Peace of Me
The all-white outfit and headgear worn by vocalist Snatam Kaur may look monastic, but she’s actually a layperson in the Sikh religion. Born at a Kundalini center in Colorado to yoga-studying parents, Kaur grew up singing devotional chants in a faith that emphasizes universal acceptance of all human beings. Her ethereal songs contain lyrics in both English and Gurumukhi (Sikh sacred language), and her chart-topping New Age albums have inspired fervent fans. Kaur’s got musical and spiritual cred: Her step-dad was a manager of the Grateful Dead, and Be Here Now author Ram Dass describes her voice as containing “purity, clarity and love.” Hear her out at a meditative concert, supported by soaring chords from guitarist GuruGanesha Singh, tabla player Manish Vyas and violinist Deva Tanmayo.

Snatam Kaur, Thursday, March 20, Unitarian Church, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $25-30. Info, 660-8060. www.snatamkaur.com

Incarceration Nation
Imagine you’re a convicted felon. How would you put your jail time to good use? While serving a 25-year sentence, Paul Wright devoted his energy to becoming a journalist, editor and activist for prisoners’ rights. In 1990 he launched Prison Legal News, a monthly journal that has since covered and supported several important First Amendment cases, and finds readers in law schools and public libraries as well as behind bars. A Brattleboro resident since his release in 2003, Wright recently co-edited Prison Profiteers: Who Makes Money from Mass Incarceration. In a candid talk, he sums up the book’s exposé of the industries, corporations and individuals who benefit from the imprisonment of 2.3 million U.S citizens.

Paul Wright, Monday, March 24, Black Sheep Books, Montpelier, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 225-8906. www.prisonlegalnews.org

They Doth Protest Too Much
Political or social activism is laudable when it reflects sincere commitment to a cause, but what about people who make a ruckus for selfish reasons? Playwright Nicky Silver probes the depths of human shallowness in The Altruists, his 2000 satire centered on a bunch of New York City twentysomethings. To paraphrase a line from a Mel Brooks movie, the radicals are revolting. Expert moral prevaricators, Silver’s characters happily endorse whatever cause célèbre catches their collective fancy — even if it’s directly opposed to yesterday’s. Director and Johnson State College senior Amber Couture sketches the penultimate scene: “They’re supposed to be at a rally, and they can’t remember what it’s for.” See JSC’s production to find out what happens when one of the “good guys” commits murder.

‘The Altruists’, Thursday and Friday, March 20 & 21, Dibden Center for the Arts, Johnson State College, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 635-1476. www.jsc.edu

Ballet Russe
France is ballet’s birth place, but the Russian metropolis of St. Petersburg contributed plenty to the dance form’s history. (The city’s Imperial Ballet was founded in 1738, and early 20th-century greats Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky both called St. Petersburg home.) In a production replete with sumptuous sets and lush costumes, the technically precise yet emotive master dancers of the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre enact three seasonally themed stories in the Russian classical style this week at the Flynn. Ravel’s lusty Bolero inspires entwined lovers, Chopiniana propels frolicking forest sprites, and a clever sultana spins irresistible tales to save her life in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre, Wednesday, March 26, Flynn MainStage, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $37-50. Info, 863-5966.http://www.spbt.ru