A night with Cosby Comedian to be headliner at season opener of Maine Center for the Arts, which aims to generate increased regional interest, as well as funds for a $10.2 million renovation

Hey, hey, hey!” is the famous exclamation of Fat Albert, the 1970s cartoon character created by stand-up comedian Bill Cosby. “Hey, hey, hey!” might aptly be the call of Maine Center for the Arts itself as it tries to ramp up its profile in the region. By scheduling Cosby as the headliner for two performances at the center’s gala season opener on Sept. 24, the MCA was assured a sellout crowd. And indeed, both shows are sold out, as is the dinner and the opening reception.

Sold out is a phrase every arts center likes to hear, and, as MCA administrators continue to raise money for a $10.2 million renovation to the nearly 20-year-old performance hall, they hope to generate increased regional interest in both programming and fundraising. Indeed, a fundraiser designed to benefit the center as well as arts-minded gamblers kicks off this week when the MCA offers 300 raffle tickets costing $100 each. The winner, whose name will be drawn at “Will Rogers Follies,” the final performance of the season on May 11, will win $10,000. The other $20,000 will go to MCA. (For complete rules, contact MCA.)

For those whose tastes lean toward the enjoyment of family entertainment, classical music and pop culture, the calendar holds many intriguing possibilities for fun. From the all-male comic troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo to a concert version of the gothic musical thriller “Jekyll & Hyde” with members of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra to the return of classical flutist Eugenia Zuckerman with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis to Arlo Guthrie’s retrospective “Alice’s Restaurant Tour” to a Moscow-based opera company performing “Die Fledermaus,” it’s likely that Fat Albert’s other tag line – “Gonna have a good time!” – applies to the season, too.

“It’s a wonderful season, a plethora of diverse programming,” said John Patches, MCA’s executive director. “This center is the home for arts and entertainment in the region. And it’s also true that one might also find oneself enlightened by the programming.”

Patches, a lifelong devotee of classical music, said he was particularly looking forward to hearing the virtuosic new music chamber group Ethel, which has been compared to rock bands in its improvisational and theatrical style. He cited the acrobatic-martial arts group CHI (pronounced CHEE), as a sure winner for family audiences.

Families will also appreciate the Flying Karamazov Brothers and the Russian American Kids Circus, founded in New York by former stars of the Moscow Circus. School-age theatergoers can look forward to “Class Acts,” the center’s student series, which includes seven events: Kapoot Clown Theater, Metro Theater Company’s literacy-promoting play “Salt and Pepper,” Enchantment Theatre Company’s “Pinocchio,” the Kennedy Center’s tour of “Willy Wonka,” the Seem-To-Be Players production of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Mortal Coil’s “Lava and Bones” about volcanoes, rocks and dinosaurs, and Aquila Theater’s version of “Hamlet.”

During its many stops in Orono, Aquila has become a favorite among teens and adults. This year, its “Hamlet” is one of the few straight drama presentations of the seasons. Theater pieces are in the minority this year, with only Aquila and L.A. Theater Works’ radio play of Neil Simon’s married-life comedy “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.”

“The Full Monty” and “Swan Lake” by the Russian National Ballet combine theater and music, while an avant-garde cinema presentation, “Silent Surrealism,” mixes silent surrealist films with live gypsy jazz by the Hot Club of San Francisco.

Other notable music events are the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Rockin’ Blues Revue with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and his trio, Bonnie Rideout’s popular “Scottish Christmas” concert, and Canadian Brass, which, in a February time slot, is likely to win over audiences with non-holiday classical and popular music. Even more so, when bluegrass fiddler Mark O’Connor shows up with his Hot Swing Trio, fans are likely to cross over with him from fiddle tunes to the nuances of Django Reinhardt.

Classical music patrons have the largest variety of events from which to choose, thanks to the MCA Chamber Music Society, which supports classical music programming. The classical lineup starts with a concert by the Tokyo String Quartet at 3 p.m. Sept. 25. It picks up later in the fall with violinist Kristin Lee performing with Pinchas Zukerman and the Zukerman Chamber Players, and a final offering by Berlin’s Vogler Quartet.

If you still haven’t seen the show that makes you shout Fat Albert’s refrain – “Gonna have a good time!” – hang onto your ticket-buying tendencies for two shows that promise theater, dance, music and (respectively) geezer and youthful acrobatics. The Beach Boys perform in November and the Trinity Irish Dance Company appears in January. Really want to gamble? Put your money on these two shows being sold out well before the run dates.

For information about the Maine Center for the Arts 2005-2006 season, call 581-1755 or (800) MCA-TIXX, or visit: www.MaineCenterfortheArts.org. Alicia Anstead can be reached at 990-8266 and aanstead@bangordailynews.net.