PORTLAND, MAINE – The inaugural Portland Performing Arts Festival announces details and the full schedule of events. The Festival is made up of eight performances of classical music, jazz, dance, theater, and performance are from June 28 – July 1. The concurrent Portland Festival Fringe offers 35+ events presented by Maine artists and arts organizations on the same dates.
PORTLAND PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL featured events
June 28th:
• Guitar Master Class, featuring visiting artists Sharon Isbin and Doug Wamble in teaching session with Maine artists, open to the public. 3pm, One Longfellow Square, 181 State Street Portland. Free & open to the public
• Maine performance art duo Eepybird (the Coke & Mentos guys), live demonstration spectacular. 6pm, Monument Square, Congress & Elm Streets, Portland (sponsored by Headlight Audio Visual) Free & open to the public, rain date Friday, June 29, 6pm
June 29th:
• Sharon Isbin, classical guitar, solo concert. This multi-Grammy winning artist is regarded as the pre-eminent classical guitarist of our times. 7pm, Williston-Immanuel United Church, 156 High Street, Portland. Tickets $20-45, plus ticketing fee
June 30th:
• Alison Chase/Performance, contemporary dance ensemble. This new dance company presents the world premiere of choreography created by Maine resident and Pilobolus co-founder Alison Chase. 7pm, Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street Portland (co-presented by Portland Ovations) Tickets $27-47 plus ticketing fee
• Celebration Barn Ensemble, world premiere play, “Thumbs Up.” Created by the artists of the Celebration Barn, “Thumbs Up” is an inventive and uproarious look at Maine’s unique qualities and characters. 8pm, John Ford Theater @ Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Avenue, Portland Tickets $15-30 plus ticketing fee
• Doug Wamble, jazz. Featuring an 8-piece ensemble presenting “Yoknapatawpha,” an evening-length work based on the literary works of William Faulkner. 9pm, The State Theater, 609 Congress Street Portland (sponsored by The State Theater) Tickets $20-40 plus ticketing fee
July 1st:
• Celebration Barn Ensemble, “Thumbs Up,” matinee performance. 1pm, John Ford Theater @ Portland High School, 284 Cumberland Avenue, Portland Tickets $15-30 plus ticketing fee
• Piano Concert, Festival Finale. Curated by the Portland Conservatory, this concert presents the artists of the International Piano Festival in works by a variety of composers, including Maine resident Elliott Schwartz. 3pm, Williston-Immanuel United Church, 156 High Street, PortlandTickets $15-25 plus ticketing fee
The Festival has also partnered with Portland Public Library to present:
Inspired by Faulkner, “Just a Shape to Fill a Lack:” Metaphor, Motif, and Doug Wamble’s Jazz Homage.Colby College distinguished professor Cedric Gael Bryant leads a discussion of Faulkner stories and their moods and characters, illustrated by recorded excerpts from composer/guitarist Doug Wamble’s jazz masterwork “Yoknapatawpha,” which is being presented as a part of the Festival later in the month. Friday, June 22, noon,
Portland Public Library, Main Branch.
