The Alberta Bair Theater unveiled its 2009-10 season this week, a pared-down, but diverse season that the performing arts theater hopes will keep it in the black.

Individual and season tickets are available to the general public Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. at the box office and 10 a.m. online. Three sets of series tickets are available for purchase. Call the theater for more information, 256-6052. Tickets can be purchased in person at the ABT, 2801 Third Ave. N., by phone at 256-6052 or 1-877-321-2074, online at www.albertabairtheater.org, or by mail at P.O. Box 1556, Billings, MT 59103. Tickets are also available at the Rimrock Mall customer service desk.

The season kicks off Sept. 10, with the comedic legend Gallagher, famous for smashing watermelons with his "Sledge-O-Matic." Second City Comedy, featuring some of the country's hottest comedians dishing political and social satire, ends the season on May 11.

The rest of the season looks like this:

Canadian folk and country artist Gordon Lightfoot performs Oct. 7. Honky-tonk performer Junior Brown, who gives new meaning to alt country, performs Nov. 14, and country star Crystal Gayle is slated to appear April 3.

In December, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Rita Coolidge kicks up the holiday spirit with her arrangements of seasonal tunes. The Rimrock Opera Chorus for Kids will accompany Coolidge on Dec. 11.

The Ahn Trio, composed of three sisters from Korea, returns to ABT Oct. 24, showcasing their skill on piano, cello and violin.

International Guitar Night returns to the ABT Jan. 30, featuring a new lineup of German Lulo Reinhardtmixing Gypsy Jazz with Latin music, the Middle Eastern-flavored music of Itamar Erez from Israel, renowned harp guitarist Stephan Bennett from Virginia, and IGN founder Brian Gore.

Another returning group, Leahy, performs March 10. The Canadian musical group of eight brothers and sisters have been performing Celtic-infused music together most of their lives. The siblings, who play instruments and dance, are known for their intense and passionate performances.

The Boston Brass Quintet will appear on April 30. The five-piece ensemble, composed of trumpets, a tuba, trombone and French horn, bring a modern twist to jazz and classical music.

In the dance and theater arena, L.A. Theater Works, founded in 1974 by Leonard Nimoy, brings a double bill to the ABT Oct. 6. The company will perform "War of the Worlds," a radio drama recreating the Orson Wells' infamous radio broadcast, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World," which follows a scientific expedition deep into the Amazon jungle and back in time.

"The Sun Road," a multi-media dance performance featuring the work of choreographer Trey McIntyre and the music of Phillip Aaberg, Jack Gladstone and Rob Quist, makes its Montana premiere at ABT Oct. 21. Commissioned by Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts as part of its "Face of America" series focusing on national parks.

On Feb. 13, the Montana Repertory Theatre presents the comedic cross-dressing farce "Leading Ladies," scripted by Broadway veteran Ken Ludwig. This story of down-on-their-luck thespians hatching a hair-brained scheme has been described as "a well-spring of gut-busting laughter."

The Kevin Locke Native Dance Ensemble will perform on Feb. 27. Representing the Plains nations of Lakota, Anishinabe and Comanche, the Southeastern Choctaw tribe, and the Woodlands Nations of Ojibwe and Oneida, the ensemble presents hoop dancing, flute songs, powwow songs and drumming.

Blending cirque, mechanics and art by combining acrobatics, machines and theater together, Cirque Mechanics brings "Birdhouse Factory" to ABT March 19.

The musical comedy "Altar Boyz" roars into Billings Nov. 21. This spoof about a heavenly guy-group is about five small-town boys trying to save the world one screaming fan at a time.

On a national tour, the Broadway musical "Annie" comes to ABT Jan. 6. This beloved musical is back for the 30th anniversary tour.

Another classic Broadway musical, "Cats" will return for only two nights, March 1 and 2, 2010. Based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats," the show debuted on Broadway in the early 1980s.

ABT welcomes "Cabaret," originally staged in the 1960s, on March 31. Set in Berlin at the beginning of the Third Reich, this acclaimed musical follows the romance of an English cabaret performer and an American writer.