EVENT: Stephen King story in Belfast

From the Waldo Village Soup!

WHAT: Åarhus Gallery's as if stories, an ongoing series of readings of short stories by Maine writers performed by Maine actors, present "The Reach," a lyrical winter ghost story by Stephen King
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Åarhus Gallery, 50 Main St., Belfast ME
FMI: (207)338-0001 aarhusgallery[at]gmail.com

“The Reach” will be performed by Helen York and Bonnie VersbenCoeur, with musical accompaniment by Doug Ludwig. Suggested donation is $10.

The mission of as if stories is to showcase the work of Maine writers — the known, the lesser known, and the great unknown — by bringing their stories to life in live readings by Maine actors. Everyone is invited to join the growing and enthusiastic audience for this lively and compelling afternoon of story, music, art and conversation. Light refreshments will be served.

"The Reach" was first published in Yankee in 1981 under the title "Do the Dead Sing?", it was later collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew. [Source]

EVENT: Rory Raven, mindreader!

WHAT: Rory Raven, mentalist extraordinaire, performs!
WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 8:00pm
WHERE: St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland, Maine
COST: $12
FMI:call (207)775-5568 or email liz[at]stlawrencearts.org

Check out Mr. Raven's delightful website at http://www.roryraven.com/! Do not be deceived by imposters!

To quote the St. Lawrence website:

Greetings! Welcome to the Theater of the Mind. I am Rory Raven, Your Host. I am a mentalist with over a dozen years' experience reading minds and astonishing audiences. Neither a psychic nor a magician, I offer a new and compelling kind of entertainment unlike anything you've ever seen. With a few simple props (paper and pencil, a pack of playing cards, some paperback books, and the thoughts of some volunteers) I involve the audience in a highly unusual -- and unusually entertaining! -- experience. Thoughts are revealed, predictions come true, and perhaps even the spirits are summoned ....

St. Lawrence Theater Manager's note: When Rory Raven was here last, the audience was so stunned by his abilities that we were all speechless! We have spent the last few months trying to figure out exactly what happened that night. Not for the faint of heart!

EVENT: Saturday, Rory Raven blows your mind

Well, okay, actually he will READ your mind. But it might be a mind-blowing experience.

WHAT: Rory Raven, mentalist extraordinaire, performs!
WHEN: Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 8:00pm
WHERE: St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland, Maine
COST: $12
FMI:call (207)775-5568

Check out Mr. Raven's delightful website at http://www.roryraven.com/! Do not be deceived by imposters!

To quote the St. Lawrence website:

Greetings! Welcome to the Theater of the Mind. I am Rory Raven, Your Host. I am a mentalist with over a dozen years' experience reading minds and astonishing audiences. Neither a psychic nor a magician, I offer a new and compelling kind of entertainment unlike anything you've ever seen. With a few simple props (paper and pencil, a pack of playing cards, some paperback books, and the thoughts of some volunteers) I involve the audience in a highly unusual -- and unusually entertaining! -- experience. Thoughts are revealed, predictions come true, and perhaps even the spirits are summoned ....
St. Lawrence Theater Manager's note: When Rory Raven was here last, the audience was so stunned by his abilities that we were all speechless! We have spent the last few months trying to figure out exactly what happened that night. Not for the faint of heart!

EVENT: Be Dracula's Guest!

WHAT: a performance of Dracula’s Guest, written originally by Bram Stoker
WHEN: Monday, October 20, 2008, 7:00-9:00pm
WHERE: Bull Feeney’s Irish Pub/Restaurant, 375 Fore Street, Portland, Maine.
COST: Admission free; $9 suggested donation.
FMI: For more info visit www.lynnecullen.com or email thetwacorbies[at]yahoo.com, or call (207) 846-1321

AIRE (American Irish Repertory Ensemble) will be getting into the spirit of Samhain (Celtic Halloween) with a reading of Dracula’s Guest by Bram Stoker -- born Abraham Stoker in a suburb of Dublin in 1847. This spooky short story is set on a dark and stormy Walpurgis Nacht, as the wolves howl and unholy creatures prowl the land.

It is widely believed (though now disputed) that Dracula’s Guest was originally the first chapter of the novel Dracula, which was deleted from the manuscript by the publisher. The piece was published as a short story in 1914, two years after Stoker's death.

Lynne Cullen will begin the evening with a dramatic telling of Bram Stoker’s creepiest short story, The Judge’s House. Do you like rats?

AIRE, Maine’s Irish Theater Company, is dedicated to presenting the best of classic and contemporary Irish and Irish American theater, aiming to share the power and beauty of Irish theater and raise awareness and understanding of Irish culture among New England audiences. AIRE’s next production is The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh, running October 30-November 16 at The Studio Theater at Portland Stage Company.

Lynne Cullen is a storyteller, artist, playwright and concertina player, who trained as a storyteller in Yorkshire, England, and has performed on both sides of the pond.

The Seanachie Nights series is the idea of local (seanachie) storyteller and playwright Lynne Cullen. Lynne is a member of LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling), and MOOSE (The Maine Organization of Storytelling Enthusiasts.)
For further information about Seanachie Nights, contact Lynne Cullen at thetwacorbies(@)yahoo.com or at 207-846-1321. www.lynnecullen.com

Also known for our inflatable silliness

Among Maine's extraordinary entertainers is Fred Garbo, of Norway, Maine. The press of Springfield, Illinois geared up for his company's much anticipated performance with an April 17th article by Tamara Browning. Among the tidbits of information about what the audience can expect, Garbo's history and ingenious ideas are mentioned.

Garbo has been a professional performer since 1974 (when someone gave him money for doing card tricks). On “Sesame Street,” Garbo was the acrobat inside Barkley the Dog. On Broadway, he was the chief juggler in the musical “Barnum,” and he’s also toured Europe, Hong Kong and Australia with the Obie Award-winning Foolsfire, with Bob Berky and Michael Moschen.

Garbo also has tumbled for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center and danced with the dance company MOMIX in Brazil.

The 53-year-old Garbo founded the inflatable theater company nearly 18 years ago, when he took a break from show business to do skydiving. While packing his parachute, he was struck by its bright colors, strong material and portability, he says in an artist’s statement.

“The parachute material inflates into a huge, big prop and then deflates down to nearly nothing,” Garbo says in the statement. “I took this idea to my friend and hot air balloon artist, George York. Between us, we devised what would be the first in a long line of strange new props.”

Among the props in the New Victory Theater show was an inflatable dog.

“It’s an ‘Air-dale,’” Garbo exclaims[...]. “Good dog!”

Read full article here: [Source]

Incidentally (and in an odd coincidence), Fred Garbo was one of Patrick Dempsey's early entertainment instructors.

PHOTO: Inflatables such as this dog highlight Fred Garbo’s shows. Credit: Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre Company

EVENT: Weirdness on the stage in Portland

This sounds like a real treat -- I'll be going myself tomorrow night to check it out!

Barring the Unforseen by Mike Daisey

March 6-15, 2008

Woven together from Maine ghost stories, the history of 19th century spiritualism, H.P. Lovecraft, and the unspeakable dread lurking under your bed, Barring the Unforeseen explores why we tell ghost stories, and the precious, terrifying gifts they bring us. Visit play's website here.

Performance Schedule remaining:
• Wed., March 12 at 8:00 pm
• Thurs., March 13 at 8:00 pm
• Fri., March 14 at 8:00 pm
• Sat., March 15 at 4:30 pm and 8:30 pm

All tickets are $15
Order tickets by phone: (207) 774-0465
Order tickets online: click here (be warned, a $3 internet order fee will be added to the price)