Strand Theatre announces New Century Series: live theatre, dance and cinema works

ROCKLAND - As part of its upcoming 2023 centennial year celebration, the Strand Theatre announces it’s New Century Series, a multi-year program that will bring more live theatre, dance and innovative cinema works to the midcoast – pushing the boundaries of what’s been on offer at the theater before, both in content and presentation format. The new series will explore new works, new artists, and new spaces as the Strand embarks on its next 100 years. 

 

Katie Melby recently joined the Strand team as the Program Manager for the series. Melby has worked professionally as a director, creator, and performer, and is co-founder of the Brooklyn arts space Cloud City, a member of BREAD Arts Collective and co-artistic director of the physical theatre company 3 Sticks. 

 

 “As the Strand sets its sights on the next 100 years, we’re exploring new

MCMA Spring Recital Takes Place At Strand Theatre June 26th

Rockland, Maine - Mid Coast Music Academy spring recital will take place at the Strand Theatre on Sunday, June 26th, 2pm, in Rockland, Maine.

Mid Coast Music Academy writes on their Facebook event page; Join us at the Strand

Exhibition On Screen Series continues with I, Claude Monet on August 16

Rockland, Maine - The Strand Theatre’s EXHIBITION ON SCREEN  series continues with I, Claude Monet on Thursday, August 16, with high definition screenings at 2pm and 7pm.                   

I, Claude Monet, reveals the heart and soul of arguably the world’s most loved artist. Monet’s life is a gripping tale about a man who, behind his sun-dazzled canvases, suffered from feelings of depression, loneliness, even suicide. However, as his art developed and his love of gardening led to the glories of his Giverny garden, his humour, insight and love of life are revealed.

Told through Monet’s own words and shot on location at the very spots he painted, the film features his most loved paintings in an unforgettable, immersive art experience.                   
About EXHIBITION ON SCREEN:
Working with top international museums and galleries, EXHIBITION ON SCREEN creates films which offer a cinematic immersion into the world’s best loved art, accompanied by insights from the world's leading historians and arts critics. Since launching in 2011, EXHIBITION ON SCREEN has released 16 films which have been shown in over 50 countries worldwide.

For further information about EXHIBITION ON SCREEN, visit exhibitiononscreen.com

Running time: 97 min. Tickets are $12.50/General Admission, $10/ Strand Theatre Members.

Tickets and more information at:
www.rocklandstrand.com.
Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3 
Email: info@rocklandstrand.com
Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, Rockland, ME 04841

Image 1: Portrait of Claude Monet

Image 2: Giverny Garden

Image 3: “Impression Sunrise” by Claude Monet (1872)

The Greatest Showman Sing-Along presented as Strand fundraiser on June 3

ROCKLAND, Maine - The Greatest Showman will be presented as sing-along screenings on Sunday, June 3 as a fundraiser for Strand Theatre educational programs. Showtimes are 3pm and 6pm. Costumes are encouraged, and all are welcome to arrive early for circus-themed fun prior to the show! Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for children under 12.

Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. The movie is directed by Michael Gracey and stars Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, and Zac Efron. It is rated PG-13.

Due to underwriting support from Graffam Brothers, Fuller Chevrolet, and Home Kitchen Cafe, ticket proceeds will support the Strand Theatre's free educational programs, offered to students and schools in the midcoast.

The Strand Theatre became a nonprofit in January 2014 and is now operated by Friends of the Strand Theatre. Memberships,  as well as grants, sponsorships and fundraising efforts, help pay the operating expenses for the wide range of cultural and educational programming the theater offers to the community.

Tickets: $10/Advance, $5/Children Under 12. To buy tickets, or for more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com  345 Main Street, Rockland.

Images: Screen shots from The Greatest Showman

Behold the Earth to be shown as part of the Earth Day Film Fest at the Strand Theater

Rockland, Maine - In celebration of Earth Day, on April 22nd at 1:00 pm, Rockland’s Strand Theatre will screen Behold the Earth, a documentary film by local filmmaker and conservationist David Conover. A discussion will follow the screening, led by film co-producer Manette Pottle with Maine pastor and spiritual storyteller Peter Panagore and local conservation leaders.

