BEING HEARD Nationally renowned playwright Kirsten Greenidge is the featured speaker at the annual Giving Voice benefit at the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford June 5.
Greenidge’s work explores the intersection of race and class in America and brings underrepresented voices to the stage.
“I like to write about the have-nots, the outsiders,’’ she said.
Her award-winning “Milk Like Sugar,’’ about the decisions teen girls of color make based on support available to them, recently completed a Boston run.
The benefit supports the preservation and interpretation of the Royall House and Slave Quarters, home in the 18th-century to the largest slaveholding family in Massachusetts and the enslaved Africans who made their way of life possible.
The event includes music, refreshments, and tours of the site’s historic buildings at 15 George St. .
Tickets are $50; $40 for Royall House and Slave Quarters members. Reservations are recommended.
Call 781-3969032 or visit royallhouse.org.
SUMMER STAGE Gloucester Stage kicks off its 2016 season with the comedy “Lettice and Lovage’’ through June 11.
Lettice Douffet leads tours through an obscure English mansion. And while a history enthusiast, she finds the place a bit boring. So she decides to theatrically embellish the tours and the mansion’s history. This does not go well with Lotte Schon, an inspector from the Preservation Trust.
The play, by Peter Shaffer, was written for Dame Maggie Smith, who many now know as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in “Downton Abbey.’’
Smith originated the role of Lettice in both the English and American productions, winning a 1990 Tony Award for best actress.
The Gloucester production features Lindsay Crouse and Marya Lowry.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main St.
Tickets are $28 to $38, with discounts available for preview performances, senior citizens, and ages 25 and younger.
Call 978-281-4433 or visit gloucesterstage.com.
NEW WORKS Marblehead Little Theatre’s in-house play development program, TNT — Totally New Theater Collective, holds its eighth annual festival Saturday, May 28.
The show includes original 10-minute plays, one-minute plays, monologues, and songs.
Participating are Judith Black, Julia Bobkoff Sundlie, and Anne Lucas, all of Marblehead; Richard Fay of Lynnfield; Michael McClung of Swampscott; and Mary Beth Smith of Rockport.
Shari D. Frost of Marblehead produces the year-round collective and annual festival. She also is a participating playwright.
“This year’s plays explore compelling contemporary issues, themes, and characters by both new TNT playwrights and old,’’ Frost said. “We’ve got dramas and comedies . . . and an incredible cast lined up.’’
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; show begins at 8. Admission is free; donations at the door are encouraged.
Marblehead Little Theatre is at 12 School St. Call 781-631-9697 or visit mltlive.com.
PLUM ISLAND ART Jason Novak grew up in Des Moines and has since lived in Utah, New York City, London, Argentina, Taiwan, and Spain. He moved to Newburyport in 2012.
“If you have seen the sunrise and sunset from Plum Island, you will understand where my inspiration for colors and nautical life comes from,’’ Novak said.
An exhibit of Novak’s work is at the Merrimac Public Library through June 9.
“These paintings are a mixture of acrylics, oil pastels, charcoals, painter’s tape, and the occasional use of fire to create a charcoal black,’’ Novak said. “These are stencils pieces of sorts . . . so much fun to make.’’
The library is at 86 West Main St. Call 978-346-9441 or visit merrimaclibrary.org.
CLOCK’S TICKING “Time Matters: Three Artists, Three Explorations,’’ featuring the work of a trio of local artists, is at The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck in Gloucester June 2 through July 3.
Through photography, sculptural collage, and mixed media, the artists reflect on the influence of time on their work and lives.
The artists are Kathleen Gerdon Archer of Beverly, Michèle Fandel Bonner of Marblehead, and Conny Goelz Schmitt of Beverly.
The cultural center is at 6 Wonson St. Call 978-515-7004 or visit rockyneckartcolony.org.
Wendy Killeen can be reached at wdkilleen@gmail.com.
