THEATRE FESTIVAL

		The 10th Annual Deertrees Theatre Festival
	Edward Moore's "The Sea Horse" Thursday & Friday August 6 & 7		Lee Blessing's "Cobb" Thursday & Friday August 6 & 7
	Sam Brobrick's "New York Water" Thursday, Friday & Saturday August 13, 14 & 15		Deborah Laufer's "Out of Sterno" Thursday, Friday & Saturday August 20, 21 & 22 / September 3, 4 & 5
Student Acting Workshop Ages 12 - 18 Monday - Friday July 27 - July 31				Student Acting Workshop Ages 8 - 12 Monday - Friday August 3- August 7
	Straw Hat Summers Seventy summers ago there were almost as many plays being produced in Maine as on Broadway. At Deertrees the noted producer, Bela Blau (pictured left), 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.
	The 2009 Deertrees Theatre Festival Now in its tenth 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 yet remaining true to the illustrious past of the theatre.				Festival Transportation supplied by Macdonald Motors
Edward J. Moore's "The Sea Horse" Gertie is a hard-bitten woman as beaten-down and weather worn as the Sea Horse, the coastal dive bar that doubles as the end-of-the-line alcoholic refuge for fishermen whose lives and hides are as wild and rough as the oceans that batter them between binges. Having built a relationship based on alcohol, sex, and occasional tenderness with Harry, a boisterous, romantic, compassionate merchant seaman, Gertrude has her world disrupted first when Harry expresses a desire to settle down, and again when he tries to find out the reasons for Gertrude's resistance to the idea. Starring Carla Brandberg aand Ian Tomaschik Directed by Debra Henri				Thursday & Friday August 6 & 7 8:00 pm $ 20 adults/ $10 students	. Buy Tickets On-Line .
Lee Blessing's "Cobb" In this brilliantly compelling portrait of controversial baseball legend Ty Cobb, the Hall of Famer is separated into three versions of himself; "The Peach", aged 19, at the start of his long career with the Detroit Tigers, "Ty", in his early 40's, at the end of his playing days, and "Mr. Cobb", in his early 70's, near death and suffering from cancer. Invading this "dream" is Oscar Charleston, a black player of Cobb's time, who challenges him to further examine his self-esteem and reminding him of a whole other league of players he should be comparing himself to. First presented by Yale Repertory Theater and then brought to Broadway by Kevin Spacey, "Cobb" examines the man in his full complexity - as a sports hero of the highest order, fulfilling one of America's most cherished dreams, and as an example of some of its greatest failures. Starring Damon Kinard Directed by David Tennent.				Thursday, Friday & Saturday August 13, 14 & 15 8:00 pm $ 20 adults/ $10 students	. Buy Tickets On-Line .
Sam Brobricks "New York Water" Linda Shoup, a receptionist and Albert Hives, a CPA, two New York singles who have just met, feel they have been held back by the city. We follow them as they try to make a go of it in Davenport, Iowa, Los Angeles and then, no longer together, meeting back in New York. While Linda turns out to be a dynamo with killer instincts, even becoming a major player in the movie business, poor Albert finds himself falling further and further down the ladder of success. Although his love for Linda is overwhelming, Albert slowly comes to realize he is no match for her. Starring Charlotte Northeast and David White. Directed by Jane Stojak				Thursday, Friday & Saturday August 20, 21 & 22 8:00 pm $ 20 adults/ $10 students	. Buy Tickets On-Line .
Deborah Laufer's "Out of Sterno" Wide-eyed innocence and perfect pedicures collide in this zany new comedy about life, self-image, and the pursuit of a hunky man to call your own. Dotty's life with her husband Hamel is absolutely perfect! It's a fairy tale, it really is! True, in their seven years of marriage, Hamel has forbidden her to leave their tiny apartment or speak to anyone, but Dotty is so very happy to spend her days watching video re-enactments of the day they first met. When a phone call from a mysterious woman threatens to tear her world asunder, Dotty must venture out into the vast city of Sterno where she is swept up in a hilarious whirl of characters and questions about what it means to love and to be a "real" woman. Starring Terri Eoff and Tom Schwans Directed by Terrence Walsh.				Thursday, Friday & Saturday August 27, 28 & 29 September 3, 4 & 5 8:00 pm $ 20 adults/ $10 students	. Buy Tickets On-Line .
	The Deertrees Theatre Festival Student Acting Workshops 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 two 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.
2009: July 27 - July 31: ages 12 to 18 Participants in this workshop will explore the fundamental elements of performance and story telling. Each day will begin with exercises to encourage development of the voice and provide a better understanding how an actor uses his body. A variety of improvisational theatre games will be used to create a sense of ensemble amongst the group. All of this work will culminate in a brief program based on the text of one Shakespeare’s plays. The members of the group will learn how to integrate the warm-up exercises into an approach to text and performance, while also learning how to work within an ensemble.				Chris Thorn: Workshop Director Please call the Box Office at 207.583.6747 for workshop enrollment information
2009: August 3 - August 7: ages 8 to 12 This workshop will explore similar elements of theatrical practice as the workshop for older students, but will do it in a less formal and more intuitive way. A spirit of play will be encouraged to build confidence and unlock natural creativity. Students will work together to create short “improvised” performance pieces to share with an audience at the end of the week.
	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 2009 Deertrees Theatre Festival and invitations to the Performers’ Receptions following each opening night, plus the opportunity to help choose a play for the 2010 season.				For information about becoming a Friend of Bella Blau, please call the Box Office.