The Waldo Theatre has finalized the lineup for Waldoboro’s 2024 Talent Show on Saturday, November 2 at 6:00pm, and the Waldoboro Fire Department is one of its headliners. Joining them in the program are numbers by Morganne Price and her dog Kraken, Derek Booker and the EMS, and, if luck prevails, a trio of clam harvesters led by Abden Simmons. It will be a community evening for all ages.

 

Other highlights include the Tea for Two Tappers (former students of Savion Glover and Gregory Hines); Lindsay Smith and Conrad Winslow performing Sondheim; 17-year old Adrian Quinn playing Chopin’s Waltz in A minor; and the Family of God Quintet from First Baptist Church.

 

Most of the acts are musical, with a ukulele duet, a jazzy riff or two, several original songs for voice and guitar, and vocals by locals Michelle Carter, Rebecca Brackett, Mauri Lord, Hannah Basham, Becky Libby, Erasmus Moore, 12-year old Helena Strong, Scott Simpson, Rob Clark, Pat & Tish Brundage, and the Hayseed Highlanders. Those numbers will be peppered with acts by Ken Stevenson and Sponge Bob Square Pants; Dancemainea; Alexa Stark styling a fashion runway show drawn from from Waldoboro’s Clothing Closet; and a poem, “A Song for Waldoboro,” written and recited by Melissa Barbour.

 

As MC Sam Pennington says, “I can’t believe this line-up. With free admission, people need to get their tickets early since there’s only 290 seats available. I wouldn’t be surprised if we sell out!” Contributions in any amount, which can be made online while reserving tickets, will support the Waldo’s variety of community programs. ADA seating is limited and should be reserved in advance.

 

As organizer and producer Rebecca Cooney says, “This is a night to bring everyone under one roof -- singing, clapping, dancing in the aisles and just plain supporting each other – and at its end, walking out sprinkled with fairy dust.”

 

Cooney added, “I’ve dreamed of this ever since I walked into the Waldo two years ago to volunteer as an usher. I was amazed at this theater’s potential, right in the center of town, for drawing all parts of our town together, because I am in love with Waldoboro. And what better time than now?”

 

This evening was an idea long in the making. This past March, Waldo board member Michael Amico seized on the idea. With his support and counsel, the theater agreed. From there, other volunteers joined in. George Bates and Willy Wong designed the graphics and posters. Waldo Theatre photographer and filmmaker Nathan Butler has created a series of “commercials” about five eccentric Waldobororians. And stage manager Ashley Steeves, of Bath’s Resurgence Dance Company and stage manager for Dancemainea, is managing the ebb and flow of talent, many of whom have never been on stage before.

 

“But we’re prepared. We have a powerhouse of tech professionals who are ready to handle any and all happy surprises that might pop up,” says Executive Director Susan Hodder. “We hope the community will turn out to support the brave souls sharing their talents for the entertainment of their friends and neighbors. This kind of programming is historic: a way for rural communities to gather and celebrate together. The last time The Waldo held a talent show was in 1981, but with this kind of talent on hand, you can be sure you won’t have to wait that long for the next one!”

 

This is a Pay-What-You-Can event. Suggested donation is $5 - $20. Doors open at 5:30

 

Free parking is available on Main Street; Friendship Street; in the 8 unreserved spaces on Glidden Street; in the Kuhn Parking lot (beside the masonic lodge on Main Street); and in the lot behind Perch and The Narrows Tavern. Please DO NOT park on School Street, Shady Ave or in the 2 Reserved spaces on Glidden St, as parking there is prohibited and strictly enforced.

 

Performance: November 9th at 7PM at The Waldo Theatre

Tickets are free with a suggested donation of $10

 

Join us on November 9th for the culmination of our Acting Essentials: One Acts workshop series!

14 actors, 18 hours of rehearsal, 4 plays, and 1 performance! Come and celebrate the hard work of this ensemble of community members as they take to the stage!

Celebrate Native American heritage with this cultural music experience. DANCES WITH IVORY presents piano selections based on indigenous tribal melodies. The piano is used in unusual ways to achieve ethereal effects, such as strumming inside the body of the piano on the strings and using the pedals in creative ways to pick up the tonal vibrations of native flutes, singing, speaking, and playing the soundboard for drum beat effects. Dr. Lisa Cheryl Thomas was a Fulbright Scholar in Canada in 2017 at the University of Alberta and did her doctoral dissertation on native melodies that were collected by ethnographers around the turn of the 20th century.

The performance includes native storytelling to illustrate the significance of an oral tradition, a very different way of learning compared to modern schooling. Dr. Thomas performs in native regalia and uses multi-media to illustrate the cultural background of each song. She has performed this music in many theaters and concert halls in many countries. Her repertoire also includes bluegrass and patriotic American music by American composers.

We hope you’ll join us for this uniquely beautiful and moving show.

 

The Waldo Theatre recognizes that we are on indigenous land. In addition to the Abenaki, the broader place we now call Maine is home to the sovereign people of the Wabanaki Confederacy: the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq peoples. We exist on their unceded homelands. Dr. Lisa Cheryl Thomas is an enrolled citizen of Sovereign Cherokee Nation Tejas. Her native name is Danalasgisgv Unegv gola [Dances with Ivory]. Adult tickets are $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the show and at the door. Youth tickets are $10 each. Tickets will be available at the Box Office starting at 6:30. Doors open at 6:30, and concessions will be available for purchase.

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Created by Ryan Gaul and Jeremy Brothers, Yourville is a completely improvised comedy show inspired by the characters, events, and history of the area where YOU’RE from! 

Performed by some of the funniest improv and sketch performers from around the country. In the vein of Whose Line Is It Anyway, the games and scenes are all inspired by suggestions from audience interviews, local newspapers, and what the talk of the town has been in and around your area! 

 

General admission tickets are available for $20 in advance, $25 the day of the event. A limited amount of Front Row tickets will be available for $40. If this show is not sold out, tickets are available at the box office starting at 6:00pm. Doors open at 6:00pm.

Crank up the Christmas Season fun with our community theatre production of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!), a comedic, fast-paced mashup of traditional holiday stories, classic tv productions, holiday films, and worldwide traditions, to be staged at The Waldo on December 13, 14, & 15.  

Instead of performing Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told -- plus Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to topical pop-culture, and every carol ever sung. A madcap romp through the holiday season!  

The three cast members—George Bates of Waldoboro, Heidi Holst of Warren, and Jack Sullivan of Waldoboro—will assume more than 40 beloved and familiar Christmas character roles—including Tiny Tim, Yukon Cornelius, Frosty, George Bailey, Ebeneezer Scrooge, The Grinch, Linus, and many more! Far more than standard “holiday” fare, it’s fun, funny and filled with nostalgia that we hope will evoke laughs and happy memories for our audience, both young* and old.

*Note: The performance includes a debate about the unlikely scientific possibility of Santa being real, and therefore, this production may not be suitable for young “believers.”

 

Sample Reviews:

"A respectful homage and side-splitting parody at the same time." - Marcus Crowder, The Sacramento Bee

"Every Christmas Story Ever Told leaves no holly unturned." - Len Kluge, City Pulse (Detroit)

"A hilarious send-up of, well, every Christmas story ever told ... This is a highly recommended alternative to cut-and-dry Christmas offerings." - NUVO Indianapolis Arts and Entertainment

 

Advance tickets are just $15/adults, $10/children. Adult tickets are $20 on the day of performance and at the door.