Acorn Productions Announces Complete Lineup For MPF

Acorn Productions, a non-profit art presented located in the Dana Warp Mill, announces the complete line-up for the tenth annual Maine Playwrights Festival (MPF), the company's annual celebration of the work of local theater artists. The event unfolds over 4 weeks in April at 2 different venues, and features the talents of over 50 actors, directors and playwrights from a number of Portland-area companies. The month-long festival begins in early April with staged readings of two full-length plays at the Acorn Studio Theater in Westbrook. "Iceland," by Michael Tooher, will be read on Saturday, April 2nd at 7:30 p.m., and "Commixtus," by Katherine Roscher, will be brought to life on Saturday, April 9th at 7:30 p.m. Both readings are free with a $5 suggested donation. Later in the month, the MPF moves to the St. Lawrence Arts Center, where 10 short plays will be presented in 2 evenings of rotating repertory between April 14 to 29, 2011. Each evening of plays will be presented 4 times, along with a special marathon evening on Friday, April 29th on which all ten plays will be performed beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the 10th annual Maine Playwrights Festival are $16 for adults, $14 for students and seniors. The MPF culminates with the second annual 24-Hour Portland Theater Project, which features directors from 5 different area companies. The 24-Hour Portland Theater Project will have 2 performances at 5:30 and 8 p.m. on the St. Lawrence Stage on Saturday, April 30th. Entrance to the 24-Hour Portland Theater Project festival is $8.

Acorn's staged readings are directed by Acorn's Producing Director Michael Levine and feature actors bringing these original scripts to life with simple blocking and scripts in hand. Each reading will be followed by a talkback with the playwrights in which audience members will be encouraged to provide them with valuable feedback on their pieces. These two full-length plays chosen for staged readings were selected from 19 submissions from all over the state. The plays will be brought to life by students at the Acorn Acting Academy and members of the Naked Shakespeare Ensemble.

The ten playwrights whose short plays have been selected for the MPF are all Maine residents hailing from a variety of communities throughout the state: Marie Coyle (Portland), Larry Crane (Southport), Lynne Cullen (Yarmouth), Shannara Gillman (Seal Harbor), Kathy Hooke (Portland), Michael Kimball (Cape Neddick), Cullen McGough (Portland), Jefferson Navicky (Portland), Isabel Sterne (Cape Elizabeth), Michael Tooher (Portland). This year's short plays will be directed by Karen Ball, Laura Graham, Michael Levine, Stephanie Ross, and Tess Van Horn. Complete descriptions of each short play included in the festival appear below.

The 24-Hour Portland Theater Project centers around the creation of 5 brand new scripts, all of which will share one line of dialogue, a setting, and a prop that will be revealed on stage at the St. Lawrence before the marathon performance on Friday the 29th. Armed with these items, 5 playwrights, Marie Coyle, Larry Crane, Shannara Gillman, Jefferson Navicky, and Cullen McGough, will create an original world-premiere script that will be handed off to the directors and actors the next morning. For this year's event, Acorn has invited directors from several area theater companies to broaden the reach of the event: Dan Burson, from Portland Stage Company, Adam Gutsgell from Lucid Stage, Tony Reilly, from AIRE Theater, and Sally Wood, from Fenix Theater Company will join Michael Levine and 19 area actors.

The Maine Playwrights Festival started in 2001 as a series of dramatic readings in the old Acorn School for the Performing Arts on Congress Street (there was no festival in 2003). Since that time, Acorn has presented 86 plays by over fifty different playwrights at a variety of venues, moving to the St. Lawrence in 2005 where the festival continues to make its home each spring. Several plays developed at the MPF have gone on to success in other markets, most notably Carolyn Gage's "The Poorly-Written Play Festival" and Michael Kimball's "Actual Glass," both of which were invited to festivals in NYC after their MPF production. Acorn's commitment to fostering the development of new plays has extended into year-round programming of original plays in the Acorn Studio Theater. Acorn Productions is dedicated to nurturing the performing arts by building collaborations between groups of artists. In addition to the MPF, Acorn annually produces Phyzgig, a vaudeville festival that takes place between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and Naked Shakespeare, an ongoing series of free performances in traditional and non-traditional venues in Greater Portland.

2011 MAINE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL STAGED READINGS

Commixtus, by Katherine Roscher - A young girl must renew her relationship with her father after his ten-year prison sentence

Iceland, by Michael Tooher - A questioning teenager finds empowerment by becoming a Viking

2011 MAINE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL SHORT PLAYS

SCHEDULE A

Aiming Off, by Larry Crane - Arriving at what you desire involves negotiation. For Alma and Jake the physical attraction is palpable. But getting to that place where they both want to be involves negotiating some pretty intense terrain.

Class, by Marie Coyle- Three college seniors fight to pass one last course.

Silence and Slow Time, by Kathy Hooke - An old woman with dementia tells a shaggy dog story and leads her tightly scheduled granddaughter to a new understanding about time and life itself.

The Last Fish in the Sea, by Cullen McGough - Faced with the grim realities of declining catches and increased regulations, Maine fishermen struggle with each other and themselves.

The Rope Swing, by Shannara Gillman - Two adults try to reconcile their shared past by returning to their old haunting grounds.

SCHEDULE B

Infestation, by Jefferson Navicky - A couple's relationship, and each individual's sanity, is threatened by a fruit fly infestation.

In This Economy, by Isabel Sterne - A job interview goes awry when interviewer and interviewee realize they only have moments to live before an asteroid destroys earth.

Perfect Joe, by Lynne Cullen - One Christmas Eve in 1965, Joe and Maria Sullivan return home from visiting relatives to find that the dog has eaten the Christmas Village.

The Perils of Long-Term Care, by Michael Kimball - An elderly couple explores the art of disagreement.

Size Matters, by Michael Tooher - Welcome to the first meeting of the Discussions Regarding Male Inadequacy therapy group, where size is ALL that matters.

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

What: Staged readings of full-length plays
Who: Acorn Productions
When: April 2nd at 7:30 p.m. - "Iceland," by Michael Tooher
April 9th at 7:30 p.m. - "Commixtus," by Katherine Roscher
Where: St. Lawrence Arts Center
How Much: $8 all ages
FMI: www.acorn-productions.org or 854-0065

What: The 10th annual Maine Playwrights Festival short plays
Who: Acorn Productions
When: April 14 to 29, 2011
Where: St. Lawrence Arts Center
How Much: $16 adults, $14 students and seniors
FMI: www.acorn-productions.org or 854-0065
Thursday, April 14th at 7:30 p.m. -Schedule A (followed by an audience talkback)
Friday, April 15th at 7:30 p.m. -Schedule B (followed by an audience talkback)
Saturday, April 16th at 5 p.m. -Schedule B
Saturday, April 16th at 8 p.m. -Schedule A
Thursday, April 21st at 7:30 p.m. -Schedule B
Friday, April 22nd at 7:30 p.m. - Schedule A
Saturday, April 23rd at 5 p.m. - Schedule A
Saturday, April 23rd at 8 p.m. - Schedule B

Friday, April 29th at 7:30 p.m. - all 10 short plays (one admission)

What: The 2nd annual 24-Hour Portland Theater Project
Who: Acorn Productions
When: April 30, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Where: St. Lawrence Arts Center
How Much: $8 all ages
FMI: www.acorn-productions.org or 854-0065

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