February 10, 2025
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Northern Writes: The play is the thing

BANGOR – Penobscot Theatre will host its second annual New Play Festival: Northern Writes, which features readings and workshop productions of developing theatrical work, through Sunday, June 8, at Bangor Opera House.

“Last year we received about 100 submissions for our first Northern Writes,” said Producing Artistic Director Scott R.C. Levy, “This year we received nearly 500 submissions from 35 states and four countries.”

Northern Writes serves as an incubator for new American theater around the world. Only scripts of plays that have not been fully produced or published are eligible. There are no fees to submit a script.

“We promised that this year’s festival would be even bigger,” added Levy, “and it will be.”

Northern Writes is focusing on 23 plays – five from Maine playwrights and pieces from artists in California, Georgia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Connecticut, Ohio and New York.

The first Northern Writes festival showcased 22 plays in 15 days and won the attention of American Theatre Magazine for being the largest theater festival in America during May.

For tickets, subscriptions or details on the theater’s 2008-2009 season, call the Penobscot Theatre box office at 942-3333 or 877-PTC-TIXX. Tickets are also are available online at www.penobscottheatre.org.

The rest of the schedule for Northern Writes is:

. “Name Game” by Shirley King of Benicia, Calif. Beth and Jane prepare for the descent of their families on Christmas, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29.

. “Heels in the Sand” by Joshua A. Kashinsky of Yonkers, N.Y. A fashion designer’s trip to Israel results in a new understanding of who her mother is, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29.

. “Nadia’s Wish” by Clare Melley Smith of Cape Elizabeth. She wants to be with him, to live with him. He wants to clean the house and be left alone, 8 p.m. Friday, May 30.

. “Voodoo Today Here Now 5” by Joe Musso of Birmingham, Ala. After Hurricane Katrina, a couple returns to a French Quarter marked by graffiti, 8 p.m. Friday, May 30.

. “The Oath” by Jacqueline Goldfinder of San Diego, Calif. In the midst of the Great Depression, a wandering preacher is trapped in a rural Southern town, 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31.

. “Pier Pressure” by Henry W. Kimmel of Atlanta, Ga. A man in a sling asks a stranger for help with his boat. Intimate breaking of boundaries, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31.

. “Potato” by Leigh Allen of Dayton, Ohio. A series of scenes devoted to finding the ordinary in unexpected places. You’ve never seen the potato quite like this, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31.

. “Elementary” by Nicholas Willette of Dover-Foxcroft. Set in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s London shortly after the (supposed) demise of Sherlock Holmes, 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1.

. “Mt. Pleasant Farm” by Cheever Tyler of New Haven, Conn. True feelings are revealed between a mother and sister on the family farm during World War II, 2 p.m. Sunday, June 1.

. “Crisis of Faith” by Jay Hanagan of Geneva, N.Y. Matt and Faith have just spent a passionate night together. But he’s married to her sister, 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 4.

. “Samantha” by Micahel Busby of Cotati, Calif. A man and a woman deal with their respective desires and inability to have children, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 5.

. “Lessons and Carols” by Demetra Kareman of Brooklyn, N.Y. Two girls in a Catholic boarding school share secrets while discovering an ally, 8 p.m. Friday, June 6.

. “Filling” by Krista Knight of Portola Valley, Calif. A post-modern fantasy about evolution and intelligent design. The kicker? Everyone’s an insect, 8 p.m. Friday, June 6.

. “Backseat Driver” by Laura K. Emack of Prospect. Two former classmates reunite for a snowy drive to Lookout Point, 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

. “Reach” by Ryan Sprague of Astoria, N.Y. A story of struggle, redemption and unappealing truths in post-Katrina New Orleans, 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

. “Skin Deep” by Rich Orloff of New York City. Mayhem at the clothing-optional resort, Godiva Inn. Warning: contains rampant off-stage nudity, 5 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

. “Electrolysis” by Bruce Pratt of Eddington. A man mistakenly gives a business card to the woman he loves – his mom’s electrolysis service, 8 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

. “State of the Art” by Deborah Savadge of New York City. The loves and losses of a touring company of actors, 8 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

. “Love Among the Ravioli” by Micahel Burgan of Chicago. A pair of blind-date misfires leads to two people discovering each other in a Chicago sports bar, 2 p.m. Sunday, June 8.

. “Soldier Come Home” by Frank Wicks of Orr’s Island. A dramatization of Civil War letters between Mary and Philip Pringle, from 1859 to 1865, 2 p.m. Sunday, June 8.

. “Prinderella and the Since” by Pat McGeever of Philadelphia. Satiric take on classic fairy tale, featuring a dyslexic fairy godmother, 2 p.m. Sunday, June 8.


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