Penobscot Theatre Company and the acclaimed Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers proudly present a new puppet play, perfect for the whole family, Everybody Loves Pirates. Performance is Saturday, May 25 at 10AM. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for kids.

Family friendly programming at PTC in conjunction with Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers of Bar Harbor, ME.

Eight-year-old Lucy and her goofy pal Little Chucky are searching for buried treasure, but a gang of bumbling pirates keeps getting in the way! The kids get some help from their new ocean-dwelling friends, including enthusiastic superhero Lobster Boy, his reluctant sidekick Crabby, and an overgrown sea monkey.

Everybody Loves Pirates features 15 hand-crafted puppets, and an 8 foot pirate ship!

Everybody Loves PIRATES!

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers is a full-time touring puppetry troupe based in Bar Harbor, Maine, and comprised of three siblings – Erik, Brian, and Robin.  Founded in 2000, Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers has performed all over the East Coast and beyond at festivals, schools, libraries, and theaters.

For more information, please call the Penobscot Theatre Box Office at 207-942-3333 or purchase tickets online at www.penobscottheatre.org.

Mark Brown’s stage adaptation of

Jules Verne’s

Around the World in 80 Days

24,000 MILES…39 CHARACTERS…FIVE ACTORS…ONE ELEPHANT…

And Free Tickets for Kids under 18!*

*Receive one youth ticket for every full priced ticket ($36)

Around the World in Eighty Days May 15 – June 2.

     The pressure’s on and time is running out! It’s 1872 and the unflappable Phileas Fogg wagers that he can circle the globe and race from London, around the world, and back to London, in a mere 80 days! At Fogg’s side: a band of quirky adventurers. At their heels: a relentless Scotland Yard detective! At stake: surviving utterly fantastic adventures across India, China, Japan and America – beating the clock – and winning the bet!

Jules Verne meets Monty Python in this madcap odyssey perfect for the entire family. Described by The New York Times as “smart enough to make sophisticated adults laugh out loud and shamelessly silly enough to keep children interested and entertained,” Penobscot Theatre will give one complimentary youth ticket for kids 18 and under, for every $36 ticket purchased. (Please note, patrons must call or visit box office for this offer. Offer not available on line).

“We really want to pack the house with families,” says Artistic Director, Bari Newport, “We want people of all ages to know they are welcome at PTC.”

Brad LaBree plays multiple roles in PTC’s production.

     Kate Warner directs this unabashedly theatrical production. Theatre-savvy audiences may be familiar with Kate’s work as Artistic Director of the improv-based, Dad’s Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta and Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre in Boston. “It’s the best kind of rehearsal when you get to say to the cast, “Thursday we’ll work on the train stunts and Friday we’ll do the elephant,” laughs, Warner.

     The five actors who embark on the extraordinary itinerary and global race against the clock, play 39 different characters. Dominick Varney (Annie), Arthur Morison (Last Gas), Brad LaBree (Becky’s New Car) and Jenny Hart (Boeing-Boeing) support popular Atlanta based actor Robin Bloodworth, in his first PTC production.

Incidentally, Robin is on his own amazing adventure. He is on a quest to perform at a theatre in every state of the union. “I have thirteen to go!” says Robin.

     The design team for Around the World in 80 Days includes set design by Erik Diaz (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), lighting design by Wayne Merrit (Becky’s New Car), costume design by Rebecca Wright (Annie), properties design by Meredith Perry (Wit) and sound design by Brandie Rita (The Sugar Bean Sisters).

      Don’t miss Around the World in 80 Days at the historic Bangor Opera House from May 15 – June 2. Performances run Wednesdays through Sundays. Individual ticket prices range from $22-$36. Group, Senior and Student discounts available. Purchase tickets, subscriptions and gift certificates online a www.penobscottheatre.org, or through the Box Office at 207-942-3333.

Penobscot Theatre’s Dramatic Academy Summer is Just Around the Corner!

Help Send A Child to Summer Camp by Donating to our  Scholarship Fund!

“I believe arts education in music, theater, dance, and the visual arts is one of the most creative ways we have to find the gold that is buried just beneath the surface. They (children) have an enthusiasm for life a spark of creativity, and vivid imaginations that need training – training that prepares them to become confident young men and women.”

– Richard W. Riley, Former US Secretary of Education

You can help sponsor a star!

