September’s promise of autumn days ahead also signals an annual burst of energy in the arts in St. Louis, with fresh exhibits, new plays, exciting concerts, lively lectures and festivals galore, all competing for your time. The abundance this fall far exceeds the space we have here, so check some of the websites provided for additional events, snap up some tickets and mark your calendars!

September 

Labor Day weekend means it’s time for the annual Japanese Festival at the MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 30 and 31 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard. In conjunction with the Japanese Activities Committee, the Garden has produced the festival since 1977, and it never fails to please. Admission is $15 for ages 13 and older and $5 for children 3 through 12. For details, call 314-577-5700 or see missouribotanicalgarden.org.

Say goodbye to summer at “Sunflower+ Project:StL,” a floral installation that addresses urban greening. On display now though Oct. 4, the installation is in the courtyard at the CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM at 3750 Washington Boulevard. Next up: Mel Chin’s “Rematch” will be on display Sept. 5-Dec. 20 and Carla Klein’s expansive landscapes of “non-places” will be on display Sept. 5–Jan. 3. For details, see camstl.org.

Go gallery hopping on the first Friday of each month through the end of the year in GRAND CENTER when eight visual arts galleries within walking distance of each other welcome the public from 5 to 9 p.m. for free. Visit the Bruno David Gallery, Craft Alliance, the Contemporary Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, Portfolio Gallery, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, the Sheldon Art Galleries and the St. Louis University Museum of Art. For more information, call 314-533-1884 or see grandcenter.org. 

Downtown Clayton will be transformed into a three-day celebration of the visual and performing arts known as the ST. LOUIS ART FAIR on Sept. 5-7. The juried exhibition of fine art and crafts features more than 150 artists, and performers grace several stages. Booths staffed by local restaurateurs keep the crowd from going hungry. For details, see culturalfestivals.com.

ART OUTSIDE, a juried “alternative art fair,” also takes place Sept. 5-7, on the parking lot of Schlafly’s Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Avenue in Maplewood, with affordable art by more than 50 artists based in the St. Louis area. Bands perform throughout the free three-day festival, and the Bottleworks offers food and its signature beers. Click on “Annual Festivals” at schlafly.com/events.

If I were a rich woman, I’d take all my friends to see “Fiddler on the Roof” at STAGES ST. LOUIS, and although this is not the sing-along version, I might have to hum along – silently, of course. The much-loved, award-winning musical runs Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre, 111 S. Geyer Road in Kirkwood. Tickets cost $41-$57. See stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407. 

The third annual BLACK FILM FESTIVAL kicks off Sept. 6 and runs through Sept. 14 with music videos, short films, short documentaries and full-length films. For showings, ticket prices and locations, see tinyurl.com/stlblack.

Intrigued with the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black?” Come to the J. SCHEIDEGGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 on the Lindenwood University campus to hear ex-con Piper Kerman speak on “My Year in a Women’s Prison.” Admission is free. Visit luboxoffice.com or call 636-949-4433 for more information. 

“Purlie,” a Tony-nominated musical about a dynamic traveling preacher in Georgia in the days of Jim Crow, opens the 38^th season at THE BLACK REP, with performances Sept. 10-22 at Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus. For ticket prices and performance times, call 314-534-3810 or visit theblackrep.org. 

Richard Bean’s award-winning comedy “One Man, Two Guvnors“ opens the 48th season of the REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS. Evening and matinee performances are available Sept. 10 through Oct. 5 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. For ticket prices, call the box office at 314-968-4925 or go to repstl.org.

HOTCITY THEATRE, founded 10 years ago, presents Larry Kramer’s powerful “The Normal Heart,” the moving story of the early struggle to publicize the scourge that came to be known as AIDS. The show runs Sept. 6-21 at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Boulevard. Tickets range from $15 to $25 and can be ordered at 314-289-4063 or hotcitytheatre.org.

Opening weekend for the 135^th season of the ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY is Sept. 12-13, when music director David Robertson will conduct Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending,” Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable,” at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand Boulevard. Tickets range from $30 to $109. To see the entire season, go to stlsymphony.org or call 314-534-1700.

Readings by novelist, poet, essayist and diagnostic nuclear radiologist Amit Majmudar and writer and Webster University professor Murray Farish will kick off the 40th season at RIVER STYX on Sept. 15 at Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt Avenue. Admission is $4-$5. Call 314-533-4541 or go to riverstyx.org for info on the rest of the season.

