Community theater companies converge
If you’re not a die-hard theater fan, it might surprise you to discover that eastern Maine is home to more than 20 small community theater companies.
They range in size, location and outlook, but they’re all committed to producing plays and musicals with local actors year-round. This Saturday, theater fans get a chance to see the work of five of Maine’s small theater companies, with the Maine Association of Community Theater’s One Act Festival. A full day of workshops and performances starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 24, at the Lincoln Street Center for Arts and Education in Rockland.
A staging and scripting workshop with Lucy Rioux from Gardiner’s Open Book Players is set for 9 a.m., followed by a 10 a.m. improv workshop with Dennis Price of the Theatre at Monmouth. Performances begin at 1:30 p.m., starting with Lamoine Community Arts’ production of Dorothy Parker’s “Here We Are,” directed by David Sanderson. The Slightly Off-Center Players of Dover-Foxcroft will then present “The Fag Variations, or The Conversion of the Straights,” written by local playwright Bobby Keniston and directed by Tracy Michaud Stutzman. The Community Little Theatre of Auburn showcases “The Lottery” by Brainerd Duffield, followed by the Aqua City Actor’s Theatre of Waterville production of “For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again,” by Michael Tremblay.
The evening concludes with three very short plays from the Gaslight Theatre of Hallowell, including “A Grave Encounter” by Gene Ruffini, “Ferris Wheel” by Mary Millar, and “Heart of the Fire” by Rich Orloff. Tickets for the performances are $12 at the door.
Film society to host gnarly surf festival
Surf’s up for Rockland, as the Strand Theatre and the Saltwater Film Society host its first ever Surf Film Festival, set for 3-10 p.m. Saturday, April 24. The first session of films includes two American surf documentaries (“Dear and Yonder,” about women’s surfing, and “Ishmael,” about New England surfing) and one Australian surf film, titled “Little Black Wheels.”
The program breaks at 6 p.m. for an art opening at the In Between Gallery on Main Street. Corduroy, a Portland gallery and shop, will set up a surf-themed exhibit featuring 10 different artists, and a drawing to win an “Alaia” surfboard, handcrafted in Hawaii.
The final two films, beginning at 8 p.m., include “Powers of Three,” about surfing in Ireland, and the Maine premiere of “180 Degrees South,” about surfing in Patagonia. A full festival pass is $14; individual sessions are $8.50. For information, call 594-0070.
The Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony Orchestra is a rare breed: It’s composed of members from both eastern Maine and New Brunswick, making it one of the only explicitly international orchestras in the world. The PBSO, led by conductor Trond Saeverud — known to Maine audiences as the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster — will perform three pieces in its two Maine concerts in the next two weeks. First up is Beethoven’s First Symphony, followed by a contemporary composition called “Proclamation” by Ernest Bloch. The program concludes with “Sinfonia Dolorosa,” composed by Trond Saeverud’s Norwegian grandfather Harald over 60 years ago. Performances are set for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 24 at the Eastport Arts Center, and at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 1 at the University of Maine at Machias Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10, $20 for families.