Summer is fast approaching, and in these trying economic times, many families are struggling to send their children to summer camps. That’s why Penobscot Theatre has established scholarship sponsorship opportunities. As a non-profit organization, Penobscot Theatre relies on the generosity of community members in order to provide programs like its Dramatic Academy summer program.  No gift is too small, (or too large), and every penny of your donation will contribute to helping an aspiring student attend our summer training. 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR DONATION PAGE

In Penobscot Theatre’s newly expanded Dramatic Academy, campers explore many aspects of the theater including acting, dancing, singing, stage combat, and much more throughout the summer. This is the only training program in the area in which students of all ages can study with highly trained industry professionals. More than just a summer camp, Penobscot Theatre’s Dramatic Academy offers a number of electives, lunch field trips and exposure to a variety of theater disciplines to create a full day of activity for aspiring artists of every age and level of experience.

For more information on summer programs, applications, and scholarships visit the Education Page of our website!

 Please contact our Director of Education, Jasmine Ireland at jasmine@penobscottheatre.org or 947-6618 ext. 104 with questions. We hope to see you at the theater!

The 2013-2014 Season marks the 40^th Anniversary for Penobscot Theatre Company, the most Northeastern year-round, professional theatre in the country. The company, which owns and operates the historic Bangor Opera House, proudly announces its upcoming season lineup.

The 2013-14 Season opens with laughs. Ken Ludwig’s The Fox on the Fairway

PTC Main Stage Productions and Datesknocks one straight off the tee and hits a hole in one. A tribute to the great Broadway farces of the 1930’s and 1940’s, Ken Ludwig (Moon Over Buffalo, Lend Me a Tenor) takes the classic farce genre and applies it to the modern world. Starring Dominick Varney and Christie Robinson, who pitch wedges, drivers and nine-irons, the game of golf has never been so much fun.

Next, something scary! Billed as “the most brilliantly effective spine chiller you will ever encounter,” The Woman in Black combines the power and intensity of live theatre, with a cinematic quality inspired by the world of film noir. First mounted on the London stage in 1987, The Woman in Black, is now one of the longest running plays on the West End. So what makes The Woman in Black so frightening? The whole theatre is the set. Written to take place in a “small Victorian theatre,” the Bangor Opera House could not be more perfect.

This year’s special holiday offering is truly fun for the whole family. Originally created by Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Cinderella:  A New Telling of an Old Tale is a buoyant, lyrical and enormously entertaining telling of the familiar fairy tale. In the usually saccharine world of holiday entertainment, this irreverent musical comedy delights in crossing barriers, especially the one between audience and actors. No child in the house will resist proffering his or her foot, as the Prince, glass slipper in hand (size 5A: this is a fairy tale, after all) searches the crowd for Cinderella. In this joyous, roaringly funny, magical, musical holiday production, goodness triumphs, evil is banished from the Kingdom, the Prince gets his girl–and the girl gets her shoes.

A new play for a New Year! In 2010, Northern Writes audiences went wild for Orono playwright, Travis Baker’s one act play, One Blue Tarp. Its positive reception encouraged Mr. Baker to continue crafting his story into a full-length play about a man in a coastal Maine town who decides to defend his right to have a pile of junk under a blue tarp in his front yard in an unorthodox manner — by sitting down. Baker, who teaches creative writing and college composition at The University of Maine, received the prestigious 2013 Clauder New England Playwright Competition for One Blue Tarp and PTC is thrilled to give this comedic, thoughtful piece its world premiere production!

In March, let the warfare begin! God of Carnage, the Tony Award-winning play about the savage underbelly of playground politics, centers around two pairs of parents whose sons have been involved in a playground scuffle. Though they meet to discuss the matter politely, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in adult behavior that degenerates to a level far below that of an adolescent brawl. AJ Mooney and Jeri Misler star in this gripping night of comic catastrophe.

For the final play of the 40^th Season, Penobscot Theatre will produce the quintessential American classic, Our Town. With original music composed and performed nightly by Lincoln, Maine-based musician Jacob Augustine and with PTC alum and Bangor native Monica Willey returning to play Emily, this Our Town is both a celebration of what has been and a hopeful glimpse of what will be – in the next 40 years.

In addition to the regular season lineup, Newport hints at surprises to be announced later in the season. “Stay tuned,” she says. “This could very well be our most ambitious season to date. Once you’re over the hill, you know, you pick up speed.”

Why subscribe? Season subscribers receive discounted tickets, their favorite seats on their favorite nights, flexibility, see-it-again for free, bring-a-new friend–to-PTC for free, advance access to special events and programs, and are able to join the community in acting as producers for the next season, thereby supporting the vision and mission of Penobscot Theatre Company and investing in its future.

