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Gray Areas: LOOP brings variety, French Blue turns 20

Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment: • The Mahoning Valley has plenty of talent, and LOOP Youngstown will use some of it to help raise money for an arts and culture center locally. The second LOOP Youngstown Variety Show and Art Raffle runs from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown. Emelia Sherin will serve as host for the event, which will feature different offerings every half hour. The Youngstown Area Community Concert Band will play Broadway favorites while James Shuttic does a live painting performance at 4 p.m. Short films ...

Mahoning Valley arts and entertainment

Art ARTS & EDUCATION AT THE HOYT, 124 E. Leasure Ave., New Castle, Pa.: “Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e,” Tuesday through Jan. 29, 2026. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. hoytartcenter.org and 724-652-2882. ASHTABULA ARTS CENTER, 2928 W. 13th St., Ashtabula: “Hope in Artistry: Suicide Awareness and Prevention,” through Nov. 25. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. ashtabulaartscenter.org and 440-964-3396. BUTLER INSTITUTE OF ...

Top Hat prepares a ‘Grace’-ful return

Top Hat Productions is bringing back “Amazing Grace” for another chorus. The musical opens Friday for a two-weekend run at Fairview Arts & Outreach Center. In 2019 Top Hat was the first non-professional theater to produce the Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron musical. “It was still on tour when we received the rights, and we were their sort of flagship experiment,” director Brian Palumbo said. “They didn't have the formal scripts printed or any of the formal materials. We went literally by the tour notes, and there were conductor score notes from the tour when we received ...

YSU Theatre gets ‘Chill’ with contemporary musical

What was science fiction when “Be More Chill” debuted now is reality, according to Adam Day Howard, who will direct Youngstown State University Theatre’s production of the musical. Featuring music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, “Be More Chill” is the story of an outcast teen named Jeremy who ingests a SQUIP (Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor) to help him interact better with his classmates and become more popular. Using the processor leads to some unintended consequences. SQUIP isn’t that great of a leap from tools readily available today. “ChatGPT ...

Lovin’ Spoonful to play WCMA concert

The Warren Civic Music Association will serve up a Spoonful of ’60s hits with its next concert. Performing Monday will be the Lovin’ Spoonful. Original bass and keyboard player Steve Boone is joined in the current lineup by Bill Cinque, Jeff Alan Ross, Rob Bonfiglio and Mike Arturi. Formed in Greenwich Village, N.Y., the band had a top 10 hit with its first single, “Do You Believe in Magic?,” and it topped the charts with “Summer in the City.” In a three-year span, the group had a string of radio hits that included “Daydream,” “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your ...

Tamburitzans bring song and dance to DeYor

The Tamburitzans return to DeYor Performing Arts Center on Sunday. Its newest production, “The Shared Song,” showcases traditional music and dance from Eastern Europe as well as a rousing detour through an Irish pub. From the harmonies of Croatian folk singers to the footwork of Serbian kolo, the performance celebrates centuries-old traditions. The show isn’t just about music and movement; it’s also about connection. In addition to homegrown talent, The Tamburitzans” 2025 ensemble includes talented student-performers from Kazakhstan, Serbia and Spain, each of whom brings ...