Behold the Earth provides an original opportunity to re-examine and expand the community of U.S. environmentalists to chart a course to a brighter future. The film also asks the question, “Could a journey into Creation determine the future of the church?” A music-rich documentary, Behold the Earth explores America’s estrangement from the outdoors through conversations with legendary scientists E.O. Wilson, Cal DeWitt, and Theo Colborn, as well as a new generation of Creation Care activists within America’s Christian communities: Katharine Hayhoe, Ben Lowe, and Corina Newsome are close observers of nature bearing witness to creation, asking tough questions about church engagement with environmental issues. Can these emerging leaders help reduce the human degradations of the living planet, wrought by toxins and a destructively warming climate? Along the way, can they revive the reach and relevance of both environmentalism and Christianity in America? Four time Grammy-award winning musician Dirk Powell leads the arrangements of traditional American tunes and hymns, with Rhiannon Giddens and Tim Eriksen.

According to Director David Conover, “Behold the Earth began 12 years ago with a hunch that the conversation about our human impact on the environment must be a broader conversation than it has been in America over the past 50 years. Perhaps with new words. Perhaps with unexpected listeners. Yes, the conversation needed to be informed by the biological and other sciences that are observing, measuring, and understanding how those impacts are happening. But the conversation also needed a level of committed engagement and richness that is possible with a substantive moral component, grounded in influential American beliefs of who we are, and where we are going. I spoke with faith leaders, eminent scientists, and a younger generation of Christian evangelicals and environmentalists, all who were eager to talk with me about how best to engage Americans in the challenges of climate change, and the moral and personal dimensions that accompany this important duty, or calling. Much of their guidance came with encouragement to deeply reconsider the word ‘behold.’”

Behold the Earth premiered to a sold-out house at the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital in March, 2017, and has screened since at both film festivals and in secular and Christian communities across the country. Andy Peterson, CEO of Different Drummer and creator of the Justice Film Festival, describes Behold the Earth as “a meditative and spiritually engrossing documentary film with deeper themes of redemption and action – calling viewers to engage in protecting God’s creation. An important and timely film that uniquely outlines the role of the church in the climate change conversation.” And Kyle Meyaard-Schaap of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA), writes “Behold the Earth is not merely a film, it is an experience...its luxurious pace invites you to not only observe the beauty of the Earth, but to truly behold it.” Climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe, featured in the film, says, “People ask me if I believe in global warming. I tell them, 'No I don’t,’ because belief is faith; faith is the evidence of things not seen. Science is evidence of things seen. To have an open mind, we have to use the brains that God gave us to look at the science.”

This screening is co-sponsored by The Strand Theatre and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Manette Pottle, a member of St. Peter’s and co-producer of the film, will be joined for a post-screening discussion by the Rev. Peter Panagore. Panagore has a Master’s in Divinity from Yale and served for fifteen years as the writer, producer, and fifth host of America’s longest running religious broadcast, Daily Devotions, at the First Radio Parish of American. Several local conservation leaders will also join the panel discussion. Suggested Donation $10.

For more information about the screening, contact Marty Rogers at 236-8922 or the Strand Theatre at 594-0070.

Friends of the Strand Theatre welcomes three new Board Members

ROCKLAND, Maine - The Board of Directors of Friends of the Strand Theatre recently welcomed three new members with strong ties to the community: Normas Thomas, Ariel Hall, and Elysa Rose Coster.

Norman Thomas does part time technical and management consulting with the Office of Naval Research and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.  A career Naval Officer he graduated from Princeton University in 1963 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and the Naval Postgraduate School in 1967 with an MSEE; he also has a certificate in Management from the University of Virginia.  After retiring from the Navy he has worked for Western Union, Norden Systems and Northrop Grumman developing electronic systems for the military.