Go to Florida for the winter? Check out PTC’s new three-show snowbird packages.

Current subscribers have until May 1st to guarantee the same great seats enjoyed this season. New subscriptions go on sale May 2nd. For more information, please call the Box Office at 207-942-3333 or learn more by visiting PTC online at www.penobscottheatre.org.

See you at the theatre!

Penobscot Theatre Company is pleased to announce auditions for the 2013-2014 Season. Actors of all ages will be seen for roles in the following productions: The Fox on the Fairway by Ken Ludwig; The Woman in Black adapted by Stephen Mallatratt; Cinderella: A New Telling of an Old Tale by Kate Hawley, music by Gregg Coffin; One Blue Tarp by Travis Baker; Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Roles are not available for PTC’s production of God of Carnage.

Open auditions for adults 18 years and over will be conducted on: Saturday, June 1, 2013 from 10AM – 5:00 PM. No children will be seen at this time.

Actors are asked to prepare two monologues not more than 2 minutes each. Singers should additionally prepare 16 bars from any song. All actors should bring a head shot and resume. An accompanist will be provided.

Auditions for children (ages 8 – 17) for roles in Cinderella, One Blue Tarp and Our Town, will be conducted on, Saturday June 8, 2013 from 10AM -5PM.

Children are asked to prepare a short poem or monologue and be able to sing 16 bars from a song of their choosing. They should also bring a photo and short paragraph about themselves or resume. An accompanist will be provided.

Additional 2013-2014 show information can be found at www.penobscottheatre.org

Union and non-union actors interested in auditioning, should send email with name, phone number and preferred audition date and time to casting@penobscottheatre.org. You will receive a confirmation email upon receipt. Please no phone calls.

See you at the theatre!

Seventh Annual Northern Writes Festival May 3-5!

Friday MAY 3

• 6PM KICK OFF RECEPTION (all invited)
• 7PM NEVERLAND STATION by Jack Rushton (Newbury, MA)
• 8PM PUDDING by Michael Tooher (Portland, ME)

Saturday MAY 4

• 2PM THE IMPORTANCE OF PLUMBERS by HG Andaleux (Holden, ME)
• 3PM MOM’S GIFT by Phil Olson (Newhall, CA)
• 5PM CAT AND MOUSE by Michael Wolfson (Valley Village, CA)
• 7PM A POSITION OF RELATIVE IMPORTANCE by Hal Borden (Philadelphia, PA)

Sunday MAY 5

12-1PM: Playwrights Pow-wow Brunch (event for local and visiting playwrights to interact)

• 1PM STOLEN GIRL by Elizabeth Searle (Arlington, MA)
• 2PM DUCK AND COVER by Mike Kimball (Portland, ME)

After each reading, audience members will have the chance to offer feedback and answer questions from and with the playwright.

Tickets are $10 for the entire weekend of readings. One may attend as few or as many events as they choose. As always, Penobscot Theatre full season subscribers are invited to attend all Northern Writes events as part of their subscription at no additional charge.

Northern Writes is made possible through generous funding from the Quimby Family Foundation.

PTC will participate in the Kid Central Festival, May 4th from 10-3.

Visit PTC  at the Bangor Opera House for the Kid Central Festical! Come get your picture taken, from 10-Noon see our resident Magician’s Show and from 12 -3 play theater games with out Teen Council Members. And make sure to get a summer camp brochure!

Northern Writes New Work Festival will take place May 3 -5 at the Bangor Opera House.

Penobscot Theatre Company will present its popular Northern Writes Festival from May 3rd to May 5th at the historic Bangor Opera House.

Now in its 7th year, PTC’s Northern Writes New Play festival continues to be a creative hotbed for new plays, nationwide. PTC received over 100 new plays from writers across the country. PTC’s staff read them all and chose five full length and three shorts to have public play readings.

“Audience participation is a key component of the Northern Writes development process,” says Artistic Director, Bari Newport, “and in 39 Seasons, we have developed perceptive audiences who know a thing or two about how to help a writer! At Northern Writes audiences provide thoughtful feedback in structured environment. It couldn’t be done without them!”

