Portland Stage Announces 2018/19 Season

Portland Stage creates one-of-a-kind productions specifically selected for its community. Each season, Portland Stage Executive & Artistic Director Anita Stewart looks for a means to connect the plays with a thematic thread. For the 2018-2019 Season, audiences may find the plays are connected by the idea of borders, boundaries, and how we embrace, or wish to change them. From a runaway slave seeking to join the Union army, to the photographer striving to help an Arabic speaking boy; from a man searching for his true identity, to a woman looking to connect with spirits, each play in our upcoming season looks at how we celebrate, rebel against or embrace and understand our place in the world.

"It is always inspiring to have a group of people who see a body of work, start to finish. I greatly appreciate the willingness of our audience to venture with us on a wide range of theatrical journeys. I'm especially excited about the upcoming 2017-2018 Season, which includes two new plays that were developed at Portland Stage with local Maine writers Bess Welden and Monica Wood." Anita Stewart Executive and Artistic Director.

In addition, Portland Stage's collaboration with MSMT continues with a production of Nunsense by Dan Goggin this August.

In addition, Portland Stage announced its move from Subscription to Membership. In honor of its 45th season, Portland Stage celebrates its audience and community by creating a new Membership Program. Membership at Portland Stage is more than just a seat in the house, it's joining the team with insider access, great savings and flexibility. In addition to its current ticket packages, Portland Stage now offers enhanced Member Benefits, and new options for audiences. Visit portlandstage.org to learn more about Membership.

ANNOUNCING PORTLAND STAGE'S 2018-2019 SEASON:

Ben Butler by Richard Strand | Sep 25 - Oct 21

When a runaway slave demands sanctuary at a Union Army garrison, the General in charge is faced with moral quandary: follow the letter of the law, or make a game-changing move that could alter the course of US history? "...Part comedy, part historical drama and part biography... by turns sarcastic, droll and witty." NY Times

Based on true occurrences that happened to General Benjamin Butler who graduated from Colby College in Maine in 1838, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1840. During part of the Civil War, he commanded Fort Monroe.

REFUGE * MALJA* by Bess Welden

Arabic translation by Ali Al Mshakheel | Oct 30 - Nov 18, 201

When a Jewish-American war photographer feels compelled to assist a young refugee who steps in front her camera, she calls an old friend to translate, but hesitates to reveal why she is so drawn to the boy. This poetic, decade-spanning drama explores how we each define and find our own malja (refuge). Affiliate Artist Bess Welden's Refuge * Malja * was developed at the 2017 Little Festival of the Unexpected.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde | Jan 22 - Feb 17, 2019

What's in a name? Wilde's masterful comedy follows a young man and his friend on a journey that leads to an unexpected discovery. Part comedy, part mystery, this story of love, manners and mistaken identity is a classic that never grows old. "The truth is rarely pure, and never simple." Oscar Wilde

THE HALF-LIGHT by Monica Wood | Feb 26 - Mar 24, 2019

A chance encounter presents a tantalizing question for a college secretary: Can anyone be trained to see the dead? Her dogged pursuit of an answer leads to a far more earthbound challenge when a colleague is felled by grief. A heartwarming drama about love and purpose that examines the ghosts that live within us all. Affiliate Artist Monica Wood is the author of the play Papermaker, and the novels The One-in-a-Million Boy, and When We Were the Kennedys.

The Half-Light will be developed in the Little Festival of the Unexpected, May 2018

SKELETON CREW by Dominique Morisseau | Apr 2 - Apr 21, 2019

The future is thrown into uncertainty when rumors seep through a Detroit auto plant at the start of the Great Recession. A makeshift family of workers swap stories, share dreams and make tough choices. Dominique Morisseau, a noted new voice in the American theater, draws comparison to Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, and Arthur Miller.

THE LAST FIVE YEARS by Jason Robert Brown | Apr 30 - May 19, 2019

This hit musical by Tony award-winning lyricist Jason Robert Brown deconstructs a love affair and marriage between an aspiring novelist and a struggling actress over five years. Told almost entirely through song, this piece moves backward and forward through time weaving the beginning and ending of a love affair.

NUNSENSE by Dan Goggin | August 2018

Winner of four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Off-Broadway Musical, Nunsense is an utterly hilarious international phenomenon. After the cook inadvertently poisons fifty-two sisters, the five of the remaining nuns mount a variety show to raise funds for the burial of the dearly departed. This show will restore your faith in the power of comedy. Presented by PS and MSMT.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens | Dec 1 - Dec 24, 2018

Celebrate the holidays with this timeless tale that embodies the season: love, family, and the spirit of goodwill. See it brought to life on-stage, with charming costumes, delightful music, and a few ghostly apparitions. This magical production is perfect for the entire family, guaranteed to warm the heart of every Scrooge. Start a family tradition of your own.

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