Norman married Susan Allen in Rockland in 1964, and after 45 years they built a house in Owls Head and returned to her home.  They have both been active in local government and community affairs wherever they have lived and are continuing that service on the Mid-Coast.  They have seen and enjoyed the Strand as it has gone through its many lives as the entertainment heart of Rockland, and are especially pleased to see it returned to its original glory.

 

Ariel Hall grew up in Hope. She left Maine at 16, returning in her early thirties after years in New York City. Ariel is a multi-disciplinary artist working mainly in performance and installation. She has shown her work at La MaMa, Panoply Performance Lab, the Culture Project, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, the Steel House, and in the streets of New York City and São Paulo, among other locales and venues. In her last stint in New York, Ariel assisted curators at the Museum of Modern Art, helping them better execute performative and interactive artworks in the museum’s galleries; she also performed and facilitated the production of these artworks. Ariel holds a BA in art, psychology, and feminist theory, and an MA in Performance Studies, both from NYU. Most recently, Ariel opened Periscope, a modern design shop focused on interiors, with her partner, Jan Leth. They live in Spruce Head with their baby daughter.

Elysa Rose Coster received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University.  She worked as an art director in New York in advertising and promotion until she and her husband Paul moved to India and then Singapore. While in India, Elysa worked with battered women designing and producing patchwork quilts and, in Singapore, had her two daughters and wrote book reviews for a Singapore magazine. The Coster family moved back from Asia in 2000 and spent 18 years in Lloyd Harbor, NY before relocating to Rockland in 2016.

While raising her two daughters, who now are in college, Elysa was active in her local community and worked with organizations that promote education, the arts, and healthy living. Her creativity, penchant for aesthetics and originality, and strong commitment to working with local talent and being a integral member of the community are evident in her multiple home renovations and building management projects in NY, Camden, and most recently in Rockland on Steel House and Steel House South. Elysa is a member of the Universalist Unitarian church in Rockland, cleans the Good Tern once a week, and is teaching Iyengar Yoga and starting a pottery studio at Steel House South.

The Strand Theatre, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the  National Trust for Historic Preservation, became a nonprofit in January 2014 and is now operated by Friends of the Strand Theatre. It is located at 345 Main Street, Rockland. For more information about the theater visit www.rocklandstrand.com or call (207) 594-0070.

Puccini’s TOSCA presented as Met Opera Live-in-HD Broadcast on January 27

Rockland, Maine - The 2017 - 2018 Metropolitan Opera’s Live-in-HD season of broadcasts from Lincoln Center to the Strand Theatre continues on January 27 with a simulcast of Puccini’s  Tosca. An Encore broadcast will be presented on Tuesday, February 6 at 1pm.

 

Rivaling the splendor of Franco Zeffirelli’s set and costumes of the Napoleonic era, Sir David McVicar’s ravishing new production offers a splendid backdrop for two extraordinary sopranos sharing the title role of the jealous prima donna: Sonya Yoncheva and Anna Netrebko. Vittorio Grigolo and Marcelo Álvarez alternate in the role of Tosca’s revolutionary artist lover Cavaradossi, with Michael Volle and Željko Lučić as the depraved police chief Scarpia. Emmanuel Villaume conducts.

Tosca premiered at the Teatro Costanzi, Rome, in 1900. Puccini’s melodrama about a volatile diva, a sadistic police chief, and an idealistic artist has offended and thrilled audiences for more than a century. Critics, for their part, have often had problems with Tosca’s rather grungy subject matter, the directness and intensity of its score, and the crowd-pleasing dramatic opportunities it provides for its lead roles. But these same aspects have made Tosca one of a handful of iconic works that seem to represent opera in the public imagination. Tosca’s popularity is further secured by a superb and exhilarating dramatic sweep, a driving score of abundant melody and theatrical shrewdness, and a career-defining title role.



