Don't worry if you're back in Oberlin after a wonderful, exciting Winter Term in some big city somewhere. There's still plenty to keep you busy ( besides classes and all that . ) Here are a few suggestions for getting out of Oberlin.

Opening tonight at the Cleveland opera is a new production of Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice. For three performances only, Canada's Opera Atelier will join the Cleveland Opera for the American premier of this production. Student Rush tickets are available the day of the performance, but must be purchased at the theater starting at 6pm for the evening performances, and at 12 noon for the matinee. For more information, call the theater at (440) 575-0903, or to order tickets call Advantix at (800)241-6000.

Catch Red Hen Productions' The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, by Carolyn Gage. This production is directed by Oberlin's own Jane Armitage, Associate Professor of Theater. The play challenges the audience with a new interpretation of the historical figure, and addresses contemporary issues such as incest, eating disorders, and homosexuality. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, through February 12, at SPACES art gallery in Cleveland. Call (440) 661-4301 for information or reservations.

Showing tonight at Lorain County Community College's Stocker Center, is Director Jeremy Brock's look at Queen Victoria, Her Majesty Mrs. Brown. This British film features Judi Dench in the role of Victoria, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. But you may know her as M, in Tomorrow Never Dies, the most recent Bond flick. Showing at 8pm, $4.00 admission.

This is the last weekend to catch two productions at the Dobama Theater. Virtual Devotion is a new play by Clevelander Eric Coble, investigating the Home Shopping Network, the Internet, and post-modern religion. It runs tonight and Saturday at 8pm. Admission is $13.00. It is running in repertory with One Step Beyond: the Second Half, an interactive, improvisational piece which runs tonight and tomorrow at 11pm. Admission is $5.00. Call (440)932-6838 for more information.

The Cleveland Public Theater presents DanceWorks, a series featuring prominent local dance performances. This weekend, the focus is on dancer and choreographer Young Park, a veteran of the esteemed Oberlin Dance Company. The dance, entitled From Whence She Came, explores Asian-American female identity. Performances are tonight and tomorrow, at 8 pm. Call (440)631-2727 for more information or for reservations.

Tomorrow at the Wexner Center Cinematheque in Columbus are two films in a series highlighting the work of Paul Robeson. King Solomon's Mines and Proud Valley highlight the achievments of this renowned African-American personality to celebrate the one-hundreth anniversary of his birth. The films begin at 7 pm, admission is $4.00. Call (614)292-3535 for more information.

If you haven't already, there's still time to catch the exhibit Glass Menagerie Show, right here in Oberlin at the New Union Center for the Arts. The show is accompanied by a White Elephant Sale at Uncommon Objects, the Gallery store. But act fast - both events end on February 12.

This week at the Cleveland Museum of Art: The Pope may be in Cuba, but his art is in Cleveland. See the exhibit Vatican Treasures, a collection of rarely seen masterpieces from the Papal collection, opening Sunday. A special concert Music for a Papal Garden will be held at 3:30, and will feature works found in the Vatican Library. Celebrate Black History Month at A Closer Look: African American Artists a lecture by Anita Peeples, Sunday February 8 at 1:30.

Arts...Out of Town was compiled by Rumaan Alam. If you have any upcoming out of town events to add in next week's listings, call x8123 and he'll be your best friend.