Acorn Productions Announces Performance Schedule For 12th Annual Phyzgig Festival

Acorn Productions has finalized the line-up for the company's 12th annual Phyzgig festival, a celebration of physical comedy and variety entertainment for the family taking place in downtown Portland between Christmas and New Year's Eve 2009.

The festival will feature of mixture of familiar faces and newcomers, and has expanded the roster of performers to include more entertainers from outside of Maine. There are 11 artists performing in this year's festival, 6 of whom appeared in last year's Phyzgig. Of the remaining 5 artists, 2 have appeared at Phyzgig in the past while 3 are new to the festival.

Phyzgig week will begin with an adult-oriented cabaret show at SPACE Gallery on December 26th, and continues with 5 mainstage vaudeville shows at the Portland Performing Arts Center, and 7 Phyzkidz shows at SPACE Gallery. New this season is the addition of 2 Phyzkidz shows in Westbrook at the new Acorn Studio Theater.

Tickets for Phyzgig cost between $8 and $18 depending on the show and are currently on sale for all performances. Call Acorn Productions at 854-0065 or visit www.phyzgig.org. For a full performance schedule, click here.

Over its first 11 years, Phyzgig has evolved into a well-known event that attracts audience members from throughout the region to Portland each holiday season. Acorn is proud to host one of the only vaudeville festivals in the country; one whose reputation has grown to attract applications from as far away as Africa and India.  As audiences have come to expect, the 11 Phyzgig entertainers will create a full-blown week of zany insanity, featuring clowning, juggling, magic, slapstick humor, and other acts that defy classification.  The event not only offers Portland audiences a rare look at form of entertainment with a rich and honored tradition, but has also helped to put Maine on the map as a state that nurtures the spirit of vaudeville.  Phyzgig features three types of performances:  Phyzkidz shows take place at SPACE Gallery and feature 3 performers in a format and venue designed for younger audience members, mainstage variety shows showcase 4 performers and the live Phyzgig band, appealing to audiences of all ages, while the cabaret show consists of 4 artists offering sophisticated humor for more mature audiences.