At least nine area theaters host regular plays, ranging from the traditional to the cutting edge, and often featuring local cast and crew members. You’re not likely to go wrong with a membership, a season subscription or a pair of tickets. And, with state and federal funding for the arts imperiled by deep budget cuts, small Seacoast theaters could use the support. Looking to give the gift of a night out for the holidays? Many of these theaters will soon be running holiday productions, as well.

Garrison Players Arts Center
Rollinsford, 603-750-4278
www.garrisonplayers.org
Serving up community theater in a Grange hall constructed in 1894, Garrison Players’ 60th season features their usual family-friendly mix of comedy, mystery and drama. Following their current adaptation of “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” the nonprofit company will round things out with Susan Poulin’s “A Very Ida Christmas” (Dec. 16 to 18), “I Remember Mama” (March 16 to 31) and “6 Rms Riv Vu” (May 18 to 27). Individual tickets are $18 for the general public; a “Flex Pass” includes five tickets for $80, which you can use as a season pass for five separate shows, or redeem all at once and bring some friends to a show. 

Hackmatack Playhouse
Berwick, Maine, 207-698-1807
www.hackmatack.org
S. Carleton Guptill founded Hackmatack Playhouse in an old red barn on the Guptill family farmstead in 1972, and the 218-seat playhouse has been offering classic summer stock theater every season since. It’s one of New England’s quaintest and most charming stages, delivering beloved classics like Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” and “Hello Dolly.” Tickets to shows are $25, and include the full experience—enjoy a picnic on the property and check out the newly launched bison project.

Leddy Center for the Performing Arts
Epping, 603-679-2781
www.leddycenter.org
The Leddy Center opened a new chapter in its 35-year history in 2008, when it moved into a larger venue with more than 200 seats. The holidays feature a double bill of Christmas musicals, “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and “The Gift of the Magi,” from Dec. 2 to 11. The 2012 season will include “You Can’t Take It With You” (March 23 to April 1), “Fiddler on the Roof” (July 6 to 22), “The Wizard of Oz” (Oct. 26 to Nov. 14) and “Leddy Christmas” (Nov. 30 to Dec. 9), along with a concert from Mary Gatchell on Oct. 15. Individual tickets are typically $16 to $18, while season subscriptions are $66 to $72.

New Hampshire Theatre Project
Portsmouth, 603-431-6644
www.nhtheatreproject.org
Under the guidance of founding artistic director Genevieve Aichele, New Hampshire Theatre Project stages a handful of creative, unexpected productions each year, while also offering camps and educational programs. The non-profit company is based at the 60-seat West End Studio Theatre in Portsmouth, a black box space that transforms for every show. Following its current production of “Faith Healer,” NHTP’s “Change the Way You See the World” 2011-2012 season continues with Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” (Jan. 6 to 22), plus its studio productions of Aichele’s “Dreaming Again” (April 13 to 15) and Sophocles’ “Antigone” (May 18 to 27). Tickets to mainstage productions are $24; studio productions are $20. Memberships start at $40 and include to discounts, early invitations to events and other benefits.

Ogunquit Playhouse
Ogunquit, 207-646-5511
www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
With more than 650 seats, the Ogunquit Playhouse is the region’s largest theater. The venue produces five plays each year at a brisk, professional and exuberent pace, and mostly musicals. The 2011 season included everything from R-rated puppet show “Avenue Q” to cutesy comedy “Legally Blonde” to modern classic “Miss Saigon.” For 2012, they’re considering include “Always...Patsy Cline,” “9 to 5: The Musical,” “The Buddy Holly Story,” and a new Red Sox-based adaptation of “Damn Yankees.” Individual tickets range from about $54 to $72, depending on the seats and show times, and five-show season subscriptions range from $175 to $297. Mini three-show subscriptions are available for $99 to $177.

The Players’ Ring
Portsmouth, 603-436-8123
www.playersring.org
A home for the local writing, producing and acting community, The Players’ Ring is a 75-seat black box space tucked into a wonderfully atmospheric 19th century building. Shows range from traditional to edgy, from classics to original work by local playwrights, all while serving as a training ground and showcase for local talent. The holidays feature “Not on This Night” through Dec. 4, then “A Christmas Carol,” from Dec. 9 to 23. Continuing into 2012: “Is There Fat in That?” (Dec. 29 to Jan. 1), “Comedy, Enlightened” (Jan. 6 to 22), “Body” (Jan. 27 to Feb. 12), “Twelve Angry Men” (Feb. 17 to March 4), “An Evening of Apocalyptic Theater” (March 9 to 25), “Detritus” (March 30 to April 15), “Animal Farm” (April 20 to May 6), “Wit” (May 11 to 27), and “Timon of Athens” (June 1 to 17). Tickets are $15 for the general public, but memberships, $35, include discounts and special deals, along with invitations to annual events.

Pontine Theatre
Portsmouth, 603-436-6660
www.pontine.org
Led by co-artistic directors M. Marguerite Mathews and Greg Gathers, Pontine is a truly unique Seacoast gem, offering original productions with handcrafted sets, puppets, props and masks. They specialize in shows that illustrate New England’s distinct culture, history and literature, such as this year’s adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “House of the Seven Gables.” They also spice things up with visiting guests who bring a variety of provocative shows. Following a “toy theatre” presentation of “A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 9 to 11, Pontine will head into 2012 with “The Little Farm Show,” a look at our food system from North American Cultural Laboratory (Jan. 27 to 29), “The Nine Questions & Mildred Taken Crazy,” featuring drama ripped from long-ago headlines by Mud Time Theatre (March 9 to 11). Pontine’s 2012 premiere of “Cap’n Simeon’s Store & Other Stories” caps the season, from April 27 to May 13. Individual tickets are $24, and a five-show season subscription is $90.

Prescott Park Arts Festival
Portsmouth, 603-436-2848
www.prescottpark.org
They’ve been presenting catchy summer musicals in the park for nearly 40 years. Uncountable Seacoast adults had their first theater experience here, and they know how to keep ’em coming back for more. If your giftee has kids, a family membership for $130 is a generous way to help them keep the kids and their friends entertained at the park all summer long, with an added kick for adults—a season of great music concerts, plus entry into food festivals, and a pair of tickets to a show at Seacoast Rep as well.

Seacoast Repertory Theatre
Portsmouth 603-433-4472
www.seacoastrep.org
The Rep reliably presents a range of shows—some traditional family classics, some daring new works—with a strong artistic vision that includes high production values and a talented mix of local and visiting cast members. Up now is the always-anticipated annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” Then comes “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (March 23 to April 15), “Things We Do for Love” (May 4 to 20), “Jesus Christ Superstar” (June 8 to July 8), a yet-to-be-announced subscribers’ choice (July 20 to Aug. 26), “The Woman in Black” (Oct. 5 to 28), and “Forever Plaid—Plaid Tidings” (Nov. 30 to Dec. 30). Individual tickets range from $20 to $42, and discounts are available for packages and season subscriptions.

Stage Force
207-439-5769
www.stageforce.org
After several years as an itinerant company staging plays in a variety of unconventional venues, Stage Force (formerly Harbor Light Stage) finds itself nested in the 125-seat Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth, where they just wrapped a well-recieved production of “Tuesdays with Morrie.” Led by founder artistic director Kent Stephens, Stage Force continues to hold its contemporary play reading series at the Kittery Art Association gallery. Stage Force is currently developing its next “heritage project,” based on local history and typically staged at Strawbery Banke Museum, which they’ll announce in the  spring. Tickets to mainstage plays are typically around $30, while the readings are $10.