Now in its 12th season, the Met Live-in-HD series brings New York City’s prestigious Metropolitan Opera to movie theater audiences nationwide. Featuring new talent as well as seasoned veterans, the 2017-18 season features ten transmissions, including five new productions, two of which are Met premieres. The Strand Theatre will broadcast each live event on a Saturday, and re-broadcast an Encore performance on a following Tuesday.



Sung in Italian with Met titles in English. Estimated Run Time: 2 hrs 53 mins, with two 30-min. Intermissions. Tickets: $27/Adults, $15/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID; available at www.rocklandstrand.com or (207) 594-0070.  Encore show tickets available day-of-show: $23/Adults, $5/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID. For more information visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 Email: info@rocklandstrand.com. The Strand Theatre is located at 345 Main Street in Rockland.


Photo 1: Act II of David McVicar's new production of Puccini's "Tosca". Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera



Photo 2:    Vittorio Grigolo as Cavaradossi and Sonya Yoncheva as Tosca in rehearsal for David McVicar's new production of "Tosca". Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera.



Photo 3: Sonya Yoncheva as Tosca and Željko Lučić as Scarpia in an Act II rehearsal for David McVicar's new production of "Tosca". Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera,

Strand announces the Reel Film Festival

ROCKLAND, Maine - The presentation of movies as they were originally meant to be viewed--- on 35 mm film projected onto the silver screen---is coming to the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, on June 23 and 24.  Three films, Cabaret, A Star is Born and The Band Wagon will be the line-up for a two day Reel Film Festival which organizers hope will become an annual event for the Strand.

“The Strand is one of only a few theaters in the region that has the ability to project film,” says Jo Dondis, chair of the Board of the Friends of the Strand Theatre, the non-profit entity that owns and operates the Strand. “When we switched to digital projection three years ago, the comfortable size of the projection booth allowed us to keep our two large projectors. Although the casual observer may not notice the difference between digital and film there is a richness, a certain “flicker” that comes with the film experience.  We want to give our audiences the opportunity to enjoy that at least once a year.”

The films, among the greatest cinematic musicals of all time, are linked by two stars and a director.  Vincente Minnelli directed The Band Wagon (1953, starring Fred Astaire). His daughter Liza Minnelli starred in Cabaret (1972) and her mother, Judy Garland, was the showstopper in A Star is Born (1954).

“We wanted to tie the program together thematically, and because of the popularity of the musical La La Land this year, thought it was a good time to showcase musicals,” says Jessie Davis, Executive Director of the Strand.  “So even if you’re not a film purist, this program offers a big punch in terms of sheer entertainment and is designed to appeal to a wide range of people.”

Featured speakers will include the world’s preeminent Judy Garland author, authority and lecturer John Fricke, and film producer, writer, director and local resident Willard Carroll.  Emmy Award winning Fricke, who has written seven books on Garland, will speak briefly before each film and answer questions afterward.  Willard Carroll, an Emmy Award winning producer whose films include “Playing By Heart” with Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie, “Marigold” and “Tom’s Midnight Garden,” will join Fricke on stage after the final screening Saturday evening to wrap up the festival with a conversation about the films and the musical genre in general.

The Constellation Center Collection at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Archive is loaning the Strand the three restored film prints.

Screening schedule:
Cabaret: Friday June 23 at 7pm.
A Star is Born: Saturday, June 24 at 2pm
The Band Wagon: Saturday, June 24 7pm

Tickets are $12 per screening, or $30 for a festival pass that includes admission to all three films. For more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

Photo: Judy Garland in A Star is Born

Strauss’ DER ROSENKAVALIER on May 13

Strauss’ DER ROSENKAVALIER on May 13: Final broadcast of 2016-2017 Met Opera Live-in-HD Broadcast Season

ROCKLAND, Maine - The final broadcast of the 2016 - 2017 Metropolitan Opera’s Live-in-HD season of broadcasts from Lincoln Center to the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, will take place on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30pm with Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier. An Encore broadcast will take place Tuesday, May 23 at 12:30pm.   

