Sixty-one years after it debuted on Broadway, "Guys and Dolls" is what Mitchell calls the “quintessential musical,” and has since been performed on stage more than any other musical, with numerous Broadway revivals over the years.

WKAR is ringing out the holiday season with its second edition of a “Backstage Pass Christmas,” airing at 10 p.m. Thursday on channel 23. This year's show offers a variety of music straight from the heart of Michigan, including jazz, R&B, folk, vocal and rock.

The Arts Council of Greater Lansing is honoring those that have most contributed to Lansing’s arts scene.The honors consist of two awards, based on nominations from the public. The Applause Award honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to arts in the region, while the Business Arts Award does the same for local businesses.

On Saturday, Goldenrod marks this changing of the times with its final annual open house. The event includes the auctioning of Goldenrod memorabilia, a “buy five CDs, get one free” sale, $2 compact discs, free food and a listening room for guests to hear new music.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 Starlight Dinner Theatre Waverly East Intermediate School, 3131 W. Michigan Ave, Lansing $15 for the show; $30 for dinner ($25 for seniors and students) Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.; reservations required.

Coffee at Decker’s will soon come with a view. Decker’s Coffeehouse, 220 S. Washington Square in downtown Lansing, is teaming up with Riverwalk Theatre to host a silent art auction. Funds raised at the auction will support the theater. The goal is to raise enough money to pay for track lighting in the theater’s lobby, to lighten up its art shows.

For "We Live in Michigan," Miles took the feelings of the musical and broadened them out to reach the whole state. To that end, Miles has done extensive research into many aspects of Michigan, hoping to create a personal melody that anyone can relate to.

Sandra Seaton would like to put a different spin on the way the African- American experience is generally presented on stage.Seaton’s "Music History" is a drama with a few musical touches, reflecting on the power of music in bringing people together. It is set in the 1960s, at the time of the civil rights movement, and focuses on two African-American college students at the University of Illinois.

It was many hard hours and long nights in the making, but the set for the Wharton Center’s "Mary Poppins" is ready for the spotlight.

A new art studio opening in Lansing seeks to offer hands-on art experience in addition to the classic gallery stylings. The new studio, Gallery 1212, is set to open Sunday, Nov. 7.