the Richardson Center, 6155 College Lane, Vero Beach. The program reunites poets who gathered at the original event 15 years ago: Silvia Curbelo, a Cuban-born American poet and author of four collections of poetry; Michael Hettich, an award-winning poet who has published numerous books and chapbooks of poetry, and most of whose teaching career was spent at Miami Dale College; and Sean Sexton, a local rancher, poet and artist named Indian River County’s first ever Poet Laureate and author of multiple poetry collections including “Blood Writing and Portals.” Members of LRJF writing groups will also read their work, followed by a barbeque on the patio overlooking LRJF’s Florida Cracker-style home, located next to Brackett Library on Mueller Campus of Indian River State College in Vero Beach, 6155 College Lane. The historic house is also open for tours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesdays and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month from November to May, as well as by appointment. Tickets to the Poetry and Barbeque event are $60. Visit LRJF.org or call 772-569-6718 for reservations.
Vero Beach Opera stages “The Impresario, A Comedy by Mozart” and “Cavalleria Rusticana, A Tragedy by Mascagni” at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th St. “The Impresario” concerns an older diva competing with a younger, up-and-coming opera star. “Cavalleria Rusticana” concerns a young soldier coming back from war and finding his erstwhile fiancée has married a wealthy man. Organizers expect the audience to question whether they should laugh or cry at the fully staged double bill. The production also features Gregory Buchalter conducting the Brevard Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $32 to $102. For additional information or tickets, call 772-569-6993 or visit VeroBeachOpera.org.
The Distinguished Lecturer Series at Riverside Theatre (address above) welcomes Kevin O’Leary, known as “Mr. Wonderful” from CNBC’s “Shark Tank,” on Monday, March 30. Talks begin at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. O’Leary will share insights from his entrepreneurial career, including the founding of the Learning Company and its later $4.2 billion acquisition. Individual tickets start at $83.20. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideLecturerSeries.com.