The dream cast of Renée Fleming as the Marschallin and El?na Garanča as Octavian star in Strauss’s grandest opera. In his new production, Robert Carsen, the director behind the Met’s recent Falstaff, places the action at the end of the Habsburg Empire, underscoring the opera’s subtext of class and conflict against a rich backdrop of gilt and red damask, in a staging that also stars Günther Groissböck as Baron Ochs. Sebastian Weigle conducts the sparklingly perfect score.

Sung in German with Met titles in English. Estimated running time: 4 hours 12 min. Tickets: $27/Adults, $15/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID; available at www.rocklandstrand.com or (207) 594-0070.  Encore show tickets available day-of-show: $23/Adults, $5/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID. Season ticket packages are also available. For more information visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 Email: info@rocklandstrand.com.

Photo: El?na Garanča and Renée Fleming in Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera.
Photo Credit: Metropolitan Opera

Strand receives grant from Bangor Savings Bank Foundation for assistive listening devices

ROCKLAND, Maine - The Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, recently received a grant award of $2,000  from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation to help the theater purchase assistive listening devices.

Visual-impairment assist technology provides audio description, transmitted to users through infrared wireless headsets, enabling individuals who are blind or have low vision to enjoy films by providing a spoken narration of key visual elements of a film, such as actions, settings, facial expressions, costumes, and scene changes. Audio description fills in information about the visual content of a movie where there are no corresponding audio elements in the film.

The technology upgrade is in response to a recent Justice Department proposal to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), to require movie theaters to provide closed movie captioning and audio description in order to give persons with hearing and vision disabilities access to movies. The proposed ADA requirements allow for exemptions from compliance based on theater size and annual income, under which category the Strand Theatre would fall. However, Executive Director Jessie Davis wants the Strand to meet those new standards. “We believe that these technologies promote equity, human dignity, and fairness and it is essential for us to offer these enhancements in order to best serve all our current and future patrons,” according to Davis.

It is estimated there are more than 53,000 visually/hearing-impaired adults living in Maine. In addition, Maine has the oldest population in the country. “Our audience is aligned with this statewide trend, so we will only see the need for closed captioning and visual-impairment assist technology grow,” Davis says.  “It is important that the Strand be a place of inclusivity within the community, which is why this accessibility project is a priority for our organization.”

Photo: Strand Executive Director Jessie Davis (R) receives a check from Bangor Savings Bank Branch Manager Corey Belcher (L)

Award-winning Quebecois quartet Le Vent du Nord coming to Strand on March 31

Rockland, Maine - Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord (Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Deres and Réjean Brunet) will return to the Strand Theatre stage, 345 Main Street, on Friday, March 31 at 7:30pm.

Combining cultural history and playful innovation, Le Vent du Nord revives musical traditions of the past and transforms them into intense and beautiful performances that push their roots in striking global directions. The group is blazing a path that connects their Québecois roots to the wider world, both in terms of their musical arrangements and their worldwide touring.

Since its founding in 2002, Le Vent du Nord have become compelling Francophone ambassadors, winning critical acclaim and audience adoration across Europe, Oceania and America. The quartet has performed well over 1,600 concerts, racking up several prestigious awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque Charles Cros; two Junos (Canada’s Grammys); a Félix at ADISQ (Association Québécoise de l’industrie du Disque, Du Spectacle et de la Video, or "Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries; a Canadian Folk Music Award; and “Artist of the Year” at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala.

Some of the band's catchy songs and tunes are taken from the Québec traditional folk repertoire and others are original compositions. Le Vent du Nord appears regularly on Canadian, American, French, and UK television and radio, and has collaborated and performed with Harry Manx, Väsen, The Chieftains, Breton musical pioneer Yann-Fañch Kemener, Québecois roots legend and master storyteller Michel Faubert, hip Scottish folk band Breabach, the singer Julie Fowlis, and the trans-Mediterranean ensemble Constantinople.