This year’s line-up of new play readings includes work from both emerging writers and popular, award winning artists, such as playwright, poet and novelist, Elizabeth Searle. The schedule for this year’s festival is as follows:

Friday MAY 3

6pm KICK OFF RECEPTION (all invited)

7pm NEVERLAND STATION by Jack Rushton (Newbury, MA)

8pm PUDDING by Michael Tooher (Portland, ME)

Saturday MAY 4

2pm THE IMPORTANCE OF PLUMBERS by HG Andaleux (Holden, ME)

3pm MOM’S GIFT by Phil Olson (Newhall, CA)

5pm CAT AND MOUSE by Michael Wolfson (Valley Village, CA)

7pm A POSITION OF RELATIVE IMPORTANCE by Hal Borden (Philadelphia, PA)

Sunday MAY 5

12-1 Playwrights Pow-wow Brunch (event for local and visiting playwrights to interact)

1pm STOLEN GIRL by Elizabeth Searle (Arlington, MA)

2pm DUCK AND COVER by Mike Kimball (Portland, ME)

After each reading, audience members will have the chance to offer feedback and answer questions from and with the playwright.

Tickets are $10 for the entire weekend of readings. One may attend as few or as many events as they choose. As always, Penobscot Theatre full season subscribers are invited to attend all Northern Writes events as part of their subscription at no additional charge.

Northern Writes is made possible through generous funding from the Quimby Foundation.

Contact the PTC box office at 942-3333 for more info or visit www.penobscottheatre.org

PTC’s Dramatic Academy will perform The Little Prince celebrating the story’s 70th Anniversary

Translated into more than 250 languages

More than 200 Million copies sold

Included in education curriculum worldwide

Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the beloved classic The Little Prince!  Performed by PTC’s Tiny Thespians and Youth Troupe, The Little Prince brings the storybook to life on our main stage in a production that is family friendly and engaging for young and old alike.  The Little Prince tells the story of a world-weary aviator whose plane crashes, stranding him in the middle of the Sahara Desert. When a mysterious, regal little boy appears and asks him to draw a sheep, the aviator is annoyed and distracted from his crisis – unaware that he is about to have a transforming experience. By learning that ‘what is essential is invisible to the eye,’ the aviator comes to a new understanding of how to laugh, cry, and love again.

The Little Prince will feature the following local stars:

Tiny Thespians:  Tala and Walker Bayless, Sophia Crespo and Sophie Baker (Bangor), Lydia Drisko (Carmel)

Youth Troupe:  Jonah and Asa Roberts, Madison Freeman (Newburgh), Matthew Tozer, Nathan Manaker (Orono), Ian Buck (Glenburn), Byron Sockalexis (Indian Island),  Nathan and Sasha Sykes, Molly Hagerty, Sophia Mullins (Bangor) Ethan DeMerchant (Old Town), Emma Campbell (Winterport), Lana Sabbagh, Anna Loeb (Brewer), Paige and Terra Malkow (Hampden).

The Little Prince will be performed April 26 and 27 at 6 p.m. and April 28 at 2 p.m. and is appropriate for all ages.  Tickets are $5 for children 12 and under and $10 for adults. Tickets can be purchased by calling our box office at 942-3333 or online at penobscottheatre.org.

Local area high school student Emma Howard makes her main stage debut at Penobscot Theatre Company.

The mission statement for Penobscot Theatre Company’s Education Department states the following “PTC’s Dramatic Academy is committed to providing students of all ages a training ground to explore the performing arts.  Through collaboration with professionally trained instructors we strive to foster learning, growth, and skill acquisition amongst our students. In doing so, we look to build a greater community and inspire a lifelong love of theater.”    It is with great pride that we here at PTC would like to share with you a great success story.  Former Dramatic Academy student Emma Howard, a Bangor native and local high school student, has put her training to use and makes her main stage debut as a professional actress in our current production of WIT.  Emma has been involved with PTC’s educational programming since fourth grade.  She is also our youngest season subscriber and an active member of our Teen Council.  We asked Emma a few questions about her many experiences at PTC:

What has it been like to perform in your first professional show?

