You can order tickets for Bermuda's major cultural events through the box office at the Visitors Service Bureau in the City of Hamilton (tel. 441/292-8572) with your MasterCard, Visa, or American Express card. Students and senior citizens are sometimes eligible for discounts to various entertainment events.

Ballet--The Bermuda Civic Ballet presents classical ballets at various venues. On occasion, a major European or American guest artist appears with the troupe. The National Dance Theater of Bermuda also stages performances, both classical and modern, around the island. Ask at the tourist office or call the box office at the Visitors Service Bureau to check the troupe's schedules during your visit; prices vary with the performance.

Classical Music--The Bermuda Philharmonic Society, conducted by Graham Garton, presents four regular concerts during the season. Special outdoor "Classical Pops" concerts are presented on the first weekend in June in St. George and at the Royal Naval Dockyard. Concerts usually feature the Bermuda Philharmonic orchestra, the choir, and guest soloists. You can get tickets and concert schedules from the Harbourmaster, Washington Mall (tel. 441/295-5333). Tickets generally cost $18 to $20; seniors and students are often granted discounts, depending on the performance.

Gombey Dancing--Ask at the tourist office or call the box office at the Visitors Service Bureau to see whether the gombey dancers will be performing during your stay. This is the island's single most important cultural expression of African heritage. Once part of slave culture, the tradition dates from the mid-1700s. The local dance troupe of talented men and women often performs at one of the big hotels in winter (and on occasion, aboard cruise ships for passengers). On holidays, you'll see the gombeys dancing through the streets of the City of Hamilton in their colorful costumes.

Musical Theater--An all-volunteer organization based in the City of Hamilton, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Bermuda, P.O. Box HM 3098, Hamilton HM NX (tel. 441/295-3218), is known for producing at least one large-scale musical per year. These days, only about 20% of the repertoire is based on the works of Gilbert and Sullivan; it now includes such musicals as Evita, Chicago, and Sondheim's A Little Night Music, among others. The society performs at the City of Hamilton's City Hall, on Church Street. Be warned that this is a volunteer organization; the sole production runs for 2 weeks at most, usually in October. Tickets cost $30. Society members sometimes contribute their talents to the Bermuda Festival.

Bermuda is the only place outside of Cambridge where Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals are staged. Performances have been presented in Bermuda during College Weeks (in Mar and Apr) since the 1960s. They're staged at the City Hall Theatre on Church Street in the City of Hamilton; call the box office at the Visitors Service Bureau for tickets, which cost about $25 each.