Intermission
a creative coffee break from writing the play

I’ve been traveling, and managed to see a great play in Maine, written by a friend of mine.

For the 2nd year in a row, Penobscot Theatre ended its season with its Northern Writes: A New Play Festival. For two weeks, this year’s festival included 23 plays, some short, some long. (In 2007 Penobscot staged 22 plays.) The plays are presented as concert stand readings, each with at least one rehearsal. A small number of plays are given a week’s rehearsal, and some simple staging. All plays feature an audience talk back with the cast, and the playwright. This year, all but two playwrights made their way to Maine for the talk back sessions. That’s a long way for a lot of us! The professionalism and quality of the theatre makes the trip worth taking.

Penobscot’s home is the former Bangor Opera House. It’s new, enthusiastic, risk-taking Artistic Director, Scott Levy, has broken the theatre’s box office records twice in the short time he’s been at the helm. Penobscot Theatre may be on its way to becoming an important force in the theatrical community. Keep watching. And get to Maine if you can. Maine is a great place to vacation. Bangor is some 40+ miles from Acadia National Park, one of the most heavenly places I’ve ever been to.

Playwrights note: No submission fee. Deadline to get your plays in is Feb 14, 2009.