Acorn Productions Kicks Off 2014 Maine Playwrights Festival, Now thru 5/4

Weeks of anxious waiting ended last night for local playwrights as the Acorn Productions announced the finalists of the 2014 Maine Playwrights Festival. The Festival, now entering its 13th year, is an annual showcase of new work by Maine-based playwrights. Spanning two weekends in April and May, the Festival will feature the work of more than 17 local writers as well as dozens of actors, directors and crew.

"This was a breakthrough year for the MPF," said Kerry Rasor, president of the Acorn productions. "We received a record number of new plays for the competition. I think it speaks highly of Maine's theatre community, and the growing interest in live drama."

Sixteen of the entries chosen for the Festival will be staged in two lineups of short plays, "Alpha" and "Omega," while the seventeenth will be a full-length staged reading of Linda Britt's "WHAT IF..." a scandalous tale of an adult dinner party gone wrong. Other festival highlights include "The Monologathon" a live American-Idol-style completion, free introductory drama classes and the 24-Hour Theatre Project.

"We've brought hundreds of Made-in-Maine plays to life and provided local playwrights with a valuable chance to be present at the birth of their work," said Rasor. "Many of the scripts at the M.P.F. have gone on to be produced at other theatres across the country. Best of all, the M.P.F. is a unique opportunity to bring together actors, writers and directors from all across Maine, creating a community of artists and nurturing collaboration." This spirit of nurturing was highlighted by the recent announcement that local playwrights Michael Tooher and Cullen McGough have assumed the role of festival directors for the 2014 season.

"My plays have been produced all over the country, but nothing compares to the heart pounding I get when the lights go down at the MPF," said Tooher, "Nothing compares to playing in your home town."

The 13th Annual Maine Playwrights Festival will run from today, April 25th to May 4th at the St. Lawrence Arts Center in Portland Maine. Early ticket sales are available at www.maineplaywrightsfestival.org or through Acorn Productions. Multi-passes are available for $49; $44 for students. Festival playwrights include: Michael Kimball, Jefferson Navicky, Shirley Sergent, Kathy Hooke, Jody McColman, Howard Rosenfield, Jo-Anne Walton, Patricia Mew, Josh Brassard, Ryan William Sheppard, Sybil Baker, John Manderino, Lynne Cullen, Laurie Medeiros, David Susman, Stephen Dennis, Erica Thompson, Jennifer Reck and Linda Brill.