Watch art being made on the ground from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 19 at the BALLOON GLOW and then in the sky at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the 2014 GREAT FOREST PARK BALLOON RACE, at Central Field in Forest Park. Both events are free. If it rains Saturday, the race will be held Sunday, but if the Glow is cancelled because of weather, then we wait until next year. For details, see greatforestparkballoonrace.com.

On Sept. 19 and 20, ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO presents “Public Radio … in Person,” a two-day celebration of storytelling that will include a performance of “The Moth” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard. Tickets are $50 for the event Sept. 19 or $85 for both days, which includes lunch with StoryCorps founder David Isay on Sept. 20 at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza. For more information, call 314-533-9900 or click on “Concerts” at TheSheldon.org.

ST. LOUIS ACTOR’S STUDIO kicks off its 2014-15 with “All in the Timing, Six, One-Act Comedies” Sept. 19-Oct. 5. Time magazine calls it, “Theater that aerobicizes the brain and tickles the heart. (Playwright David) Ives is a mordant comic who has put the play back in playwright … A wondrous word master. Other upcoming productions include “Blithe Spirit,” by Noel Coward, Dec. 15-21 and Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” Feb. 13-March 1. For more information and tickets, go to stlas.org.

The 14^th annual OLD WEBSTER JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL, from noon to 11 p.m. Sept. 20, brings the sounds of music to the streets of downtown Webster Groves. Look for two stages, food and drink booths and street performers. Bring the kids and the lawn chairs. See oldwebsterjazzfestival.com. 

Eric Schlosser, investigative journalist and author of “Fast Food Nation,” will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY HEADQUARTERS about his new book, “Command and Control,” described by its publisher as “a groundbreaking account of near misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs” in the nuclear age. Part of the library’s Favorite Author Series, the lecture takes place in the auditorium at 1640 S. Lindbergh Boulevard. For more on this series, see slcl.org/authors.

If Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine and Belle are dear friends of your offspring or grandkids, you may want to treat them to “Disney on Ice: Princesses & Heroes,” which offers matinee and evening performances Sept. 25-28 at CHAIFETZ CENTER, 1 S. Compton Avenue. Tickets range from $15 to $67. Ask about kids’ discounts for some shows. Call 314-977-5000 or see thechaifetzarena.com.

The Folk School, KDHX Radio, the Sheldon Concert Hall and the Missouri Arts Council present the third annual ST. LOUIS FOLK & ROOTS FESTIVAL Sept. 26-28, featuring Sarah Jarosz, the 23 String Band, Riley Baugus, the Foghorn String Band, Betse Ellis, folk school workshops and a fiddle contest. Events will be held at several locations in Grand Center. A festival pass costs $60. For tickets to individual events and performance times and locations, see folkandrootsfestival.com.

October 

NEW LINE THEATRE opens its 24^th season Oct. 3 with the regional premiere of the Broadway musical “Bonnie & Clyde,” billed as “a kind of horror ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story.” The show runs through Oct. 25 at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road. Tickets cost $15-25. For show times call 314-534-1111 or see newlinetheatre.com. 

The SHELDON ART GALLERIES, 3648 Washington Bouevard, will feature a retrospective of works by Barbara Holtz,  whose works explore personal stories about the artist and her family. The exhibit is on display Oct. 3 through Jan. 17. There will be a gallery talk and a 90th birthday celebration for the artist at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 27. Other galleries at the Sheldon will feature photographs by country music’s Marty Stuart, including portraits of some of the legends of the genre, including Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Porter Wagoner Stuart will give a gallery talk at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3 (free but RSVPs required). Stuart will also perform the same day at the Sheldon. For hours and information on related programs, see thesheldon.org.

On Oct. 4-5, browse the HISTORIC SHAW ART FAIR, in the 4100 and 4200 blocks of Flora Avenue, where more than 100 professional artists will display their work. Expect live music and food booths as well. Admission is $7 for adults and free for children 14 and under. For more art and food, head across the street for a ticket to the BEST OF MISSOURI MARKET at the Missouri Botanical Garden. For more information, see shawartfair.org and missouribotanicalgarden.org.

Martin Sheen – aka President Josiah Bartlet in the award-winning TV series “The West Wing” – kicks off the ST. LOUIS SPEAKERS SERIES, presented by Maryville University, at 8 p.m. Oct. 7 at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 N. Grand Boulevard. For ticket prices and more information on the series, go to stlouisspeakersseries.org.

STRAY DOG THEATRE opens its 2014-15 season with Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit, “And Then There Were None,” Oct. 9-25. Performances are held at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue. Other upcoming shows include “God of Carnage” in Feb. 5-21 and the musical, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” April 2-18. For tickets and more information, go to straydogtheatre.org.

