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Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
December’s Reading: My Three Angels by Bella and Sam Spewack
A little different than the traditional holiday fare, reviewers testify to the clever plot, the charming characters, and the humorous dialogue of My Three Angels, a comedy set in a French Guiana on Christmas Eve. Three convicts working as roofers intervene to help a family from financial ruin and heartbreak…and bring some unexpected luck and good cheer to the Christmas festivities!
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
January’s Reading: Winner of the 7th Annual MHTL Maine Playwright Award!
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
February’s Reading: War of the Worlds Radio Adaptation by Orson Wells
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
March’s Reading: Local Playwright Shorts
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
April’s Reading: Deep Blue Sound by Abe Koogler
One Man Show of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
One Man Show of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
We invite you this holiday season to share our presentation of a one-man show of Charles Dickens', A Christmas Carol, at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor and help support the Schoodic Food Pantry (see details below).
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.”
So begins A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Some say this short story (first published in 1843) transformed Christmas into a major holiday. The tale has inspired movies, operas, readings and countless stage performances around the globe.
Veteran actor Tim Pugliese makes the stage vibrate with his interpretation of Dickens’ Holiday tale. In an impressive tour-de-force Pugliese moves about the stage as he recounts this classic story and plays all the parts - by himself. You’ll find yourself looking at characters that aren’t really there, but you will see them in your mind, just as surely as Pugliese himself does. This form of story-telling is fun for the whole family.
Adapted for stage and directed by Shari John
Bring a non-perishable food donation for The Schoodic Food Pantry. For every person who contributes, an anonymous donor will give $2 to the Pantry.
Donna Harmon will work her magic and provide wonderful baked goods for the refreshment table and bake sale! All refreshment donations and proceeds from the bake sale to benefit the Schoodic Food Pantry.
Also showing on: Saturday, December 13 at 7pm!
Tickets: $20 suggested donation, free for children 12 and under.
One Man Show of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
One Man Show of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
We invite you this holiday season to share our presentation of a one-man show of Charles Dickens', A Christmas Carol, at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor and help support the Schoodic Food Pantry (see details below).
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.”
So begins A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Some say this short story (first published in 1843) transformed Christmas into a major holiday. The tale has inspired movies, operas, readings and countless stage performances around the globe.
Veteran actor Tim Pugliese makes the stage vibrate with his interpretation of Dickens’ Holiday tale. In an impressive tour-de-force Pugliese moves about the stage as he recounts this classic story and plays all the parts - by himself. You’ll find yourself looking at characters that aren’t really there, but you will see them in your mind, just as surely as Pugliese himself does. This form of story-telling is fun for the whole family.
Adapted for stage and directed by Shari John
Bring a non-perishable food donation for The Schoodic Food Pantry. For every person who contributes, an anonymous donor will give $2 to the Pantry.
Donna Harmon will work her magic and provide wonderful baked goods for the refreshment table and bake sale! All refreshment donations and proceeds from the bake sale to benefit the Schoodic Food Pantry.
Also showing on: Sunday, December 14 at 2pm!
Tickets: $20 suggested donation, free for children 12 and under.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
November’s Reading: Scenes from Shakespeare
7th Annual Maine Playwright’s Competition
7th Annual Maine Playwright’s Competition
The Meetinghouse Theatre Lab is accepting submissions for its seventh annual Maine Playwright’s Award. The winner will receive $100.00 and a staged reading on Saturday January 17th performed by members of the MHTL’s theater company. Non-musical, full-length plays or groups of one-acts will be considered for the award. Multiple submissions will be accepted. The deadline for submissions is December 1st. Notification will be by December 20. Please send submission as attachment to Cathy Johnson, cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com, with the subject line “Maine Playwright’s Award Submission”.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2025 - 2026
Out of the Hat! - Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:00am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:00am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
October’s Reading: The Yellow Wallpaper
Get in the Halloween spirit! Join us for a spine-tingling Out of the Hat workshopped reading of The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic gothic horror story, written in 1892, adapted for the stage. We invite you to experience the chilling tale of a woman confined to bedrest by her physician husband. Isolated and stripped of intellectual stimulation, she becomes obsessed with the grotesque yellow wallpaper in her room.
Adapted for the stage.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
A highly acclaimed success on Broadway, running for nearly 1500 performances, receiving many nominations and winning Outstanding New (American) Play in 1975, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year was praised for its witty script, and ability to blend humor with emotional depth.
Same Time Next Year is a play about a couple, George and Doris, who have a one-night stand in 1951 and decide to meet at the same place, a California inn, every year for the next 25 years. Both are married to other people, but their annual rendezvous becomes a significant part of their lives, allowing them to share their personal and professional lives, and mirroring the changing social and political landscape of the time.
Same Time, Next Year remains one of the most popular romantic comedies of our time and one of the most widely produced plays in the world.
Please join us as Tim Pugliese (George) and Melissa Burkart (Doris) bring this wonderful script to life under the skillful direction of Shari John.
PG-13 (Adult theme/some adult language)
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
A highly acclaimed success on Broadway, running for nearly 1500 performances, receiving many nominations and winning Outstanding New (American) Play in 1975, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year was praised for its witty script, and ability to blend humor with emotional depth.
