Penobscot Theatre Company Announces Two Holiday Shows

The Northeastern-most, year-round, professional theatre company in the country announces two imaginative holiday offerings, Deck the Balls, an interactive improv extravaganza for adults only (December 10-27); and the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol inventively told using hand-crafted marionettes and perfect for the whole family (December 12-27).

From ImprovAcadia, the team who created last season's bawdy, sold-out hit, A Kick in Your Dickens, comes the world-premiere of a hysterical new escapade. Deck the Balls, takes the classic It's a Wonderful Life and turns it on its fully improvised toes. Featuring belly-laughs galore, a multitude of improvised songs and opportunities for audience to change the trajectory of the show, this world-premiere is as memorable as it is raucous. We want our audiences to be delighted," says Penobscot Theatre Company's Producing Artistic Director, Bari Newport. "Like A Kick in Your Dickens, which was absolutely hilarious, Deck the Balls, is guaranteed to not only tickle your funny bone, but also warm your frosty chestnuts!"

Performers Jen Shepard, Larrance Fingerhut and Detroit's Mike Shreeman are nationally renowned improvisors with decades of comedic experience. Shepard and Fingerhut, legends within the improv world, have owned and operated Bar Harbor's ImprovAcadia for seventeen seasons and know Shreeman from their days on cruise ships and at Second City.

"Mike is one of the most talented musical improvisers I've ever worked with," says Fingerhut. "He creates songs that are equally complex and uproarious." As improvised, live shows, each night's performance will naturally be different. As part of Penobscot's 47th Season, "Digitus Theatrum," Deck the Balls will be broadcast each night from the Fingerhut/Shepard home in Ellsworth, ME.

Their dining room has been re-outfitted into a TV studio complete with lights, three cameras and a green screen. The digital format will assist in taking audience from the Ellsworth dining room to the familiar streets of Potterville, all while audiences enjoy the best seats in the house! You're house! (Advice: don't choose the worst seat in your house...)

This adults-only show includes the opportunity for "blue-humor" and as such is billed as, "adults only". It is the Naughty offering which accompanies the theatre company's family-friendly, marionette commissioned marvel, A Christmas Carol. Deck the Balls runs from December 10 -27th. Seating is limited to 40 households. Advance booking strongly recommended. All tickets are per household. Individual household tickets for Deck the Balls are $60.

With a vision to create a version of A Christmas Carol that was like no other, Penobscot Theatre Company commissioned Atlanta-based theatre/film makers, The Object Group to create an elaborately designed marionette film production of the beloved Dickens tale. This intricate film version, follows a script adaption by Penobscot's long-time Scrooge, actor Ken Stack. For thirteen seasons, Ken played the quintessential miser on the Penobscot Theatre Company stage. Now he gives voice to not only Scrooge but to every other Christmas Carol character in his own one-man version of the ultimate redemption story.

"Creativity blossoms when there are limitations," says Newport. "One of the great opportunities we heartily embraced when creating our unique, 47th Season, was looking for people and companies we had always wanted to collaborate with. The renowned Object Group was certainly one of those companies and we have been planning to bring Ken Stack and A Christmas Carol back for years now."

At the helm of the visual elements (puppetry, storyboarding, directing and editing) for this one-of-a-kind Christmas Carol creation is Princess Grace awardee, Michael Haverty. Haverty and his company, The Object Group, have mastered the art of transferring characters from the page to visual interpretations.

"As a puppetry artist I see every artistic form and medium as fair game," Haverty says. "I yearn for surprises and momentum when I watch a piece of theatre or a film. A lovely thing about puppets is how easily they can inhabit either world." Haverty has brought together a team of skilled artisans to create thirty marionette puppets and backdrops, including artists who regularly work for the Jim Henson Company. All music, props, puppets, costumes and scenery have been created for this production.

"I have done many variations of this story over the years," says Ken Stack. "But I think I'm most excited about this one. This is a very modern blend of creativity with technology, which will be pleasing for all audiences during a time when so many people are feeling a need to hang on to any familiar traditions we can find. The script stays true to the classic Dickens tale, while the unique approach to the production adds incredible vibrancy and new life."

A Christmas Carol streams, on-demand from Dec. 12 - 27 and is sponsored by Changing Seasons FCU and Rudman Winchell. All tickets are priced per household. Individual household tickets for A Christmas Carol are $40 for non-subscription households.

"What theatre does best," says Newport, "Is give people a shared experience. Even though I wouldn't classify what we are doing in this medium as theatre - it is a hybrid of many mediums - being able to experience a story with friends, co-workers and family from around the world makes this digital season akin to theatre, in perhaps the most important way."

To learn more about Deck the Balls or A Christmas Carol tickets, holiday bundles or other dramatic gift ideas, please call (207) 942-3333 or visit www.penobscottheatre.org.