THE WORLD CHESS HALL OF FAME delves into the overlapping cultures of hip hop and chess through the exhibit “Living Like Kings” Oct. 9-April 26.  The exhibit will take the form of an immersive moving image and sound collage featuring historical and current photography, interviews, iconic footage and audio, illustration and more. For more information, go to worldchesshof.org. 

Hey – how about a History Hayride with the kids at FAUST PARK? Forty-minute rides for the whole family are scheduled from dusk on into the evening Oct. 10-11. The last stop is at the Historic Village, where snacks and stories await visitors. A bonfire and live music are included. The park is at 15185 Olive Boulevard in Chesterfield. For details, call 314-615-8328, or visit tinyurl.com/faustride. 

“But Not for Me,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” are among the memorable songs by George and Ira Gershwin in the lively musical “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” presented Oct. 10-12 at the PEABODY OPERA HOUSE, 1400 Market Street. Tickets for matinee and evening performances range from $27 to $82. Call 1-800-745-3000 or click on “Broadway Series” at peabodyoperahouse.com.

The NEW JEWISH THEATRE opens its 18^th season Oct. 11 with its first production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Matinee and evening performances run through Nov. 2 in the Wool Studio Theatre at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. Tickets range from $38 to $42. Call 314-442-3283 or see newjewishtheatre.org. 

METRO THEATER COMPANY brings Wesley Middleton’s “Unsorted,” a metaphorical play about labeling and exclusion, to the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park for free performances Oct. 11-12. The show is appropriate for adults and children age 5 and up and is especially recommended for teens and “tweens.” After the show, audience members may take part in a talk-back with the actors and creative staff. See metrotheatercompany.org for details.

Feeling Puckish? REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS presents William Shakespeare’s treasure “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Oct. 15 through Nov. 9 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. For evening and matinee performance times and ticket prices, call the box office at 314-968-4925 or go to repstl.org.

William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” is exactly that, and it will take your mind off whatever is annoying you. Presented by ST. LOUIS SHAKESPEARE, the show runs Oct. 17-25 at the Florissant Civic Center, 1 James J Eagan Drive. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $15 for students and teachers. For more information, call 314-361-5664 or see stlshakespeare.org.

Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at the ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY’s sixth annual Red Velvet Ball on Oct. 18, which also includes cocktails, dinner and additional performances. Held at Powell Symphony Hall, the event benefits the symphony. For ticket prices and packages, call 314-286-4446 or visit tinyurl.com/slsovelvet.

Revisit the Catskills with Frances “Baby” Houseman and her family when DANCE ST. LOUIS and the FOX THEATRE present “Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage” Oct. 21-Nov. 2 at the Fox. Rumor has it that you’ll have the time of your life! For ticket prices and show times, see  tinyurl.com/foxdance. 

Celebrate National Coming Out Month withthe big, fat lbgt show- a fun and fact filled 50-minute romp through the realities of LGBT life using sketch comedy, song, dance, breaking news and more. That Uppity Theatre Company will present two performances at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 and a youth version at 2 p.m. Oct. 26, followed by a short panel of local LGBT leaders and youth discussing their unique experiences. Visit uppityco.com or mohistory.org for more info.

Historians say the Louisiana Purchase remade St. Louis into an American city and reshaped and redefined what it meant to be an American. Find out how in “The Louisiana Purchase: Making St. Louis, Remaking America,” on display Oct. 25 through April 19 in a free exhibit at the MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM in Forest Park. The exhibit includes documents and archives from the National Archives and the museum’s collections. For details and related programs, visit mohistory.org/node/9777.

The Studio Theatre season at the REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS opens with “A Kid Like Jake.” The play, about a precocious 4-year-old, explores acceptance on several levels as the boy’s parents try to enroll him in an exclusive kindergarten program.  The run is Oct. 29 through Nov. 16 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. For show times and ticket information, call 314-968-4925 or go to repstl.org.  

Spend a “beautiful mornin’ ” enjoying Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical “Oklahoma!” from   Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 at the J. SCHEIDEGGER CENTER FOR THE ARTS on the Lindenwood University campus in St. Charles. Tickets range from $10-18. See tinyurl.com/luoklahoma or call 636-949-4433 for more information.

November 

Ira Glass from “This American Life” presents a mashup of radio and dance in “Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host,” a show described as “a funny, lively and talky evening of dance and story.” See for yourself at 8 p.m. on Nov. 1 and 2 p.m. on Nov. 2 at the Ovations Series at EDISON THEATRE on the Washington University campus. Tickets cost $36 for adults and $32 for seniors 65 and older. See edison.wustl.edu/tickets/ovations.