Tickets: $24/Advance, $26/Door. The Strand lobby and balcony bars are open for all concerts for 21+. To buy tickets, or for more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

Image: Le Vent du Nord (L to R Simon Beaudry, Réjean Brunet, Nicolas Boulerice, Olivier Demers) Photo by Stephane Najman

Tickets On Sale Now for The Secret Sisters at Strand on August 25

Rockland, Maine - Americana duo The Secret Sisters will bring their unique blend of Country, Roots, and Rock and Roll to the Strand Theatre stage, 345 Main Street, on Friday, August 25 at 7pm. Tickets are on sale now.

The sisters, Laura and Lydia Rogers, grew up near Muscle Shoals, AL, and their music reflects the sounds of the South and the powerful timeless music emanating from Muscle Shoals. Influenced by a range of uniquely American musical styles, including country, bluegrass and gospel, classic rock and pop, they have released two critically acclaimed albums, both produced by T. Bone Burnett. They have just finished recording and will soon release their third studio album, produced with long-time friend and mentor Brandi Carlile at the helm. With a constantly evolving sound, The Secret Sisters like to keep their fans wondering where they'll head next on their musical journey.

Tickets: $20/Advance, $25/Day of Show. To buy tickets, or for more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

CHRIS THOMAS KING brings New Orleans Blues Fusion to Strand -- Tickets on Sale Now

Rockland, Maine - Grammy Award-winning blues artist, producer, composer and actor Chris Thomas King will appear on the Strand Theatre stage, 345 Main Street, on Saturday, May 27 at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now.

The multi-talented King has been known for his audacious fusion of blues and hip-hop, but the New Orleans born artist reached a whole new audience with the Coen Brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," not only appearing on the award-winning soundtrack but playing a prominent supporting character as well. Despite the much-celebrated, down-to-earth rootsiness of "O Brother's" music, King had previously been a determined progressive, hoping to reinvigorate the blues as a living African American art with a more contemporary approach and refusing to treat it as a museum piece whose "authentic" forms needed careful preservation.

Tickets are $20/Advance. $25/Door. Lobby and Balcony Bars will be open for age 21 and older. For more information, visitwww.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

Hedda Gabler presented as a National Theatre high definition broadcast on March 9

Rockland, Maine - A live high definition broadcast from London of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s classic Hedda Gabler  will be presented as a National Theatre Live production at the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, on Thursday, March 9. Showtimes are 2pm and 7pm.

The play had its world premiere in 1891 in Munich, and is recognized as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theater, and world drama. The title character, Hedda, is considered one of the great dramatic roles in theater.

In the story, the daughter of an aristocratic and enigmatic general, has just returned to her villa from her honeymoon. Her husband, a young, aspiring, and reliable (but not brilliant) academic who continued his research during their honeymoon. It becomes clear in the course of the play that she has never loved him but married him because she thinks her years of youthful abandon are over. Trapped but determined, Hedda tries to control those around her, only to see her own world unravel.

Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove (A View from the Bridge at the Young Vic Theatre) returns to National Theatre Live screens with this modern production of Ibsen’s masterpiece. Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair, Jane Eyre) plays the title role.

   

Running time: 3 hours 30 min. Appropriate for audiences 12 years old and up. Tickets: $12, General Admission. To buy tickets, or for more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

Verdi¹s LA TRAVIATA as Met Opera Live-in-HD Broadcast on March 11

Rockland, Maine - The 2016 - 2017 Metropolitan Opera’s Live-in-HD season of broadcasts from Lincoln Center to the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, continues on Saturday, March 11 at 1pm with Verdi’s “La Traviata.”  An Encore broadcast will take place Tuesday, March 21 at 1pm.

