Pontine Theatre's 47th Season Kicks Off in September

Pontine Theatre’s 47th Season kicks off September 15 - 17 with performances by Sarah Frechette, founding director of Vermont’s PuppetKabob. Her latest creation.  Dirty Gerts, is a paper pop-up extravaganza. A groovy blend of historical fiction, 60's pop culture & colorful confetti. Sarah Frechette studied puppetry in Germany with legendary Master Puppeteer, Albrecht Roser. She has performed across the USA, Canada, Germany, Austria and China.  Performances are scheduled for September 15-17: Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 3pm and Sunday at 2pm.  Pontine Theatre’s venue, the 1845 Plains Schoolhouse theater, is located at 1 Plains Avenue in Portsmouth NH.  This intimate performance space is fully accessible with free parking available on site. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased online — www.pontine.org. 

The season continues October 20-22 with  Great Small Works’ We Love Trees,  a toy theatre play created by Great Small Works' John Bell and Trudi Cohen in collaboration with classical musicians Marci Gerri and Daniel Sedgwick. It's the story of a copper beech tree in Somerville, MA, which once stood in front of the house of a 19th century composer and later became the anchor for a green oasis called Symphony Park. Also on the program is "Living Newspapers: Episode Two: Sidewalk Ballet," a toy theatre play about Robert Moses' and Jane Jacobs' struggle over Washington Square Park In NYC in the 1960's. Great Small Works was founded in 1995 by a collective of artists, all veterans of Vermont's Bread & Puppet Theater. 

November 24 - December 3, Pontine Theatre presents A New England Christmas featuring an original adaptation of Frank Stockton’s story, Cap’n Eli’s Best Ear.  This 1908 Christmas tale introduces a widowed sea captain who cleverly engineers his Christmas celebrations to secure his heart’s desire—a new family! The performance features a cast of bunraku-style puppets created by Pontine Artistic Co-Director, Greg Gathers.  Also on the program is holiday music by fiddler Ellen Carlson and friends.  

The Season closes March 15 - 24, 2024 with Robert Frost’s New Hampshire— In 2019 Pontine Theatre created a new work based on the early poems of Robert Frost which, due to the pandemic, was never performed before a live audience. Now the company presents its long-delayed premiere. Frost, a long-time summer resident of Franconia NH, received the first of four Pulitzer Prizes in 1924 for his volume:  New Hampshire: A Poem with Notes and Grace Notes. Known for his New England settings, his down to earth, stark depictions of the difficulties of rural farm life, and his use of colloquial speech, Robert Frost is widely admired as a true American Master. 

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Book of a Musical - Top 3

1. David Hornsby, Chris Hoch, David Hornsby, Chris Hoch - The Lost Boys

36.1% of votes

2. Jim Barne, Kit Buchan - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

27.6% of votes

3. Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!

21.3% of votes

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