Spring is here, and the flowers are not the only thing blooming. The arts are coming alive in the county. From jokes to serious gallery browsing, here are seven things to do in the county this week.

Drama

7:30-9:30 p.m., Thursday-Sunday

Head north to bucolic Monkton and enjoy an evening of three one-act plays that the Manor Mill Playhouse is putting on at Oldfields School off Glencoe Road. The plays include “The Actor’s Nightmare” (comedy), “Trifles” (mystery) and “The Most Massive Woman Wins” (comedy/drama in a liposuction waiting room). Tickets are $27.50 in advance and $32.50 on the day of the performance. Recommended for ages 14 and up because of sensitive themes in “The Most Massive Woman Wins.”

Dance

11:10 a.m. Thursday

7 p.m. Friday and Saturday

The Community College of Baltimore County Performing Arts presents the CCBC Dance Company’s “Spring 2025 Dance Concert” at the F. Scott Black Theatre, CCBC Essex, 7201 Rossville Blvd. The program features pieces by CCBC faculty, alongside a new work by esteemed guest artist Camille Weanquoi, artistic director of Coppin State University Dance Company.

Tickets are $10 general admission; $5 students, seniors, CCBC faculty and staff; and free for currently enrolled CCBC students with ID. Buy tickets at the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787), online, or at the door one hour prior to the performances.

Jokes

7 and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Abbott Elementary’s feisty Philly teacher, Lisa Ann Walter, stops in at Magooby’s Joke House in Timonium for a weekend of shows. While Walter plays a teacher in the TV mockumentary, this stand-up act is for adults 18 and older, and it requires a two-item minimum in addition to your ticket. General admission seating is $35.

Paintings

5-8 p.m. Saturday

Who knew Glen Arm had an art gallery? Well, it does, and it’s called Spce Gallery, and it’s at 5200 Glen Arm Road. The next exhibition is called “Hag in a Black Leather Jacket,” and it features the artistry of Tony Shore, Theresa Tomi Faison, Nick Wisniewski, Karen Warshal and Corey Durbin. You can find examples of their work on the gallery’s Instagram account. Regular hours after the opening are from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Reading

2 p.m. Sunday

Colson Whitehead has twice won the Pulitzer Prize, topped The New York Times bestseller list, and seen some of his work hit the silver screen. Now, the author of “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys” is coming to Goucher College’s Kraushaur Auditorium. Tickets sold out within minutes, but you may still be able to get one as people do cancel. Email info@foundationforbcpl.org to join the wait list. The Baltimore County Public Library Foundation is putting on the event on Goucher’s Towson campus.

Music

7:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday

Feel like marching? The Centennial High School Wind Ensemble presents Sousa’s “The Black Horse Troop” and Reed’s “Armenian Dances” at the Linehan Concert Hall on University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s campus in Catonsville. They will close the program with Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.” Admission is free, but reservations are required.

Horror

8 p.m. Tuesday (doors open at 7 p.m.)

“Horror punk” and “macabre theatrics” are among the descriptions for these four acts taking the stage at The Recher in Towson. The lineup includes Wednesday 13, Stitched Up Heart, Dead Rabbits, and I Ya Toyah. The Recher says this show is for “all ages,” but your mileage may vary. Tickets are $31.34.