theater

Program Notes for “CARTOGRAPHY” by Aimée M. Petrin

Cartography

Dear Friends, Every once in a while a project comes along that you know in your heart you must do. That is the case with CARTOGRAPHY. Following its development for several years, it was my great fortune to attend a January 2020 performance at NYC’s famed Broadway venue for young audiences, The New Victory Theater, that took programming … Read more

Program Notes for “RENT” by Aimée M. Petrin

"RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour"

Dear Friends, Who knew a scrappy little play born of the downtown NYC theater scene would become one of our most beloved Broadway plays?  The winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical, RENT is one of the longest running musicals of all time, and now, after 25 years, its touring … Read more

Our Stories – What We Love About Ovations

Our Stories – What We Love About Ovations

We just passed the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It seems fitting that this turning point in the universe, at which the sun is at its maximum declination and then begins slowly to subside for those of us in the northern hemisphere, is also the end of Portland Ovations’ organizational year: a … Read more

Our Stories – An Unforgettable Season

Our Stories – An Unforgettable Season

What a season, unlike any other, 2020-2021 was. Thank you for joining us virtually, on demand and outdoors this past year. We couldn’t have done it without you. Daniel Bernard Roumain at Performances in Our Parks, Oct. 2020 OCTOBER 2020 We couldn’t gather in our usual spaces but we could gather outside. Our first in another … Read more

Our Stories – Maine Artists Kerem Durdag & Andy Happel

Our Stories – Maine Artists Kerem Durdag & Andy Happel

Everyone has a story. The urge to share our story, to connect with others, is at the root of human nature. Taking one’s own story and making the personal universal is the sacred role of artists. Weaving tales of family, personal journey, cultures, folklore and immigration – SoulRoar is the creative endeavor of poet/lyricist Kerem … Read more

Our Stories – dee Clarke. Playwright. Social Activist. Survivor.

Our Stories – dee Clarke. Playwright. Social Activist. Survivor.

“What we’re doing,” playwright and SurvivorSpeakUSA founder dee Clarke said in regard to THE LAST GIRL, her play-in-development, and her advocacy work, “is putting the last girl first. And we’re survivors leading the way.”  The Last Girl: the one whose life is unseen by others. The girl who, due to her gender, race and class is … Read more

Our Stories – Seeking Belonging

Our Stories – Seeking Belonging

The more than year-long pandemic has taught us much to take into the future together. One of the things many Ovations’ Members have mentioned to us is how our human need to gather and to belong — to groups, to communities, to a place and to each other — have been made more visible by our social … Read more

Our Stories – The Intersection of Art, Food and Culture

Community suppers. Church potlucks. Festive receptions. Learning how to cook traditional dishes then sitting down together to enjoy. Gathering to exchange art, food, culture and community is on the menu at Portland Ovations. Throughout the years, our welcoming Portland communities have opened their hearts and cookbooks to Ovations artists visiting us from away. Fondly we … Read more

Our Stories – POP 90’s Impact

What an unforgettable night! Being back on stage at Merrill, reveling in the beauty of that space with artists working together LIVE … and you were there, too, only not in your usual red velvet seats. And still: your dedicated support as well as the enthusiasm of so many local businesses and others made POP 90 … Read more

Our Stories – The Making of POP 90

We’re hoping you’re joining us next Thursday, March 25 for Ovations’ big, live-and-virtual kickoff celebration of our 90th anniversary year. When you do, you’ll be experiencing Ovations through the looking glass of our digital realms: we will be live at Merrill Auditorium, but you, our audiences, are not quite able to be with us there … Read more