Magicians Phil Smith and Dan Link to Entertain Crowds At Portland Stage Company This Holiday Season

Acorn Productions has added lobby magicians to the slate of entertainment awaiting audiences at the 12th annual Phyzgig festival, a celebration of physical comedy and variety entertainment for the family taking place in downtown Portland between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Local magicians Phil Smith and Dan Link will be performing close-up magic in the lobby at Portland Stage Company before curtain and during the intermission of the vaudeville shows on December 28. 29, and 31. Tickets for Phzygig shows cost between $8 and $18, and they are still available for all Phyzgig shows. Interested audience members can get more information and purchase ticketsby visiting the festival's website phyzgig.org or by calling 854-0065.

Phyzgig 2009 will feature of mixture of familiar faces and newcomers. This year, Acorn has expanded the roster of performers to include more entertainers from outside of Maine. There are 11 artists performing in this year's festival, 6 of whom appeared in last year's Phyzgig. Of the remaining 5 artists, 2 have appeared at Phyzgig in the past while 3 are new to the festival. Phyzgig week will begin with an adult-oriented cabaret show at SPACE Gallery on December 26th, and continues with 5 mainstage vaudeville shows at the Portland Performing Arts Center, and 7 Phyzkidz shows at SPACE Gallery. New this season is the addition of 2 Phyzkidz shows in Westbrook at the new Acorn Studio Theater.

Over its first 11 years, Phyzgig has evolved into a well-known event that attracts audience members from throughout the region to Portland each holiday season. Acorn is proud to host one of the only vaudeville festivals in the country; one whose reputation has grown to attract applications from as far away as Africa and India. As audiences have come to expect, the 11 Phyzgig entertainers will create a full-blown week of zany insanity, featuring clowning, juggling, magic, slapstick humor, and other acts that defy classification. The event not only offers Portland audiences a rare look at form of entertainment with a rich and honored tradition, but has also helped to put Maine on the map as a state that nurtures the spirit of vaudeville. Phyzgig features three types of performances: Phyzkidz shows take place at SPACE Gallery and feature 3 performers in a format and venue designed for younger audience members, mainstage variety shows showcase 4 performers and the live Phyzgig band, appealing to audiences of all ages, while the cabaret show consists of 4 artists offering sophisticated humor for more mature audiences.

Phyzgig is presented by Acorn Productions, an non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing and developing the performing arts community in Southern Maine.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

CABARET SHOW
Saturday, December 26 at 8:30 p.m.
featuring Audiobody, Leland Faulkner, Mika, and Norman Ng

SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St., downtown Portland
Tickets $14 adults, $12 students and seniors, $10 kids twelve and under

PHYZKIDS PORTLAND
Sunday, December 27 at 2 p.m.
featuring Audiobody, Brent McCoy, and Yo-Yo People

Monday, December 28 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
featuring Tim Holland, Mika, and Jacob Sharpe

Tuesday, December 29 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
featuring Iman Lizarazu, Brent McCoy, and Run for your life...It's a dance company

Wednesday, December 30 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
featuring Audiobody, Leland Faulkner, and Mika

SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St., downtown Portland
Tickets $14 adults, $12 students and seniors, $10 kids twelve and under

PHYZKIDS WESTBROOK
Monday, December 28 at noon
featuring Iman Lizarau, Norman Ng, and Yo-Yo People

Tuesday, December 29 at noon
featuring Leland Faulkner, Tim Holland, and Jacob Sharpe

Acorn Studio Theater, Dana Warp Mill, 90 Bridge St., downtown Westbrook
Tickets $12 adults, $10 students and seniors, $8 kids twelve and under

MAINSTAGE SHOWS
Monday, December 28 at 7 p.m.
featuring Mika, Norman Ng, Jacob Sharpe, Yo-Yo people and the Phyzgig pit band

Tuesday, December 29 at 7 p.m.
featuring Audiobody, Tim Holland, Brent McCoy, Mika, and the Phyzgig pit band

Wednesday, December 30 at 7 p.m.
featuring Ambidextrous, Iman Lizarazu, Brent McCoy, Yo-Yo People and the Phyzgig pit band

Thursday, December 31 at 2 and 7 p.m. (New Year's Eve)
featuring Ambidextrous, Leland Faulkner, Iman Lizarazu, Norman Ng, Run for your life...It's a dance company, and the Phyzgig pit band

Portland Performing Arts Center, 25A Forest Avenue, downtown Portland
Tickets $18 adults, $14 students and seniors, $12 kids twelve and under

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