OHA's 2006 SEASON: our 7th!

MOVIES now run year round at the Opera House and on many
summer weekends. Click HERE for MOVIE schedule.
Click HERE to see and download a PDF of the full summer schedule.

The following Opera House Arts performances and related workshops will take place at the Stonington Opera House, located on School St. in Stonington, Maine. All show times are 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. This is a preliminary schedule subject to change without notice. To confirm movie titles, performances, or for further information, call 367-2788.

April 26: OUR OWN COMMUNITY PLAYREADING SERIES: MARY ZIMMERMAN’S “METAMORPHOSES” – Our Own Wendy Schweikert open’s OHA’s popular series of staged readings by local residents and actors with an award-winning comic drama retelling several Roman myths, based on the classic works of Ovid.  The play uses contemporary language and imagery to tell stories of love, loss, greed, doubt, crime and punishment, loyalty, shame, seduction and spirituality. EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the Our Own Playreadings, a process that includes approximately 10 hours of rehearsal plus the performance. Please call 367-2788 to sign up! TICKETS: $5

May 14: ALMOST MAINE – Just off an opening and off-Broadway run in New York City, this new play by Presque Isle native John Cariani has been hailed as “the perfect date play for young and old: playful, romantic, and smart.” The setting is a small, mythical town in far northern Maine, on a Friday night in the middle of winter. One night only in Stonington thanks to a collaboration with Penobscot Theatre. 7 p.m. TICKETS: $15.

May 24: OUR OWN COMMUNITY PLAYREADING SERIES, directed by CAITLIN SHETTERLY.Tina Howe’s“Painting Churches.” “Beautifully written. . . . A theatrical family portrait that has the shimmer and depth of Renoir portraits,” N.Y. Times. “A radiant, loving and zestfully humorous play . . . distinctly Chekhovian. Howe captures the same edgy surface of false hilarity, the same unutterable sadness beneath it, and the indomitable valor beneath both." Time. EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the Our Own Playreadings, a process that includes approximately 10 hours of rehearsal plus the performance. Please call 367-2788 to sign up! TICKETS: $5.

May 31: TAXING MAINE – David Greenham, actor, playwright, and director of Theater at Monmouth, brings his newest “Theater of Ideas” to Hancock County courtesy of the Maine Humanities Council to celebrate the Council’s 30 th anniversary. Through different historical characters, humor, little known facts, and thought-provoking stories, Taxing Maine will explore what taxes mean for Maine communities, the state government, the Maine landscape, and Mainers’ wallets. TALK BACK after the performance. FREE

June 7: ISLAND PROM – A 25-minute documentary video of this unique Island event, conceived of by Galen Koch and Leti Douglass, Deer Isle-Stonington High school students, and directed, filmed, and edited by Leti Douglass, a sophomore. With mentor Linda Nelson under the auspices of the Imagination Project Public Digital Media Studio. FREE June 14 : OUR OWN COMMUNITY PLAYREADING SERIES, directed by BILL RAITEN.Arthur Miller’s “Incident at Vichy” (1964). Miller's one act drama about a group of men awaiting “inspection” by German officers inside the Vichy regime of occupied France during World War II is a study of the choices individuals can make against historical forces. In the play’s historical reality as in day to day life, individuals are faced with decisions about how to act: either passively, to conform in the hope of survival; or to struggle against authority with risk of danger. EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the Our Own Playreadings, a process that includes approximately 10 hours of rehearsal plus the performance. Please call 367-2788 to sign up! TICKETS: $5.

June 17: DAVID MALLETT IN CONCERT FOR THE LUPINE FESTIVAL – Legendary Maine folk singer David Mallett appears in concert just as his new album, “Midnight on the Water,” goes into release. Also step dancing classes from 1 – 4 p.m. that afternoon, call to register. Mallett concert at 7p.m., $10.

June 30 - July 4: MOVIE SPECIAL (see separate movie schedule). Cool off between parade and pier!

July 7: Annual Benefit Gala - “Women and the Sea,” directed by Judith Jerome
A fully-staged production of a play based on oral histories of fishing women from the coast of Maine . Written by Anita Stewart, Director of Portland Stage, and Shelley Berc. Starring all local talent, plus a few surprise guests. BENEFIT TICKETS $30. INQUIRE ABOUT BEING A GALA PATRON AND ATTENDING OUR GALA PARTY, INCLUDING BROADWAY SINGERS AND EXCERPTS FROM A NEW MUSICAL!

