Sci-fi comedy at the West End

An original sci-fi comedy titled "Demonslayers" will open at the West End Theater this weekend, presented by Suit of Sables Theater and The Actors Company.

The piece was written by Dan Minkle of Salem.

The show revolves around monster hunter Ryan Cross, who battles an evil vampire master intent on capturing a young girl who he believes is the key to ultimate power. "It's a hilarious show about a vampire hunter with exciting fight scenes and plenty of laughs," according to a news release.

The show is recommended for mature audiences. Performances are April 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. and April 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12, and a portion of ticket sales will be donated to the American Red Cross and to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich.

For more information or tickets, call company manager Amy Sheridan at 508-942-9938 or visit www.thewestendtheater.com or www.theactorscompany.org.

'Cape Ann Tales'

Local filmmaker Dan Tremblay will present his popular film "Cape Ann Tales" — a mix of stories about Gloucester's heritage and its people —Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Sawyer Free Library in the Friend Room.

Included are narratives about boatbuilding, whale watching, and Gloucester memorials. Lyceum programs are free to the public. For information, call 978-281-9763 or visit the library Web site at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Earth Day film festival

The MassBay Film Project has an Earth Day weekend lineup featuring four days of ecologically aware films, which include the Sundance favorite "The Unforeseen" tonight (April 17) at 7:30 p.m. at Gloucester Stage Company. The film is about an ambitious Texas farm boy with grandiose plans who heads to Austin and becomes a real estate developer.

At the peak of his powers, he transforms 4,000 acres of pristine Hill Country into one of the state's largest-selling subdivisions. But the community fights back when the development threatens a local natural area and swimming hole.

The film includes interviews with Robert Redford, Willie Nelson, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, environmentalist Wendell Berry and many others.

A free Welcome April Vacation screening of."Sharkwater".is Friday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Gloucester Stage Company. The filmmaker, who uses high definition video, debunks stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as man-eating monsters and exposes the reality of sharks, who play a key role in the evolution of the seas. The film also exposes the exploitation of shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands..The film includes shark poachers in Guatemala resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges.

"King Corn" will screen on Saturday, April 19, and shows the viewer how almost everything Americans consume contains corn: high fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based processed foods..College friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis investigate starting 80 years ago when their great-grandfathers lived just a few miles apart in rural Iowa. Now their great-grandsons plant an acre of corn, follow their harvest into the world, and attempt to understand what they — and all of us — are really made of.

The oddball "Radiant City" — billed as a film on "21st Century suburbanites" — will be shown on Sunday, April 20. Gary Burns, Canada's king of surreal comedy, joins journalist Jim Brown to venture into territory both familiar and foreign, turning the documentary genre inside out.

All films are at 7:30 p.m. at Gloucester Stage Company. Admission $8, $6 for students and seniors. For information, visit www.MassBayFilmProject.org/north.html.

Square Circle opens

The Square Circle Gallery in Rockport has opened for the season. The Dock Square gallery will host a public reception on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. The gallery has been renovated into a spacious area that includes a "Cape Ann Artists" room with paintings by Zygmund Jankowski, Harold Rotenberg, Judi Rotenberg and Myra Hall.

The gallery has work by more than 100 artists, featuring everything from the whimsical copper sculpture of Jim Lewk to the new fused glass by Peggy Karr. Gallery hours are Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To arrange an appointment, call 978-546-7100

Photo show

The Rockport Art Association opened its Spring Photography Exhibition, which runs through May 6, featuring black and white, color photographs, digital panoramics, archival ink jet prints, and more. There also is a "popular vote" in which the public is invited to visit and cast a vote for a favorite piecein the show. For more information, call the RAA at 978-546-6604 or e-mail rockportart@verizon.net, attn: Joanna.

ACI-Cape Ann Dharma Day

The next Cape Ann Dharma Day takes place on Saturday, April 19, from 1 to 8 p.m. at the Rockport Community House at 58 Broadway. The event features a day of teaching and practice.in response to the recent events in Tibet. All donations will be contributed to the.International Campaign for Tibet. The local group, ACI-Cape Ann, will match the total amount of donations for this day.

