toledoblade.com --

Bluesman B.B. King returns to Toledo for a performance at 8 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd. Tickets range from $39.50 to $85 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the box office, 419-381-8851; Ticketmaster, 419-474-1333; and ticketmaster.com.

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North Coast Theatre will perform Vanishing Fields to complement the exhibit Ohio Fields in the Blue Heron Gallery in the Oliver House, 27 Broadway. The exhibit, which runs through June 13, features landscapes in pastel by award-winning artist Mary Jane Erard. Vanishing Fields will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on May 23 and 30 and June 6 and 13 in their new home in the South Wing of the historic Oliver House.

Whenever the NCT performs, it adheres to its original mandate - to perform original, experimental work with an ongoing ensemble of theatre professionals who share common goals and a common aesthetic. From 1994 when it was founded until 2004, NCT made its home at the "It's Friday" program of the Toledo Museum of Art, primarily performing brief plays written by artistic director Christine Child for visiting exhibits and for specific galleries. In 2004 it began to perform in branches of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. The ensemble consists of five original members, Madge Levinson, Nora Warcjko, Matthew Wikander, Irina Zaurov, and Child, and new member Tamika Adams. Information, 419-255-0416, or www .northcoasttheatre.org.

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Headliners, 4500 North Detroit Ave., has scheduled four rock and roll shows over Memorial Day weekend. Alternative rockers Taproot perform at 8 p.m. May 22, with the local band Dying To Know to open. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of show. Blind Melon performs at 8 p.m. May 23; tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Clutch takes the stage at 8 p.m. May 24; tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. And GWAR performs at 7:30 p.m. May 25; tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster; Culture Clash, 419-536-5683, and Ramalama Records, 419-531-7625.

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The Around the Bend Players improv troupe will perform at 8 p.m. May 22 and 29 in Connxtions Comedy Club as part of Comedy for a Cause. The event is designed to raise money for local charities. Tickets are $8 from the Connxtions box office at 5319 Heatherdowns Blvd., 419-867-9041, or through the Around the Bend Players at 419-691-3946.

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Ragtime Rick and the Chefs of Dixieland will join the Hot Jazz 7 from Cleveland and the Morgan Street Stompers from Buffalo, N.Y., at the Grand International Ragtime Jasstime Foundation's Alexandria Bay Festival May 23-25 in Pine Tree Point Resort in Alexandria Bay, N.Y. Music performances begin Friday night, continue all day Saturday, and wind up Sunday afternoon with a Piano-Mania performance. Lodging and passes are still available. Information: Wayne Pauli, 519-744-2665.

Ragtime Rick can now be heard from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays as co-host of The Bob Martz Radio Extravaganza on WCWA-AM (1230). It can also be heard over the Internet by clicking the Listen Live link on the station Web site: http://www.wcwa.com.

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National touring comedy magician and stage hypnotist Michael Night performs at 9 p.m. May 24 in Scooter's Place, 634 West Adrian St., Blissfield, Mich. Night will have the audience acting like Elvis and American Idol contestants in an evening of hypnotic trances, improv comedy, and magic. Doors open at 8 p.m. for the 9 p.m. all-ages show. Tickets are $10 at the door or by calling 517-486-3644.

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Detroit's Electronic Music Festival is scheduled over Memorial Day weekend in the city's Hart Plaza. This year's roster includes Moby, Benny Benassi, Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin, Deadmau5, James Zabiela, Dubfire, Marco Carola, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Cobblestone Jazz. The festival features four weatherproofed stages for the expected 20,000 attendees per day. Festival hours are noon to midnight May 24-26. Tickets are available from www.myspace.com/detroitmusicfest or www.paxah .com.

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The Waterville Playshop will be conducting its annual children and youth summer workshop for three weeks this summer, culminating in a production of Disney's 101 Dalmation Kids July 12 in the Maumee Indoor Theater, 601 Conant St., Maumee. The work-shop, directed by Juliettte Quinlin, will be held weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 23-July 11, with the goal of teaching youngsters auditioning techniques and how to stage a production. Children entering third grade through age 15 are eligible to attend; the cost per child is $150. Information and registration instructions are available from www.watervilleplayshop.org.

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The Artist Musicians Entertainers Network will hold auditions for poets, comedians, dancers, and all genres of music from 2 to 6 p.m. May 23 and 24 at the Artist Network, 316 Michigan St., suite 707 (across the street from the main library). The production will take place on June 13 in the Maumee Indoor Theater. Auditioners also will be contributing to a worthy cause, with a portion of the proceeds from the show going to the hunger crisis in Haiti. Information: 419-213-1077.

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