Portsmouth's Pontine Theatre Announces 47th Season

From September 20-22, Portsmouth NH’s Pontine Theatre kicks off its 47th Season with performances of Odysseus by guest artist, William George, founding director of Pennsylvania’s Kingfisher Theatre. His latest creation is a fresh and intimate interpretation of the eternal Greek legend, The Odyssey. This timeless tale follows the mythical ten-year journey of one man, Odysseus, struggling to make his way home after the Trojan War. In a stage performance that is at once epic and “breath taking”—with live musical soundscapes performed by percussionist Rob Aptaker—this new solo work from William George, with directorial assistance from Gerard Stropnicky (co-founder of Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble) is a sensory experience and a once-in-a-decade theatre event not to be missed.  The script, written by George, is drawn primarily from Alexander Pope’s 18th-century adaptation but is also influenced by several other translations of Homer’s epic work. The story may be ancient, but the themes ring true today—revealing deep insights not just about the psychic relationship between us all and the Divine, but also about fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and the profoundly human weaving of life and suffering in our lives.  Performances are Friday 7pm, Saturday @3pm & Sunday @2pm. Purchase tickets at Pontine’s website: www.pontine.org

The season continues with performances of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets by guest artist, John Farrell (Director of Freeport, Maine’s Figures of Speech) October 25-27.  Mr. Farrell committed to memory the 886 lines of Four Quartets and now tours internationally with his recitation of this epic poem. An unquestioned masterpiece of 20th-century literature, Four Quartets is a complex, deeply moving meditation on time, memory, and human striving toward the divine. Writing at the height of his artistic powers, Eliot packed into Four Quartets a summation of his views on poetry and art, on mystical experience, and on humankind's relationship to history and time.  Performances are Friday 7pm, Saturday @3pm & Sunday @2pm. Purchase tickets at Pontine’s website: www.pontine.org

From November 29 - December 15, Pontine Theatre performs A New England Christmas featuring an original staging of William Dean Howell’s Christmas Everyday and Christmas in Our Town by Alice Van Leer Carrick.  Also on the program is seasonal music by New England Fiddle Ensemble’s Ellen Carlson  and a post-performance onstage party complete with homemade Christmas cookies.  Author, editor, playwright, poet and Kittery resident, William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was a resident of  Kittery, Maine.  In Christmas Every Day, a little girl is granted a wish by the Christmas Fairy.  Her wish is to have Christmas everyday for a whole year.  The first day of Christmas is perfect.  The following day it is Christmas again, and every subsequent day as well. Finally, the little girl begs the Christmas Fairy to undo the spell; she doesn't want it to be Christmas ever again.   In her reminiscence, Christmas in Our Town, Alice Van Leer Carrick tells of her treasured memories of a New England holiday in Hanover, New Hampshire in the mid-20th century. Her whimsical turn of phrase and witty allusions coupled with sheer sentiment goes straight to the heart.  Performances are Fridays 7pm, Saturdays @3pm & Sundays @2pm. Purchase tickets at Pontine’s website: www.pontine.org

Photo:  Michael Sterling

The Season closes March 14 - 30, with Pontine Theatre’s original stagings of Sarah Orne Jewett’s classic tale, A White Heron and Robert Frost’s The Star Splitter.  Born in 1849 in South Berwick Maine, Jewett was the daughter of the town doctor.  As a child, she often accompanied him on his rounds to farms in the area.  She would listen to family members talking together while she waited for her father.  She came to love the wit and wisdom of these country folks and they became the subject of her writings as an adult.   She wrote of the rural folk of Maine and the beautiful landscape they inhabited.  Robert Frost’s The Star Splitter, published in 1923, explores the conflict between societal expectations and individual passions. A farmer’s reckless pursuit of a telescope, leads to the loss of his farm and home. Frost uses the image of a telescope, "a star-splitter," as a symbol of the farmer’s unconventional path toward cosmic understanding.  Performances are Friday 7pm, Saturday @3pm & Sunday @2pm. Purchase tickets at Pontine’s website: www.pontine.org

2024-25 Season Subscriptions and tickets for single productions are available to purchase online at www.pontine.org.  All performances take place at Pontine’s venue, the 1845 Plains Schoolhouse theatre, located at #1 Plains Avenue in Portsmouth.  The space is fully accessible and convenient free parking is available onsite. 

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