PORTLAND FESTIVAL FRINGE events
June 28th:
A Scene from “The Boxcar Children,” 4 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Kids Festival, 142 Free St., www.kitetails.org
Dark Follies, Street Vaudeville, 7 pm (following Eepybird), Monument Square, Free and open to the public. www.darkfollies.com
Arieb Azhar, Pakistan’s modern troubador, playing his own compositions based on Sufi poetry, 7:30pm, One Longfellow Square, www.onelongfellowsquare.com
PuppetFest presents “Audio Sketch Series,” “Solomon and Ashmedae,” & “Come and Go‚” 7:30 pm, Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo Street, $10 Adults/$7 Students & Seniors. www.mayostreetarts.org
Portland Conservatory of Music 9th Annual International Piano Festival, Student Recitals, 7:30 pm, Woodfords Church Memorial Hall, $15 Adults, $12 Students & Seniors, www.portlandconservatory.net
Portland Stage Company‚ “Two Pianos, Four Hands,” 8 pm, Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave,www.portlandstage.org
“Mesmerized, A New Musical,” Snowlion Repertory, 8 pm, St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St.,www.snowlionrep.org
Port Fringe-12, Experimental theatre performances, ticket prices vary, Venues: Lucid Stage, St. Lawrence Arts Center, & Geno’s Rock Club. www.portfringe.com
June 29th:
This is About a Sing-Slash-Dance Off, 2 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Kids Fringe, 142 Free St. www.kitetails.org
Oak Street Studios presents Alice in Wonderland, 2 pm, Free for VIP Pass Holders/$3 single tickets/$10 Family of Four, 636 Congress St. www.oakstreetstudios.com
Peter Pan (with a contemporary flair), 3 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Kids Fringe, 142 Free St. www.kitetails.org
Voices in the Mirror, 4 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Kids Fringe, 142 Free St.www.kitetails.org
Nabintu Belly Dance, 6 pm, Constellation Gallery, 511 Congress St.
Gregory Hall, 6:30 pm, improvised piano performance, Constellation Gallery, 511 Congress St.,www.composerimprov.com
Naked Shakespeare presents Shakespeare’s “All’s Well On The Waterfront‚” an interactive adaptation, 7 pm, Portland Company Complex on the Waterfront, $10, www.acorn-productions.org
PuppetFest presents “Jester Kings of Java‚” & “Reynard and the Bear‚” 7:30 pm, Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo Street, $10 Adults/$7 Students & Seniors. www.mayostreetarts.org
The Portland Stage Company presents “Two Pianos, Four Hands,” 8 pm, Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave,www.portlandstage.org
Lyric Music Theatre presents Choose Your Own Adventure Karaoke Musical, 8pm, $10 general admission, 176 Sawyer Street, South Portland, www.lyricmusictheater.org
The Portland Ballet presents a site specific performance in a unique event in the front window of Portland Public Library, 8:30 pm, 5 Monument Square, free and viewable from Monument Square or the sidewalks of Congress St.
Port Fringe-12, Experimental theatre performances, ticket prices vary, Venues: Lucid Stage, St. Lawrence Arts Center, & Geno’s Rock Club. www.portfringe.com
June 30th
A Company of Girls presents Lord of the Flies, 1 pm, Mayo St. Arts!, 10 Mayo St, www.mayostreetarts.org
Improvisational Community Circle Singing, 1 pm, Improvox, 2 Monument Square, www.improvox.com
The Angry Birds Band, 3 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Kids Fringe, 142 Free St. www.kitetails.org
Clowning with Dyer, 4 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Kids Fringe, 142 Free St. www.kitetails.org
Naked Shakespeare presents Shakespeare’s “All’s Well On The Waterfront‚” an interactive adaptation, 7 pm, Portland Company Complex on the Waterfront, $10, www.acorn-productions.org
The Portland Stage Company presents “Two Pianos, Four Hands,” 8 pm, Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave,www.portlandstage.org
Lyric Music theatre presents Choose Your Own Adventure Karaoke Musical, 8pm, $10 general admission, 176 Sawyer Street, South Portland, www.lyricmusictheater.org
Hattie Simon, jazz vocalist, w/ Nick Thompson-Brown, 10 pm-12 am, Blue, 650 Congress St., “Pass the Hat” donations.
Port-Fringe12, Experimental theatre performances, ticket prices vary, Venues: Lucid Stage, St. Lawrence Arts Center, & Geno’s Rock Club. www.portfringe.com
July 1st:
Hattie Simon, jazz vocalist, w/ Nick Thompson-Brown, 12 pm- 2 pm, Bard Coffee, 185 Middle St., Free.