July 8: “Women and the Sea,” directed by Judith Jerome
Second night performanceof this fully-staged production of a play based on oral histories of fishing women from the coast of Maine . Written by Anita Stewart, Director of Portland Stage, and Shelley Berc. Starring all local talent, plus a few surprise guests. TICKETS $20; $18 FIXED INCOME; $15 under 17 years of age. ISLAND STUDENTS FREE.

July 10-14: Island Arts Camp

A full week of multidisciplinary arts programs for students in grades 2 – 8. Cosponsored with the Reach Performing Arts Center and Seamark Workshops, and featuring guest performance artist Randy Judkins of Maine Hysterical Society (see description below).

July 12-August 23, each Wednesday: LIVE! FOR $5

ISLAND FAMILY THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM – Some of OHA’s most original live theater programming of the season premieres on consecutive Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. for an amazingly low $5 ticket price! These programs are designed specifically to be enjoyed by all ages, each in conjunction with related Tuesday/Thursday Seamark visual/creative arts workshops. Include post-show Talk Backs with performers. TICKETS TO ALL SHOWS $5.

• Wednesday, July 12: Randy Judkins and the Maine Hysterical Society a trio of the “finest kind” Maine has to offer, “to preserve, promote, and provoke laughter.” Three Maine actors, musicians and downeast humorists present a comedy variety show of novelty songs and parodies, hilarious Maine characters, ‘wicked good’ juggling, and some hysterical sketches.
• Wednesday, July 19: Young Stars of Maine, a Bay Chamber Concerts production. The best teen age musicians from around the state, based on a Bay Chamber Concerts juried competition. Daniel Baskerville, cello; Sarah St. Denis, soprano; Sophie Flood, horn; Leslie Harrison, flute; and Deer Isle’s own Tina Davis, piano. Program includes classic and contemporary selections from Bach; Arnold Cooke; Rosetti; Rachmaninoff; Copland; and Broadway.

• Wednesday, July 26: Taiko Drumming & Shakuhachi flute with Marco Lienhard Lienhard toured with internationally acclaimed Taiko group Ondekoza from 1981–1994, and studied the shakuhachi under Masters Teruo Furuya and Katsuya Yokoyama, quickly becoming a virtuoso solo artist. He has performed at many of the world’s most famous concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo; and has additionally been featured on TV programs including the Regis and Kathie Lee Show, the PBS special A World of Performances (the 20th Anniversary Gala of Wolf Trap), and NBC’s 1998 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He was the featured shakuhachi player in the American premiere of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center.

• Wednesday, August 9: Mort Hansen, “Falling up Words.” A postmodern juggling experience, including dance, text, a unique soundtrack and a giant unicycle, all by the winner of three gold medals from the International Jugglers Association. In 1999, Hansen set the world record for the most objects juggled (15) between two people!
• Wednesday, August 16: Nzinga’s Daughters a performing ensemble of women who have developed a musical format around the Underground Railroad. Through prose, poetry, stories, song, and African drumming they reveal coded messages that were hidden within the Negro Spirituals, field songs and everyday objects. Nzinga was an African queen and warrior who reigned for 40 years during the 1600's.None of her subjects were ever captured or sold into slavery.
• Wednesday, August 23: Robert McCloskey stories and other short films original 16mm films of the books of the great local children’t author (Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine), plus other historic short features for the entire family.

JULY 28-29: THE SIXTH ANNUAL DEER ISLE JAZZ FESTIVAL – The 2006 festival kicks off in mid-July with a 2-week residency of pipa player Min Xiao-Fen at Haystack. The festival includes a Saturday night jam session, in which local young musicians can take the stage with the pros. TICKETS: $25 / $20 / $18, ISLAND STUDENTS FREE.

• Friday, July 28: Min Xiao-Fen and quartet, featuring drummer Susie Ibarra; cellist Okkyung Lee; and special guest Yumiko Tanaka, shamisen and voice.  Chinese pipa player and vocalist Min Xiao-Fen brings her all female, Asian quartet to Deer Isle in a program titled “From East to West -- Exploring New Music with Asian Roots.” Four virtuosas join forces in a rare concert of solos, trios and quartet. Each of these extraordinary composer/improvisers has redefined her instrument, and has received universal acclaim by critics and audiences.

