Culture worthy of your calendar

‘Circle Mirror Transformation’

Nothing makes the directors at Mad Cow Theatre happier than to present a new play — especially when that play deals with the subject of creativity. Acclaimed as one of the best new plays of the year, ”Circle Mirror Transformation” is a comedy about five citizens of a rural town who begin an acting class. “Drama class” is in session throughout Annie Baker’s award-winning play, while the basics of acting (voice, movement and theater games) allow each of the new “actors” to learn more about each other and themselves than they bargained for. “Circle Mirror Transformation” is the title of one of the theater games that has these adults carrying on like a bunch of overgrown children while the play explores the transforming powers of creativity. “Circle Mirror” will play through April 17 in Mad Cow’s intimate Stage Left Theatre. Call 407-297-8788 or visit madcowtheatre.com

Greater Tuna at Garden Theatre

On the subject of small-town theatricals, few shows have sustained the popularity of ”Greater Tuna,” a comedy that began as a party skit more than 20 years ago in Austin, Texas. Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed Howard are the authors who parlayed that sketch into a critically acclaimed comedy that has entertained audiences ever since. “Greater Tuna” is about Texas’ third-smallest town, where the “Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.” All of the citizens of the town are portrayed by two performers, making this satire of rural America even funnier as the inhabitants of Tuna — men, women, children and animals — are portrayed by the Jester Theater’s longtime friends Jay Hopkins and Tyler Cravens. “Greater Tuna” will be performed from Friday, March 18, to Saturday, April 2, at the Garden Theatre at 160 W. Plant St. in Winter Garden. Call 407-877-4736 or visit gardentheatre.org

Charm at Orlando Shakes

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater will present a local premiere when it opens Kathleen Cahill’s 2011 Pulitzer Prize-nominated comedy, ”Charm,” at the Shakespeare Center from Wednesday, March 23, to Sunday, April 17. Based on the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ”The Scarlet Letter,” “Charm” is a comedy that follows the life of Margaret Fuller, a remarkable woman who lived during the mid-1800s. Fuller, a contemporary of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, was a writer, philosopher and social critic far ahead of her time. The play is filled with brilliant language and witty anachronisms, weaving as it does in and out of history. “Charm,” which had its world premiere in 2010, will be performed at the Shakespeare Theater at 812 E. Rollins St. at Loch Haven Park. Call 407-447-1700 or visit orlandoshakes.org

Behind the scenes at the White House

Maids, cooks, butlers, doormen and all the people who care for America’s most famous home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. each have a story to tell. Covering 200 years of White House service, their stories provide unique perspectives on the ceremonies, state dinners, celebrations and tragedies that have played such an important part in our shared history. Running Saturday, March 19, through May 29 at the History Center in downtown Orlando, the exhibition features souvenirs, housekeeping implements, clothing, letters, menus and photographs that illustrate employees’ lives (and their work) at our nation’s presidential residence. The exhibit is called “The Working White House: 200 Years of Tradition and Memories,” and presents objects and photographs from the presidencies of William Taft through Barack Obama. Eyewitness accounts by White House workers are included in an audio tour, while a video features interviews with past workers. The exhibit is supported by the White House Historical Association and the Smithsonian Institution at the Orange County Regional History Center at 65 E. Central Blvd. in downtown Orlando. Call 407-836-8596 or visit thehistorycenter.org