The36th annual ST. LOUIS JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL takes place Nov. 2-16 at the Staenberg Family Complex at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. Featured authors include keynote speaker Theodore Bikel, along with Bob Mankoff of the New Yorker and Cindy Chupack of “Sex and the City.” Go to  stljewishbookfestival.org or call 314-442-3299 for information on this year’s programs.

WINTER OPERA ST. LOUIS brings Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” to the stage at 8 p.m. Nov. 7 and 3 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh Boulevard. For ticket prices and more information, call 314-865-0038 or click on “Current Season” at winteroperastl.org. 

Presented by DANCE ST. LOUIS, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the country’s first African-American ballet company, takes the stage Nov. 7-8 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Tickets range from $40-65. Call 314-534-6622 or visit  dancestlouis.org.

The 23^rd annual ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST starts Nov. 13 and runs through Nov. 23, with hundreds of features, documentaries and short films (plus a lecture series) all taking place on a variety of local screens. For details on showings and ticket prices, click on “SLIFF” at  cinemastlouis.org.

“All Is Calm,” an a capella musical about humanity during a time of war, opens at MUSTARD SEED THEATER on Nov. 14 and runs through Dec. 14 at Fontbonne University. Written by Peter Rothstein, the play is based on a true story. Tickets cost $30 for general admission and $25 for students and seniors 65 and over. For show times, see mustardseedtheatre.com or call 314-719-8060.

MADCO collaborates with German choreographer Nejla Yatkin to tell the internationally acclaimed artist’s powerfully personal “Wallstories,” which fixes a lens on the human stories beneath Cold War politics. The dance performance will be presented Nov. 14-16 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Tickets range from $15 to $30. Call 314-516-4949 or see tinyurl.com/wallstories.

A stage adaptation of the book “Stella, Queen of the Snow” – perfect for young children 3 and older – will be presented Nov. 22-23 at COCA, 524 Trinity Avenue in University City.  For show times and ticket prices, call 314-561-4877 or see tinyurl.com/cocastella.

Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and more comes to the FOX THEATRE in the smash hit “MOTOWN: The Musical,” with evening and matinee performances Nov. 18-30. For ticket prices, call 314-534-1111 or see tinyurl.com/foxmotown.

Hailed as one of the most impressive combinations in the world, Cavatina Duo – Eugenia Moliner on flute and Denis Azabagic on guitar – performs at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28 for the ST. LOUIS CLASSICAL GUITAR SOCIETY at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Boulevard. Tickets are $30 for adults and $26 for students and people 62 and older. Call 314-567-5566 or see guitarstlouis.net.

For the first time, see Lorraine Hansberry’s classic “A Raisin in the Sun” performed at THE BLACK REP from Nov. 29 through Dec. 21 at the Emerson Performance Center, 3101 Laclede Avenue. For performance times and ticket prices, call 314-534-3810 or see theblackrep.org. 

December 

How did Karola Ruth Siegel morph into “Dr. Ruth,” America’s most famous sex therapist? The journey includes Kindertransport and joining the Haganah in Jerusalem as a sniper. Find out more in Mark St. Germain’s play “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” on stage at the NEW JEWISH THEATRE from Dec. 4-21 in the Wool Studio Theatre at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. Tickets range from $38 to $42. Call 314-442-3283 or see newjewishtheatre.org.

Follow a young prince on a search for meaning in the Tony Award-winning musical “Pippin,” coming Dec. 10-14 to the PEABODY OPERA HOUSE, 1400 Market Street. Tickets for evening and matinee performances range from $22 to $82. Call 1-800-745-3000 or click on “Upcoming Events” at  peabodyoperahouse.com.

Step into “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash,” an adaption of a Broadway production Dec. 3-28 at the REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS. Evening and matinee performances are at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. For ticket prices, call the box office at 314-968-4925 or go to repstl.org.

Bobby Miller directs Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” for ST. LOUIS ACTORS’ STUDIO, Dec. 5-21 at the Gaslight Theatre, 360 N. Boyle Avenue in the West End. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for students and seniors 65 and older. For more information, call 314-458-2978 or go to tinyurl.com/slasblithe.

The theme of this year’s FIRST NIGHT is “St. Lou-minous,” and the celebration begins at 6 p.m. on the Main Stage at Grand and Lindell boulevards in Grand Center. Children’s fireworks are at 9 p.m., and the Grand Finale Fireworks start at midnight. See tinyurl.com/grandcenter or call 314-289-8121.