The afternoon begins with Vinyasa yoga with Jessica Eddy at 1 p.m. The hourlong audio teaching by Lama Marut starts at 2:30 p.m. The prayer recitation followed by silent meditation starts at 3:45 p.m. The video teaching by His Holiness The Dalai Lama is on "Compassion: The Basis of Human Happiness" and starts at 4:45 followed by group discussion.

The pot luck dinner starts at 7 p.m. All are welcome to the monthly gathering and may attend any session of interest throughout the day and/or the pot luck dinner in the evening. The suggested donation is $10. Those taking part in the pot luck are asked to indicate whether the dish is vegetarian, vegan or if it contains fish or meat. Bring a cushion for the meditation session. Chairs are available. The next Dharma Day will be June 1.

"My Favorite Year"

Colonial Chorus Players, a nonprofit community theater group, will present "My Favorite Year" on April 18, 19, 26 and 27 at Reading Memorial High School in Reading. Connie Richards of Gloucester is part of the show. To reserve tickets for the humorous and nostalgic show, call 781-944-9780 or email ccptickets@att.net. For more information, visit www.colonialchorus.com.

Opera theater presents "Cole!"

New England Conservatory Opera Theater Presents "Cole! A Celebration of the Life, Words, and Music of Cole Porter" at the Peabody Opera House on Friday April 18, featuring 10 singers, a six-piece instrumental combo under the direction of John Greer, a conductor, composer and an arranger. It is presented by the city of Peabody and Peabody Historical Society. This show is the third installment in an ambitious project to restore live musical performance to the North Shore venue, which is known for its acoustics.

The performers are advanced singers in NEC's graduate opera studies program or instrumentalists preparing for careers as orchestra or chamber musicians. Greer is director and chairman of Opera Studies at the Conservatory. The Peabody Opera House is at 24 Lowell St. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the door. For information, call 978-531-0805.

Grammy-nominated string quartet

One of the world's leading string quartets, the St. Petersburg String Quartet, will perform Friday night, April 18, at 8 at Gordon College. The intimate concert will include a one-work performance with Artist-in-Residence Mia Chung. The performance is part of the Thompson Chamber Music Series and will take place in the Phillips Recital Hall. The St. Petersburg String Quartet includes musicians Alla Aranovskaya, Boris Vayner, Alla Krolevich, and Leonid Shukaye, all who have extensive experience in music education and performance.

With a repertoire of over 120 works, the St. Petersburg String Quartet has built a reputation of worldwide proportions, including a Grammy nomination, "Best Record" honors from Stereo Review and Gramophone magazines, and "Best CD of 2001" by the Chamber Music America's WQXR prize.

"It's not often that the North Shore community is given the opportunity to experience chamber music of this caliber in such an intimate setting," said Keith Gruen, undergraduate music coordinator at the college.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.gordon.edu or by calling the college ticket line at 978-867-3400. For more information, contact Gruen at 978-867-4273.

C.S Lewis scholar to speak at Gordon

A C.S. Lewis scholar, Michael Ward, author of "Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis," will speak on Monday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. in the Jenks Library at Gordon College. The lecture will focus on the creative imagination of C.S. Lewis and personal reflections from Ward's new book. The event is free and open to the public.

Ward, an Anglican clergyman, writer and speaker, is on an international book tour that is drawing avid C.S. Lewis readers as well as academic scholars to his speaking engagements. He describes how Lewis "secretly based the Chronicles of Narnia on the seven heavens of the medieval cosmos," a previously undiscovered connection. Ward, who lived at the Kilns — Lewis's Oxford home — for three years, also discusses what Lewis's motivations may have been, what the seven heavens are, and what the significance of this newly discovered theme might be. Ward earned his undergraduate degree from Oxford University, his master's degree in theology from Cambridge University, and his Ph.D. from St. Andrews University in Scotland.

For information, visit www.planetnarnia.com.

Around Cape Ann is devoted to events happening on Cape Ann and artists from Cape Ann performing elsewhere. To submit an item, contact reporter Gail McCarthy at 978-283-7000, ext. 3445 or gmccarthy@ecnnews.com, or fax to 978-281-5748.

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