Sonya Yoncheva sings one of opera’s most beloved heroines, the tragic courtesan Violetta, a role in which she triumphed on the Met stage in 2015, opposite Michael Fabiano as her lover, Alfredo, and Thomas Hampson as his father, Germont. Carmen Giannattasio sings later performances of the title role opposite Atalla Ayan, with the great Plácido Domingo as Germont. Nicola Luisotti conducts.

Sung in Italian with Met titles in English. Estimated running time: 2 hours 33 min. Tickets: $27/Adults, $15/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID; available at www.rocklandstrand.com or (207) 594-0070.  Encore show tickets available day-of-show: $23/Adults, $5/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID. Season ticket packages are also available. For more information visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 Email: info@rocklandstrand.com.

Verdi¹s NABUCCO as Met Opera Live-in-HD Broadcast on January 7

Rockland, Maine - The 2016 - 2017 Metropolitan Opera’s Live-in-HD season of broadcasts from Lincoln Center to the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, continues on Saturday, January 7 at 1pm with Verdi’s Nabucco. An Encore broadcast will take place Tuesday, January 17 at 1pm.    

The legendary Plácido Domingo brings another new baritone role to the Met under the baton of his longtime collaborator James Levine. Liudmyla Monastyrska is Abigaille, the warrior woman determined to rule empires, and Jamie Barton is the heroic Fenena. Dmitri Belosselskiy is the stentorian voice of the oppressed Hebrew people.

Sung in Italian with Met titles in English. Estimated running time: 2 hours 44 min. Tickets: $27/Adults, $15/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID; available at www.rocklandstrand.com or (207) 594-0070.  Encore show tickets available day-of-show: $23/Adults, $5/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID. Season ticket packages are also available. For more information visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 Email: info@rocklandstrand.com.

Photos: Scenes from the Met Opera’s Nabucco

Photo courtesy of Metropolitan Opera

Gounod¹s ROMEO ET JULIETTE as Met Opera Live-in-HD Broadcast on January 21

Rockland, Maine - The 2016 - 2017 Metropolitan Opera’s Live-in-HD season of broadcasts from Lincoln Center to the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, continues on Saturday, January 21 at 1pm with Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette. An Encore broadcast will take place Tuesday, January 31 at 1pm.  

When Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo starred opposite each other in Manon at the Met in 2015, the New York Times said, “the temperature rises nearly to boiling every time Damrau and Grigolo are on stage together.” Now they’re back as opera’s classic lovers, in Gounod’s lush Shakespeare adaptation. The production, by director Bartlett Sher, has already won acclaim for its vivid 18th-century milieu and stunning costumes during runs at Salzburg and La Scala. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the sumptuous score.

Sung in French with Met titles in English. Estimated running time: 3 hours 4 min. Tickets: $27/Adults, $15/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID; available at www.rocklandstrand.com or (207) 594-0070.  Encore show tickets available day-of-show: $23/Adults, $5/Students 18 and under, and college students with ID. Season ticket packages are also available. For more information visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 Email: info@rocklandstrand.com.

Photos: Scene from the Met Opera’s Romeo et Juliette

A New Season at Pecha Kucha Night Midcoast

November 11 event features artists and arts educators

ROCKLAND, Maine - PechaKucha, an international phenomenon bringing creative minds together for unique and fascinating visual storytelling, kicks off its new local season on Friday, November 11, at the Camden Opera House, 29 Elm Street, Camden. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the program commences at 7 p.m. with stories from visual artists and arts educators.

There will be a reception immediately following the program. Tickets will be $5 (cash) at the door; people are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat.

The PechaKucha format, where presenters are given 20 slides with each one shown for 20 seconds to reveal their passions, work and inspirations, is now held in more than 900 cities around the world. The Midcoast’s November edition, Volume 29, will be presided over by emcee Scott Sell.

Each of the following presenters will tell a six minutes and 40 seconds story of their craft: Tim Christensen, ceramicist; Maureen Egan, artist; Erin Little, photographer; Argy Nestor and Lindsay Pinchbeck, Go Malawi!; Elaine Ng, artist; Kathryn Oliver, photographer; Tollef Runquist, painter; and Karina Steele, woodworker.

