Incite Art. Create Community. (And Conversations. And Joy.)

When I moved to the island at the beginning of the summer to begin my work at the Opera House, everyone kept telling me how much calmer things got in the fall - and while that probably is true, you wouldn't know it our last week here!

How much did you join us for?

Were you with us on Wednesday for our day-long symposium with the students of Deer Isle-Stonington High School? How about Thursday for our free community matinee screening of Singin' In the Rain? Did you catch Bridge of Spies over the weekend?

The intrepid staff at OHA show off their Halloween onesies.
(Or, as we have started calling them, our #Hallowonesies.)

Were you one of the dozens of costumed merry-makers who celebrated with us all day on Saturday as we hosted a free family Halloween Extravaganza with trick-or-treating, cookie decoration, costumes and screening of Caspar?

As I sat in the back of the theatre on Saturday night unwinding after a long day of wearing a bear onesie (don't ask) while handing out candy and toys to the dozens of families who joined us during the day, I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to be a part of this community.

I've also been thinking that as I work in the rehearsal room in preparation for this week's Community Staged Reading presentations of Nick Payne's beautiful, heart-breaking, heart-healing, universe-jumping love story: Constellations.

Making its regional premiere on our stage this week, Constellations is a classic love story. She is a physicist and he's a bee-keeper and though they are an unlikely match, as they meet and re-meet across the multiverse, they tell a boy-meets-girl story as old as time. It’s a play about small talk and big ideas. It’s about saying goodbye and about never having to say goodbye. It’s about the boundless potential of a connection between two people. It’s a heart-breaking love story of endless invention. It's also very very funny.

I've loved this play since I first read it. It is a beautiful exploration of what it means to be human - how do we chose the paths that we chose? What parts of our life can we have control over? In what parts of our lives do we have no control, no choice in the outcome? It's a play that asks more questions than it answers, and that leaves its audience wanting to talk - so we are, of course, providing that space for conversation.

The readings are this Wednesday and Thursday evening at 7pm. Wednesday, stay after the show to join in a conversation about the issues raised by the play. Thursday, come early and enjoy Pam's delicious flatbread pizzas in our beautiful new lobby.

See you in the theatre!

Meg