The experience has been indescribable. We put a lot of time and energy into this but I’ve enjoyed it so much that it hasn’t felt like work at all. Usually by the time I start tech for a show I’m so rundown that I dread coming to a rehearsal that will take up my entire weekend, but this wasn’t like that at all. Before I started the show I was a little apprehensive about the time commitment, but now I find that whenever we have days off I just sit at home missing my cast and wishing I were back at the theatre. Working in a professional show has been unlike any other theatre experience I’ve had. It’s not just due to the fact that I’m working with adults, because I’ve acted with adults before, but this is the most devoted cast I’ve ever been a part of. Months before we even had our first rehearsal, people were doing cancer research, reading about John Donne, and emailing back and forth to discuss new thoughts and discoveries. At the first rehearsal, Sarah was practically off-book. Since people did so much work outside of rehearsal we didn’t need to waste any time drilling lines or focusing on something that wasn’t pertinent to the entire show and the entire cast. So we made valuable use of our time during every rehearsal. In high school shows, most rehearsals are devoted solely to blocking, running lines, and re-blocking the scenes that everyone has forgotten about. Despite the fact that this show went up in half the time I usually spend on a show, we spent the first three rehearsals doing nothing but dissecting the text and having an in-depth discussion about the show. And we were never short on time. We shared ideas about the characters and themes of Wit, as well as the dramaturgical aspects of the play. We even took an evening to visit the hospital and talk with doctors and nurses so we could get feedback from them about what it’s truly like to be involved with these kind of experiences. Then we could apply it to our characters and have a better understanding of the play as a whole. I had never done this kind of work for a show before, but I think it was an integral part of our preparation, and I wish that every cast could devote so much to a show. Everyone was extremely committed to their work and took it seriously, but we also had a great time doing it and had fun together. People did a lot of individual work for their characters, but there wasn’t one person who put himself above anyone else in the cast. I was surprised at how included I felt even though I was “just in the ensemble,” as I described my role at first. Every single person was encouraged to share any thoughts or concerns and we all contributed. When Kappy said that each person in the cast was equally as important as anyone else, she meant it; everyone had to work with everyone else to create such a beautiful ensemble piece. It’s been wonderful to work with a group of such kind, brilliant professionals.

Emma Howard with members of PTC’s Teen Council volunteer during Downtown Trick or Treating.

What turned you on to theater, and what prepared you to participate in a professional show?

The summer acting camp at Penobscot was actually my first introduction to theatre and what made me fall in love with acting in the first place, so it prepared me in many ways. I started in fourth grade, and even then we were treated like professionals and expected to act accordingly. The play we developed was a collaborative effort that required each person to create his own character and come up with dialogue. We had a basic storyline to start and then we used improvisation to develop our characters and relationships until we had a finished product. As I got older and had the opportunity to do the advanced acting camps and workshops, I learned more about acting technique, auditioning, and the business side of theatre, but even that first experience was enough to prepare me for work in a professional show. It taught us that acting was not about getting in the spotlight or stealing the show, but about collaboration. I learned just how important listening is. This is extremely important in a professional show, especially an ensemble piece such as this, where everyone has to work together and connect with everyone else throughout the show.

Nathan Roach, Abby Kimball, and Emma Howard all smiles behind the scenes of WIT.

Why do you think theater is important for young people?

I think theatre is essential for anyone who wants to think critically and ask questions and live and be a human, but it’s especially important for young people. We’re at an age where we’re still impressionable and we’re constantly developing and changing our opinions about things, trying to figure out exactly what we think about politics or religion, and trying to create fixed identities for ourselves. In order to do this, we need things that make us think. We need to go to the theatre and see the humanity in characters that we never thought we could relate to, so we can start to ask questions. When actors portray characters honestly, we can relate to them and recognize ourselves in them, which gives us a better understanding of ourselves and the people around us. I feel like my generation also has the task of furthering social progress, and theatre can be an important tool in conveying social and political messages. I know a lot of people are still in the dark when it comes to mental illness. They’re intolerant of it because it’s unfamiliar so they don’t understand it and it makes them uncomfortable. But anyone who goes to see a play like “The Boys Next Door” will leave the theatre with a completely different perspective. Actors give people humanity, showing audiences that it’s possible to connect with people who are different from them. At this age we’re also still in the process of determining what’s right and wrong, and how to define morality. After going to see a show like “Equus,” it’s impossible not to have some sort of impression on the moral dilemmas that are presented in the play. We need plays that make us question. That’s why “Wit” is such a masterpiece. It might make the audience feel things, but it’s not a tearjerker that’s designed to manipulate the audience’s emotions and invoke specific feelings. It’s a powerful, thought-provoking piece that moves the audience as well as engages their minds and asks questions of them. This type of experience is absolutely critical for people my age if we want to become more complete human beings.

Information regarding PTC’s Dramatic Academy programming can be found at our website penobscottheatre.org under the Education tab or by contacting our Director of Education Jasmine Ireland at jasmine@penobscottheatre.org or 947-6618 ext. 104

WIT will run through March 31st at the Bangor Opera House.  Special BUY ONE GET ONE for all cancer patients and survivors with code: Survivor. Group rates available. Purchase tickets, subscriptions and gift certificates online at www.penobscottheatre.org, or through the Box Office at 207-947-6618.