|
|
Contact |
|
|||||||
|
Thomas Sullivan & Beth Chiarelli in the 2005 DTF production of "Sight Unseen" |
Tallulah Bankhead, Ethyl Barrymore, Rudy Valle, Ann "Schultzy" Davis, and Fabian. Ghosts from the glory days of the “straw-hat” circuit still inhabit Harrison’s historic Deertrees Theatre but as OBIE winner and TONY nominee Will Holt observed after a recent Theatre Festival performance, “Summer stock ain’t what it used to be. It’s unexpected, experimental, sometimes a bit dangerous. But it is also exciting and most of all, it is really theatre.” |
Deertrees Theatre Festival
|
|||||||
|
Now in its ninth year, the Deertrees Theatre Festival is creating a new “summer theatre’ tradition. While most of the few remaining original summer playhouses in Maine are now producing only lavish musicals, Deertrees has chosen to present authentic, award-winning Broadway drama, complete with Equity casts brought in from New York.
The plays presented range from beach-reading, bedroom farces to what might be considered poignant humor, in other words, they all have enough depth to provide conversation over a glass of wine in the theatre’s BackStage Gallery during intermission but are still light enough for a summer’s evening entertainment..
Recently designated a “Small Professional Theatre” by Equity, Deertrees takes pride that the acting and staging presented is as professional as one would find in any New York theatre. Included among the outstanding actors this season are Obie Award winner, and star of last summer’s DTF presentation of “Grace and Gloria,” Rosina Fernhoff and the playwright, actor, Outer Critics Circle Award winner, and TONY nominee, John Cariani. Sets are by New York City’s Peter Cabot. |
|||||||||
Details of the 2008 Deertrees Theatre Festival Schedule will be posted shortly |
|||||||||
 |
 |
THE DEERTREES THEATRE These Workshops are an integral part of the Deertrees Theatre Festival’s goal of not only bringing professional theatre to our area but providing young, aspiring thespians with the opportunity to study the art of theatrical performance under trained professionals in a real-time theatre environment. The Deertrees Theatre Festival Student Workshop began in 2001 when about a dozen students enrolled for a single week-long workshop. Today the Workshop has grown to include three one-week sessions with near-capacity enrollment The Student Workshops are designed to introduce students to the craft of acting, exploring the basics of stage acting and building a character with games and exercises that awaken the imagination, expand onstage awareness, enhance focus and hone listening skills. |
|||||||
|
|
 |
||||||||
|
2008 Workshops July 21 - July 25: ages 14 to 18 July 28 - August 1: ages 10 to 13 August 4 - August 8: ages 8 to 11
Tuition: $100
Enrollment is limited. For further information and reservations, please call the Box Office at 207-583-6747 |
Each workshop group will experience many different ways of exploring acting, including the techniques of viewpoints, mask work, mime, physical action, and voice work, in addition to a multitude of theatre games. From this exposure to such a variety of methods, the students will gain many valuable tools that they will be able to apply to future theatrical opportunities. The workshop will run Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a break for lunch at some point during each session. |
||||||||
| The Friends of Bela Blau | |||||||||
|
The reality of theatre funding is that ticket sales do not, and may never, cover all the costs of productions. Equity fees, housing, transportation, salaries, the list of expenses seems endless. While every effort has been made to keep costs to a minimum, quality presentations require a degree of financing that is stretching the budget capabilities of Deertrees.
Named in honor of the New York producer who introduced Broadway to Deertrees, The Friends of Bela Blau enables theatre patrons to actively participate in keeping professional theatre alive at Deertrees.
You can be part of the effort by becoming a Friend of Bela Blau. With your tax-deductible contribution, you will receive tickets for two reserved center-front seats to each of the four plays in the 2008 Deertrees Theatre Festival and invitations to the Performers’ Receptions following each opening night, plus the opportunity to help choose a play for the 200 season.
For further information please contact the Box Office. |
Bela Blau & daughter Lisa, 1939 |
||||||||
|
STRAW HAT DAYS
Seventy summers ago there were almost as many plays being produced in Maine as on Broadway. At Deertrees the noted producer, Bela Blau, would import a complete play, including cast, from New York each week during an eight-week season. Talullah Bankhead and Dame Mae Whittey were just two of the many stars of the day that played what was considered at the time as "Maine's Most Enchanting Theatre." Rudy Vallee (pictured right) made his dramatic debut on the Deertrees stage and a young David Merrick is credited on several playbills as being the associate producer. However the era of "summer stock" died as Americans discovered television and vacation habits changed. Soon the number of "playhouses" active in Maine could be counted on one hand. |
 |
||||||||
|
|
Contact |
|
|||||||
%20bitmap.gif)