• Saturday, July 29: Randy Weston the legendary pianist comes to Deer Isle. Weston is known as one of the world’s foremost pianists and composers. His five decades of work encompasses the rhythmic heritages of Africa as well as one of “the biggest and most inventive sounds in jazz piano since Ellington and Monk,” according to jazz critic Stanley Crouch.

August 3-6: SHAKESPEARE in STONINGTON: As You Like It --Director JEFFREY FRACE, star of last year’s acclaimed production of “Hamlet,” returns with another original adaptation and Actors’ Equity production of Shakespeare unique to the Stonington Opera House—plus lots of original, live music. Containing some of Shakespeare’s wittiest dialogue and best-loved characters (Orlando, Rosalind), “As You Like It” celebrates Love as the force that illuminates, reconciles and entertains like no other. TICKETS: $25 / $20 FIXED INCOME / $15 UNDER 17 / ISLAND STUDENTS FREE.

August 10: FILM SPECIAL – “Signs of Life.” View a film shot on location on Deer Isle and the surrounding area and talk to those involved in the filmmaking and location scouting. The film explores how the closing of a local boatbuilding business affects the lives of four men. TICKETS: $5

August 19 - 20: ORIGINAL WORK IN PROGRESS AT THE SETTLEMENT QUARRY—“QUARRYOGRAPHY” – Alison Chase, Founding Artistic Director of Pilobolus Dance Theater, returns to improvise, with community members, a brand new, site specifc extravaganza in collaboration with Island Heritage Trust at the Settlement granite quarry. Live music by the Atlantic Clarion Steel Drum band; giant puppets by Brooksville’s Mia Kanazawa. 6 p.m. TICKETS: $10.

August 7 – 12; 14 – 18: SUMMERSTAGE / QUARRYOGRAPHY WORKSHOP – “Quarryography” director Alison Chase, Founding Artistic Director of Pilobolus Dance Theater, leads high school age students, in a uniquely different version of OHA’s popular free acting program, SummerStage Stonington; plus Chase and Quarryography co-director Mia Kanazawa lead pre-professional dancers and community members in varying levels of participation for the Quarryography event. EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the Quarry Community Workshop. Please call 367-2788 to sign up!

August 30: TIRE TRACKS – The world premiere of a documentary video by Stonington’s John Steed on the culture and practice of “burning rubber.” Commissioned by the Imagination Project Public Digital Media Studio and funded in part by the Maine Community Foundation. TICKETS: $5.

September 1 - 2: LIVE! FROM THE STONINGTON OPERA HOUSE & BUD CARTER MEMORIAL MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP CONCERT: Michael Miclon, host; Jay Petersen, Musical Director and Guest – OHA’s annual radio variety show features an array of local musical and acting talent. Designed to promote the Island’s cultural heritage, the radio show features interviews with local people and dramatic readings of historic narrative – along with some good old vaudeville foolery. The show includes the Annual Bud Carter Memorial Concert, which features the best of a combination of young and experienced local performers, and all receipts from the Friday show will fund music scholarships for Island students. TICKETS: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1 BY DONATION SUGGESTED $10 TO BENEFIT SCHOLARSHIPS; SATURDAY LIVE ON AIR, $15 / $12, ISLAND STUDENTS FREE.

September 10: MOUNTAINSIDE FILMS, “Saving Luna: A Whale Story” – a special evening of film presentation by documentary filmmakers Michael Parfit and Suzanne Chisholm of British Columbia, CA. Mountainside Films produces documentaries for North American and international markets. They specialize in the relationships between people and the Earth, including the economic, environmental and cultural significance of those relationships. Their credits include documentary video and book work for National Geographic and IMAX films. They were working on the film “Saving Luna” about a young male orca when he was struck and killed by a tugboat in March 2006.

September 11 – October 6: closed for maintenance and renovations .

October 14: Squeeze In –

October 18: OUR OWN PLAYREADING SERIES, “Art,” by Yasmina Reza. OHA Co-Artistic Director Carol Estey directs . EVERYONE is welcome to participate in the Our Own Playreadings, a process that includes approximately 10 hours of rehearsal plus the performance. Please call 367-2788 to sign up! TICKETS $5.