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Fall is here (all too soon, mind you) which sets the mind a wandering to see what’s happening on the local concert/stage front. We’ve got some great shows coming our way, from rock ‘n’ roll acts such as Bob Dylan, The Raconteours and The Strokes (Yes, the Casino Ballroom show is not sold out — yet!), to serious theat-ah such as “The Caine Mutiny.”

What follows is my “best-bets” of what’s happening — where and when. Make some plans now to get out of the house and enjoy yourself.

Bob Dylan's new album, "Modern Times," enters Billboard Top 200 at #1 this week. Catch him and his band, with warm-up act The Raconteurs, at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Nov 9. PRNewsFoto/Columbia Records, William Claxton

Dylan’s latest disc, “Modern Times,” is right up there with some of his best work of the past 20 years. The songs cook, the vocals are clear and haunting, and the words (well, this is Dylan we’re talking about) are as terse, insightful and funny as a David Mamet play (hey, maybe Mamet’s just been riffing on Dylan all these years?). Warm up act The Raconteurs are fresh from their house-band gig at the MTV Video Awards, and includes the indomitable Jack White of The White Strokes. I’ve seen Dylan at a number of places around New England and I’ll tell you this — straight out — the CCCC was the best sounding forum of them all. This is my “don’t miss” show of the season.

Courtesy photo Rock 'n' roll upstarts, The Strokes, hit the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Sunday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.

The Casino Ballroom
169 Ocean Blvd.
Hampton Beach
929-4100
www.casinoballroom.com

Ticket prices vary

There are still some great shows to be seen before they board up the doors for the winter, including The Strokes, Sunday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. Look for a few more shows to possibly be added before metalheads Queensryche brings down the house for the season Nov. 11.

The Stone Church
5 Granite St.
Newmarket
659-6321
www.thestonechurch.com

Courtesy photo Slaid Cleaves returns to sing his heart out at The Stone Church Sunday, Sept.10 at 7p.m.

Former Seacoaster turned a Austinite Slaid Cleaves returns for what’s becoming an annual one-night-stand atop Zion Hill. If singer-songwriters turn you on then you’ll be sure to fall for Slaid’s magic when he performs Sunday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. Other shows to look forward to include: local favorites Truffle in their 20th anniversary all day jam party Sept. 16; bluesey dudes James Cotten with the James Montgomery Band Oct. 4, and the return of the legendary keyboardist/ songwriter Leon Russell Nov. 16.

The Players’ Ring
105 Marcy St., Portsmouth
436-8123
www.playersring.org

Look for a great fall/winter season at this intimate showcase space for local theater. Running through Oct. 1, “Summer Blink,” written and directed by Todd Hunter, stars the wonderful Tana Sirois as Mina, an 18-year-old “graduating from high school and looking forward to the summer, a summer that is the prologue to her new life. A life of no college plans, no job, no money, and no idea of what she’s going to do once September comes and all of her friends have gone to college.

“‘Summer Blink’ chronicles a summer when you did everything society and your parents warned you not to just to prove you were alive.” The play includes language that some people may find offensive.

York, Maine, writer Michael Kimball brings out his new play, “Best Enemies,” a comedy about cowboys, to the Ring for an Oct. 6-22 run. Kimball describes the play as follows: “Wherein Rex and Cody struggle with isolation, small talk, homophobia, verbal insults and threats of violence, crime and punishment, war, and Jesus, insomnia, starvation, painful headburn, insanity, a beautiful angel of mercy, and murder.”

Seacoast Repertory Theatre
125 Bow St., Portsmouth
433-4472
www.seacoastrep.org

Seacoast Rep kicks off its fall season with Stephen Sondheim’s sexy and sophisticated musical comedy “A Little Night Music,” (through Oct. 15) in which Fredrik Egerman is very happy in his marriage to 17-year-old virgin Anne. The only problem is she’s been a virgin for the whole 11 months of the marriage. Being a bit restless, Fredrik goes to see an old flame who is getting tired of her life, and is thinking of settling down. She sets her sights on Fredrik, despite his marriage, and her own married lover.” Musical highlights include “Send in the Clowns” and “A Weekend in the Country.”

Other fall productions include: “Diary of Anne Frank” (Oct. 27-Nov. 26); “Miracle on 34th Street” (Dec. 8-Jan.7); and youth theater productions of “Cinderella” (Sept. 23-Oct. 15) and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (Nov. 4-26)

The Music Hall
28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth
436-2400
www.themusichall.org

The biggest show of all this fall comes in November, when “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” the classic war drama based on Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (1952), hits The Music Hall stage. During World War II, the crew of a battleship believes their captain to be mad; they take over the ship. Were they justified? You be the jury.

Produced by L.A. Theatre Works, this live production, staged in radio show format with live sound effects, features an all-star cast including Eric Stolz, David Selby, and others. Two shows only: Saturday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m. The Sunday matinee performance will be ASL interpreted.

Rarely do we have a production of this calibre on our local grand dame of a stage. Grab your tickets ($20-$38) now!

New Hampshire Theatre Project
959 Islington St., Portsmouth
431-6644
www.nhtheatreproject.org

Performed in England in 2005 to rave reviews, N.H. Theatre Project will present the U.S. premiere of British playwright David Farr’s innovative script, “The Odyssey,” (Nov. 10-26) directed by Blair Hundertmark.

As tales go, “The Odyssey” has it all — romance, murder, intrigue, exotic locations and a giant man-eating Cyclops that keeps goats.

Framed around the timely issue of immigration and “home,” this is sure to be a provocative, touching, and humorous adaptation of Homer’s classic tale infused with music and movement, cleverly staged in a circus-like atmosphere that turns the West End Studio Theatre inside out.

Michael Keating is managing editor/ features at Seacoast Media Group