Acorn Productions Announces Selections For 2010 MAINE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Acorn Productions, a non-profit art presented located in the Dana Warp Mill, announces plans for the 2010 Maine Playwrights Festival (MPF), the ninth annual spotlight on brand new plays by local writers, which will take place from April 15 to May 1 at the St. Lawrence Arts Center on MunJoy Hill in Portland. This year's edition of the festival will be directed by Harlan Baker, Julie Goell, and Michael Levine, and features one full-length featured play and 2 different line-ups of shorter plays that vary in length from 5 to 30 minutes. In all, 12 new plays will be brought to life over the 3 weekends of the festival. Complete descriptions of each play appears below. Each evening of plays will be presented 4 times, culminating in a "Marathon Day" on Saturday, May 1st in which all 12 plays will be presented beginning at 2 p.m. A new feature at this year's festival will be the first annual MPF 24-hour play festival, funded by the Maine Theater Fund, which will take place on the St. Lawrence Stage on Sunday, May 2nd at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the 9th annual Maine Playwrights Festival are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, with festival passes valid at all 3 line-ups available for $35 adults and $28 for students and seniors. Entrance to the 24-hour play festival is free with a $5 suggested donation.

The playwrights whose work will appear in the 2010 MPF have a wide range of previous writing experience. Of the 12 writers, 5 have previously had worked presented as part of the MPF, while the other 7 are new to the festival.
Hugh Aaron is a published author whose short stories and essays have appeared in a variety of publications. His plays have received staged readings in Cushing, Rockland, Columbus, Ohio, and New Bedford, Mass.
Delvyn Case is a Hematology/Oncology doctor who has been writing plays since 1995. "The Nziza" was commissioned by Central Africa Vision USA and was produced by students at the Central African Vision High School in Kigali last summer.
Laura Emack's scripts have been produced in NYC and Kennebunk, and received staged readings in Omaha, NYC, and throughout Maine, including 2 appearances in Penobscot Theater's Northern Writes New Play Festival.
Kathy Hooke is a published poet who tutors writers at UNE and works as a writer for a legal newspaper. Her plays have been read as part of Acorn's Friday Night Reading Series, and presented at the Norman Rockwell Festival in Kennebunk.
Michael Kimball is a frequent contributor to the Maine Playwrights Festival. In addition to his many plays, he has written several bestselling suspense novels, and a handful of screenplays. He is currently on the faculty of the Stonecoast MFA program.
Jefferson Navicky writes poetry and fiction in addition to his plays. He is an adjunct faculty member at SMCC and helped produce the Portland Police Poetry Calendar.
Jan Paetow originally developed "Solitary Dancers" at The Actors Studio in NYC. It has previously received staged readings at Bergen Stage and McCarter Theater in Princeton, and earned a fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Bruce Pratt is a fiction and poetry writer whose work has been published by many literary magazines across the country. He is a faculty member at the Stonecoast MFA program offered by the University of Southern Maine.
John Rizzo is a freelance writer whose work can be read on a variety of website. His play "Put Your Hands Together" was a part of the 2009 MPF.
Blaise Titus is a Portland resident whose play "Easter Surprise" was presented at Blue in October 2007.
Michael Tooher is a local stagehand and member of IATSE whose plays have been produced by the Boston Theater Marathon and theaters in Albuquerque, San Francisco and New York City.
Eric Worthley is a local actor and member of the Improv group "The Escapists."

The Maine Playwrights Festival started in 2001 as a series of dramatic readings in the old Acorn School for the Performing Arts on Congress Street (there was no festival in 2003). Since that time, Acorn has presented 74 plays by 49 different playwrights at a variety of venues, moving to the St. Lawrence in 2005 where the festival continues to make its home each spring. Several plays developed at the MPF have gone on to success in other markets, most notably Carolyn Gage's "The Poorly-Written Play Festival" and Michael Kimball's "Actual Glass," both of which were invited to festivals in NYC after their MPF production. Acorn's commitment to fostering the development of new plays has extended into year-round programming in the Acorn Studio Theater, including a Friday night dramatic reading series that takes place once a month, and a Playwrights Lab taught 3 times a year by Producing Director Michael Levine. Acorn Productions is dedicated to nurturing the performing arts by building collaborations between groups of artists. In addition to the MPF, Acorn annually produces Phyzgig, a vaudeville festival that takes place between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and Naked Shakespeare, an ongoing series of free performances in traditional and non-traditional venues in Greater Portland.

2010 MAINE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL SCRIPTS

Featured Play (directed by Michael Levine)

Solitary Dancers, by Jan Paetow - See what happens when passion meet apathy in this painful black comedy about three middle-aged people and their eccentric approaches to life.

Short Plays - Schedule A (directed by Julie Goell)

Backseat Driver, by Laura Emack - Two former lovers, one married and one unmarried, relish a chance encounter that just might go too far.

(Living) Will, by John Rizzo - A woman about to be removed from life support fights to be heard

Savannah, by Kathy Hooke - Six characters from different time periods in the history of Savannah, GA tell stories of compassion, struggle and acceptance as a picture gradually emerges as the ancient common heritage of all human beings.

The Brownwater Legend, by Michael Kimball - An historical fantasy of the old west, bringing to life the legend of Consternation "Kid" Brownwater, housepainter, soup-maker, and aspiring gunslinger.

The Nziza, by Delvyn Case - Two young girls, who have experienced the horror of the Rwandan genocide, face the dilemma of revenge or forgiveness

Short Plays - Schedule B (directed by Harlan Baker)

A Topnotch Man, by Hugh Aaron - A college professor calls on his former student, now a successful executive, for a loan to feed his drug habit.

Barter, by Bruce Pratt - A married couple play a dangerous game when the repairman comes to fix their furnace, uncovering in the process the ugly truths about their lives.

Lungfish, by Jefferson Navicky -An aging yet still renowned dance choreographer gives lessons out of his home, but after a strange moment with one of his students, he is forced to confront his relationship and long-present melancholy.

Neighbors, by Blaise Titus - Can any of us really be sure what lurks on the other side of the wall in your apartment building?

now I lay me down to sleep, by Michael Tooher - A young couple starts to come to term with the death of their newborn with the help of a photographer

The Day After the Incident, by Eric Worthley - Two friends discuss the previous nights events, but not with each other.

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

Thursday, April 15th at 7:30 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule A
Friday, April 16th at 7:30 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule B
Saturday, April 17th at 5 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule B
Saturday, April 17th at 8 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule A
Friday, April 23rd at 7:30 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule B
Saturday, April 24th at 5 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule A
Saturday, April 24th at 8 p.m. - "Solitary Dancers"
Thursday, April 29th at 7:30 p.m. - "Solitary Dancers"
Friday, April 30th at 7:30 p.m. - "Solitary Dancers"

Marathon Day - see all 12 plays in one day
Saturday, May 1st at 2 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule A
Saturday, May 1st at 5 p.m. - Short Plays Schedule B
Saturday, May 1st at 8 p.m. - "Solitary Dancers"

Sunday, May 2nd at 7:30 p.m. - 24-hour play festival (free admission)

 

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