For Volume 29, Camden Real Estate Company and Flatbread Company are lead sponsors, and The Rhumb Line is the supporting sponsor.

Save the dates for the two upcoming Pecha Kucha nights of the 2016-2017 season: Friday, January 27, 2017 at the Rockport Opera House (with Saturday, January 28 as the snow date) and Friday, April 28 at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

PechaKucha Night Midcoast Maine's organizing partners include Belfast Creative Coalition, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Farnsworth Art Museum, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, Midcoast Magnet, Strand Theatre, Waterfall Arts, and various creative community members.

For information about presenting or volunteering at one of the local events, email pechakuchamidcoast@gmail.com. PechaKucha Night Midcoast Maine also offers affordable sponsorships for local organizations and businesses; contact Jana Herbener at pechakuchamidcoast@gmail.com for more information.

PechaKucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture), was conceived in 2003 in Tokyo as a place for young designers to meet, network and show their work in public. It is now an international phenomenon. For more information, visit pechakucha.org.

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Photo: Mark Bell, ceramicist, presenting at a past Pecha Kucha Night at the Camden Opera House. Photo by Michael O’Neil

Sci Fi Classic STAR TREK: The Motion Picture on the Strand screen on August 2

ROCKLAND, Maine - A special screening of the Sci Fi Classic Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) will be shown at the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, on Tuesday, August 2 at 7pm.

The return of Captain Kirk! In the story, an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth. Admiral Kirk resumes command of the Starship Enterprise in order to intercept, examine and hopefully stop the intruder. Directed by Robert Wise. Starring original Star Trek cast members William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), James Doohan (Scotty), George Takei (Sulu), Michelle Nichols (Uhuru), Majel Barrett (Dr. Chapel), and Walter Koenig (Chekov), and introducing Persis Khambatta (Ilia) and Stephen Collins (Decker).

The film is rated PG. Tickets: $8.50/Adults, $7.50/Under 12, Seniors. For more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

Premiere Screening of Peyton Place as Restored 35mm Film on July 16

ROCKLAND, Maine - A newly restored copy of Peyton Place (1957), filmed on location in Camden, Belfast, Rockland, Lincolnville, Rockport, and Thomaston, Maine, will be presented as a special 60th Anniversary screening at the Strand Theatre, 345 Main Street, on Saturday, July 16 at 1:30pm.

Co-presented with the Maine International Film Festival, who will also show the restored film as a part of their annual Fest, the Maine screenings are the world premieres for this major new 35mm restoration by 20th Century Fox. Shot on location in Midcoast Maine, the film is now brought back to vibrant life on the eve of its 60th anniversary. Following the screening, special guests Schawn Belston, Executive Vice President, Media & Library Services, Fox Filmed Entertainment; and Michael Pogorzelski, Director, Academy Film Archive; Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will participate in a panel discussion moderated by Willard Carroll. In addition, On Location in Peyton Place, a new short revisiting the film’s locations today, will be shown.

Peyton Place was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography; plus five Best Acting or Supporting Acting nominations.  In this adaptation of Grace Metalious’ controversial and hugely popular novel, steamy goings-on abound beneath the placid and proper surface of a picturesque New England village.  New high school principal Michael Rossi (Lee Philips) arrives in Peyton Place on the eve of World War II and soon takes up with beautiful but repressed dress shop owner Constance MacKenzie (Lana Turner) who’s harboring a few secrets from daughter Allison (Diane Varsi).  Behind a curtain of contentment and decorum, Michael discovers seething, dark undercurrents that include rape, suicide, and murder. Directed by Mark Robson, the film stars Lana Turner, Lee Philips, Lloyd Nolan, Hope Lange, Arthur Kennedy, and Diane Varsi.

The film is not rated. Running time is 157 minutes. Tickets: $10/General Admission. For more information, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com