BANGOR – Penobscot Theatre Company will open its 2002 season with Moliere’s “Tartuffe” in March, Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal” in April and Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” in May. In the fall of 2002, Penobscot will present “Jack and Jill: A Modern Romance” by Jane Martin and a stage adaptation of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

The Maine Shakespeare Festival’s 2002 season will feature William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” and “The Tempest” as well as the 1999 hit “The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)” by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield. MSF plays are performed in rotating repertory outdoors at the Bangor waterfront during July and August. The 2002 festival will be the theater company’s ninth annual production.

The 2002 season will include two plays suitable for family outings. An adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” is scheduled for July, and the theater’s traditional offering of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is planned for December. Both plays will be performed in the Bangor Opera House.

“We have selected works that will continue to challenge our company and the community artistically and provide high entertainment value for our audiences,” said Mark Torres, Penobscot’s producing artistic director. “From the comedies of Moliere and Simon to the heart-wrenching drama of Anne Frank’s story to classic Shakespeare and Dickens, we will be offering eastern Maine residents and visitors an exciting season of live professional theater.”

Information about tickets, season subscriptions and special discounts is available at the theater’s box office at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St., noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Information is also available by calling 942-3333.

on the Web at www.PenobscotTheatre.com or by e-mail at ptcbo@mint.net.