Calendar of Cajun and Soul Music
Be sure to confirm via registration link before committing to attend.
Theater
Kween
By Vichet Chum
Hometown Heroine
MRT Commission and World Premiere
“Step in to your legacy”
Set in Lowell, this joyful journey follows Soma, a queer Cambodian American teenager, finding her voice and stepping into her legacy. When Soma posts a video performing her own poetry about the struggles she’s facing including her father’s deportation, it quickly goes viral. Now, Lowell High School’s spoken word contest approaches, and Soma must decide if she’s brave enough to step up to the mic. Told with humor, heart-forward characters, and culminating in the biggest Khmer cultural event of the season, Kween explores all the ways we author our path home.
| Event Date | 03-13-2026 8:00 pm |
| Individual Price | See Registration |
| Location | Merrimack Repertory Theatre |
| Categories | Theater, Play |
Kween
By Vichet Chum
Hometown Heroine
MRT Commission and World Premiere
“Step in to your legacy”
Set in Lowell, this joyful journey follows Soma, a queer Cambodian American teenager, finding her voice and stepping into her legacy. When Soma posts a video performing her own poetry about the struggles she’s facing including her father’s deportation, it quickly goes viral. Now, Lowell High School’s spoken word contest approaches, and Soma must decide if she’s brave enough to step up to the mic. Told with humor, heart-forward characters, and culminating in the biggest Khmer cultural event of the season, Kween explores all the ways we author our path home.
| Event Date | 03-14-2026 4:00 pm |
| Individual Price | See Registration |
| Location | Merrimack Repertory Theatre |
| Categories | Theater, Play |
Kween
By Vichet Chum
Hometown Heroine
MRT Commission and World Premiere
“Step in to your legacy”
Set in Lowell, this joyful journey follows Soma, a queer Cambodian American teenager, finding her voice and stepping into her legacy. When Soma posts a video performing her own poetry about the struggles she’s facing including her father’s deportation, it quickly goes viral. Now, Lowell High School’s spoken word contest approaches, and Soma must decide if she’s brave enough to step up to the mic. Told with humor, heart-forward characters, and culminating in the biggest Khmer cultural event of the season, Kween explores all the ways we author our path home.
| Event Date | 03-14-2026 8:00 pm |
| Individual Price | See Registration |
| Location | Merrimack Repertory Theatre |
| Categories | Theater, Play |
Kween
By Vichet Chum
Hometown Heroine
MRT Commission and World Premiere
“Step in to your legacy”
Set in Lowell, this joyful journey follows Soma, a queer Cambodian American teenager, finding her voice and stepping into her legacy. When Soma posts a video performing her own poetry about the struggles she’s facing including her father’s deportation, it quickly goes viral. Now, Lowell High School’s spoken word contest approaches, and Soma must decide if she’s brave enough to step up to the mic. Told with humor, heart-forward characters, and culminating in the biggest Khmer cultural event of the season, Kween explores all the ways we author our path home.
| Event Date | 03-15-2026 2:00 pm |
| Individual Price | See Registration |
| Location | Merrimack Repertory Theatre |
| Categories | Theater, Play |
Jonathan Larson’s RENT is a groundbreaking rock musical that pulses with life, urgency, and heart. Set against the gritty backdrop of New York City’s East Village during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the show captures the spirit of a generation of artists and dreamers who are striving to create a life defined by love, community, and authenticity — even as they grapple with poverty, addiction, and the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic.
Inspired by Puccini’s opera La Bohème, Larson’s modern retelling transforms the classic into a fiercely contemporary musical that speaks to timeless human struggles. The story follows a year in the life of a group of young friends and artists trying to live honestly and creatively while facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Mark, a filmmaker documenting their lives, and his roommate Roger, a struggling musician with a past marked by tragedy, anchor the ensemble. Their friends — Mimi, a vivacious dancer battling addiction; Tom Collins, a kind-hearted professor; Angel, a radiant drag performer with a generous soul; Maureen, a performance artist with a flair for drama; and Joanne, a brilliant and grounded attorney — form a chosen family bound by love and loyalty.
| Event Date | 03-20-2026 7:30 pm |
| Individual Price | See Registration/Info |
| Location | Mass Arts Center |
| Categories | Theater, Musical |