The plays in the upcoming season at Portland Stage Company share a common thread of ties that bind: love, relationships and family.

Currently on stage: Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” through Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Celebrate the holidays with this timeless tale that embodies the season: love, family, and the spirit of goodwill. See it brought to life on-stage, with charming costumes, delightful music, and a few ghostly apparitions. This magical production is perfect for the entire family, guaranteed to warm the heart of every Scrooge. 

The cast of “A Christmas Carol” are Joel Leffert/Scrooge, Michael Thomas/Cratchitt, Stephanie Ross/Mrs. Cratchitt, Ian Carlsen/Nephew Fred, Emma O'Donnell/Belle, Larry Nicks/Marley, the Ghosts/Caley Milliken. 

The most familiar title in the 2017 season is “Arsenic and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring (Jan. 24-Feb. 19), a dark comedy about family dysfunction.

“Buyer & Cellar” by Jonathan Tolins (Feb. 28-March 26) gives Portland actor Dustin Tucker a new vehicle for a one-man show. Alex, an underemployed Los Angeles actor, takes an odd job working in the Malibu basement of Barbra Streisand. Tucker is best known in Portland for his work in “The Santaland Diaries.”

Emma and Kip are preparing for their wedding when a medical emergency changes their world in “String Around My Finger” by Brenda Withers (April 4-23). The play won the Clauder Competition grand prize in 2015, qualifying it for a mainstage production. The Clauder is a New England playwriting competition sponsored by Portland Stage to encourage new work.

The season ends with “Disgraced” by Ayad Akhtar (May 2-21), a 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a New York lawyer who distances himself from his Muslim roots, until a dinner party shatters his view on race and religion.

Visit www.portlandstage.org to purchase tickets and more information. The Portland Stage Company is located at 25A Forest Avenue in Portland.