Play time Community reading series sparks discussion among artists and neighbors on Deer Isle

As much as parents like to tell their children that things were different back in the day, the fact is: The trials and the tribulations of the high school years have basically remained unchanged through generations. It’s likely that all young people face some of the same questions in adolescence: Who am I? Does he like me? Am I fat? Why are adults so stupid?

The connections between generations of teens – and parents – were highlighted one recent night when students from Deer Isle-Stonington High School performed a staged reading of “The Straight & Crazy Doped Up World” at the Stonington Opera House. Hancock educator Sanford Phippen, best known for his literary depictions of Maine, wrote the play in 1973 while teaching high school English in Syracuse, N.Y.

When the play debuted there, parents were outraged at its revelations of pregnancy by incest, fantasies of violence and questions about sexuality, identity and boundaries. After more than 30 years, it still has the power to reveal. Teens may not have changed much, but parents have. Those who attended the show in Stonington, which was directed by two students and, except for one adult role, featured only students, gave thoughtful feedback, sometimes marked by nostalgia for their own teen years.

“All of you were so realistic,” said one older woman in the audience during a talk-back session after the show, “that I went right back to high school in the 1960s.” She also asked the student actors if the situations in the play reflected what they feel today.

“I loved it,” said Jake Adams, a cast member. “It’s exactly what a lot of us deal with today.”

Phippen, a retired Orono High School English teacher who now teaches at the University of Maine, attended the show and applauded the presentation for its spirit. Later he said: “My whole life has been community, you might say. I teach and write and am very involved with both my communities in Hancock and Orono. To me, it’s so healthy to be involved in the community and in the arts.”

The coming together of students, neighbors, artists and theater professionals is the foundation of “Our Own” Community Playreading Series held annually at Stonington Opera House. Typically, no props are used. The “actors” wear street clothes and read from scripts in their hands. Lighting and music enhance the performance but, for the most part, the play is the thing.

“We have always loved reading plays this way,” said Carol Estey, co-artistic director and co-organizer of the series with Opera House colleague Judith Jerome. “When we have so few opportunities in a limited budget and schedule to do plays, it allows us the time to hear many different plays. We don’t have to memorize them. The community can be involved, and you don’t have to have done it before.”

Although the Opera House has organized dramatic readings for seven years, the program has expanded recently to include “Stonington Shorts,” devoted to live literary presentations by community members on Feb. 7 and March 7, as well as staged readings of new works by Maine playwrights in April, May and June.

The “Straight & Crazy” night was the first time the organization focused the program on teens as artists and literary conduits in the community.

“Looking back on it, I’m not really sure why I did it, but it was a great experience,” said Joe Mills, a 17-year-old junior who had never been in a theatrical production before – and had previously attended only movies at the Opera House. “I thought it was a great experience. The story really made it. I felt no matter who you are, you could relate to it.”

He was not alone in noticing that many of his teachers from the high school were not in the audience and, like his classmates, wondered if the arts get as much support from the community as sports or other activities. The topic became a discussion point.

In addition to sparking such exchanges, organizers say the play readings have helped build new audiences for the performing arts center. For instance, Mills said he would like to be in another play if the opportunity came up.

“It’s a wonderful way to have people participate in the Opera House, and for us to give opportunities for using the arts as a way of experiencing life from some different perspectives,” said Estey. “Theater is one of the ways you do that – and that’s a gift to anyone. But sometimes just plain old speaking out loud in front of others is a huge step for a person.”

For Katy Helman, an art teacher at the high school, working as one of the dramatic readers allowed her to spend more time with her students outside the classroom – despite how nervous she was about performing for the first time.

“It was something I’d never done before, and I thought I’d give it a shot,” said Helman, who took direction from her students in rehearsals. “I wouldn’t let my husband come, and I tried very hard not to look at the audience. This is an island. You know everyone.” She paused. “Sometimes it’s good to swallow your ego and not have to be the best. And it’s good for the kids to see an adult try something different.”

Quirin Salomon, an exchange student from Germany, said that even though “Straight & Crazy” is in English, it’s about youth around the world. Because the all-white cast read the roles of black characters, another person in the audience questioned whether a story about a racially charged environment could “transcend” its specific setting. Galen Koch, one of the directors, said, “We all have to deal with problems and get through them. One of the main problems of education is that sometimes problems are not addressed.”

While neither racial themes nor local issues were resolved by this group, the evening came to an end with everyone in agreement about one thing: The play reading had united them as a community, created a discussion among generations and put art at the center of it all.

For information about the play-reading series at Stonington Opera House, call 367-2788 or visit www.operahousearts.org.