Custard the Dragon, 2 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Kids Fringe, 142 Free St.www.kitetails.org
Staged Reading: Magic in the Attic, 3 pm, The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: Kids Fringe, 142 Free St., www.kitetails.org
The Portland Stage Company presents “Two Pianos, Four Hands,” 4 pm, Portland Stage, 25A Forest Ave,www.portlandstage.org
Naked Shakespeare presents Shakespeare’s “All’s Well On The Waterfront‚” an interactive adaptation, 7 pm, Portland Company Complex on the Waterfront, $10, www.acorn-productions.org
State Theatre presents Fiona Apple, 7 pm, The State Theatre – 609 Congress St. www.statetheatreportland.com
Port-Fringe12, Experimental theatre performances, ticket prices vary, Venues: Lucid Stage, St. Lawrence Arts Center, & Geno’s Rock Club. www.portfringe.com
WHAT’S THE FESTIVAL?
The Portland Performing Arts Festival will transform Portland’s Arts District into a hotbed of creative activity for four days. “We hope to create a sustainable and distinctive festival that brings regional residents and cultural tourists to Portland’s vital downtown,” said Kara Larson, the Festival’s board president. “By combining visiting artists from around the world with performances by Maine artists and collaborative work with Portland’s arts organizations we hope to create a world-class event that is uniquely Maine’s.”
Portland has already proven itself as a cultural mecca, serving residents and visitors alike with thriving presenter and producer organizations encompassing every imaginable art form. Its creative community grows every year, and a significant sector of economic development is connected to the creative economy. The Festival organizers hope to draw both local and regional audiences and use the event to support all the arts in Portland. “If, in a year or two, it becomes an even larger event, it will have more potential to draw audiences from New York, New England and Canada (and eventually further away),” Larson said.
“As a rising cultural center nationally, Portland now has a chance to build on its strengths and attract new audiences that will increase the entire pie for our cultural community and economy,” said Jennifer Hutchins, executive director of the Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance. “It’s festivals like this one that help solidify Portland’s place on the map and draw national and international attention to our enviable quality of life.”
Partners/Sponsors
The Festival is particularly proud to be co-presenting the performance of Alison Chase/Performance with Portland Ovations, which has been presenting great performances in Portland since 1931. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Portland Performing Arts Festival in the presentation of the internationally recognized, Maine-based artist Alison Chase. Alison is an artist we hold in high regard; co-presenting her with the Festival further underscores our commitment to contemporary dance and Maine artists.” said Aimée M. Petrin, Ovations executive director. “The Festival provides yet another way to bring the thrill of the performing arts to our community and bring others to our community. We are pleased to be a partner in making this exciting new venture happen.”
It also proudly acknowledges the Portland Arts & Cultural Alliance as a presenting partner for its opening events. PACA, as Portland’s arts agency and organizer of events including the First Friday Art Walks, is a natural fit for the Festival’s outdoor, free, family-friendly kickoff presentation.
And finally, we thank the Portland Conservatory of Music for curating our piano recital, featuring the artists featured in their International Piano Festival, running concurrently with the Portland Performing Arts Festival.
Eepybird’s appearance at the Festival is sponsored by Headlight Audio Visual, providing Northern New England with audio visual technology for over 30 years, and committed to active support of their community.
Events at the State Theater are sponsored by the State Theatre, one of Portland’s premier live music venues and a stalwart supporter of the arts. And the Festival is co-sponsored by Stone Coast Properties at the State Theatre Building.
The Festival is co-sponsored by Coffee by Design, a Portland based handcrafter of micro-roasted coffee and a long-time supporter of Portland’s arts and culture.
The Festival is grateful to be able to acknowledge grants made in support by the Maine Community Foundation, Fund for the Performing Arts
, and Maine Community Foundation, Edward H. Daveis Fund, and major gifts in support of the Festival made by Justin & Rachael Alfond, Alison Hildreth, Donald Sussman, and two generous donors who wish to remain anonymous.
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