Same Time Next Year is a play about a couple, George and Doris, who have a one-night stand in 1951 and decide to meet at the same place, a California inn, every year for the next 25 years. Both are married to other people, but their annual rendezvous becomes a significant part of their lives, allowing them to share their personal and professional lives, and mirroring the changing social and political landscape of the time.
Same Time, Next Year remains one of the most popular romantic comedies of our time and one of the most widely produced plays in the world.
Please join us as Tim Pugliese (George) and Melissa Burkart (Doris) bring this wonderful script to life under the skillful direction of Shari John.
PG-13 (Adult theme/some adult language)
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
A highly acclaimed success on Broadway, running for nearly 1500 performances, receiving many nominations and winning Outstanding New (American) Play in 1975, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year was praised for its witty script, and ability to blend humor with emotional depth.
Same Time Next Year is a play about a couple, George and Doris, who have a one-night stand in 1951 and decide to meet at the same place, a California inn, every year for the next 25 years. Both are married to other people, but their annual rendezvous becomes a significant part of their lives, allowing them to share their personal and professional lives, and mirroring the changing social and political landscape of the time.
Same Time, Next Year remains one of the most popular romantic comedies of our time and one of the most widely produced plays in the world.
Please join us as Tim Pugliese (George) and Melissa Burkart (Doris) bring this wonderful script to life under the skillful direction of Shari John.
PG-13 (Adult theme/some adult language)
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
A highly acclaimed success on Broadway, running for nearly 1500 performances, receiving many nominations and winning Outstanding New (American) Play in 1975, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year was praised for its witty script, and ability to blend humor with emotional depth.
Same Time Next Year is a play about a couple, George and Doris, who have a one-night stand in 1951 and decide to meet at the same place, a California inn, every year for the next 25 years. Both are married to other people, but their annual rendezvous becomes a significant part of their lives, allowing them to share their personal and professional lives, and mirroring the changing social and political landscape of the time.
Same Time, Next Year remains one of the most popular romantic comedies of our time and one of the most widely produced plays in the world.
Please join us as Tim Pugliese (George) and Melissa Burkart (Doris) bring this wonderful script to life under the skillful direction of Shari John.
PG-13 (Adult theme/some adult language)
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
A highly acclaimed success on Broadway, running for nearly 1500 performances, receiving many nominations and winning Outstanding New (American) Play in 1975, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year was praised for its witty script, and ability to blend humor with emotional depth.
Same Time Next Year is a play about a couple, George and Doris, who have a one-night stand in 1951 and decide to meet at the same place, a California inn, every year for the next 25 years. Both are married to other people, but their annual rendezvous becomes a significant part of their lives, allowing them to share their personal and professional lives, and mirroring the changing social and political landscape of the time.
Same Time, Next Year remains one of the most popular romantic comedies of our time and one of the most widely produced plays in the world.
Please join us as Tim Pugliese (George) and Melissa Burkart (Doris) bring this wonderful script to life under the skillful direction of Shari John.
PG-13 (Adult theme/some adult language)
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Same Time Next Year by Bernard Slade
A highly acclaimed success on Broadway, running for nearly 1500 performances, receiving many nominations and winning Outstanding New (American) Play in 1975, Bernard Slade’s Same Time, Next Year was praised for its witty script, and ability to blend humor with emotional depth.
Same Time Next Year is a play about a couple, George and Doris, who have a one-night stand in 1951 and decide to meet at the same place, a California inn, every year for the next 25 years. Both are married to other people, but their annual rendezvous becomes a significant part of their lives, allowing them to share their personal and professional lives, and mirroring the changing social and political landscape of the time.
Same Time, Next Year remains one of the most popular romantic comedies of our time and one of the most widely produced plays in the world.
Please join us as Tim Pugliese (George) and Melissa Burkart (Doris) bring this wonderful script to life under the skillful direction of Shari John.
PG-13 (Adult theme/some adult language)
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite her elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite her elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite her elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite her elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite her elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab presents: Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite her elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Directed by Shari John
Tickets: $20
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the button below or at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2024-2025 - Out of the Hat! Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:30am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:30am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
April’s Reading: Enjoy some short selections as we highlight and celebrate local playwrights
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2024-2025 - Out of the Hat! Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:30am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:30am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
March’s Reading:
Two one-act plays by feminist writers in honor of Women’s History Month: Trifles by Susan Glaspell and Fourteen by Alice Gerstenberg
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2024-2025 - Out of the Hat! Readers’ Theatre Series
February’s Reading: A Rock Sails By by Sean Grennan
Astrophysicist Dr. Lynn Cummings has always believed in science over faith in the unknown. But now that her life is changing, the certainty that was once a source of comfort has become a source of emptiness. When an unidentified flying object is sighted heading toward Earth, she grants an interview to a journalist who misquotes her. With her credibility on the line, she invites him to witness the object as it comes closest to the Earth with her. Dr. Cummings hopes it will pass without incident, but there is no telling what she will discover beyond the stars.
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at 11:30am to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at 11:30am or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Auditions
MHTL is holding auditions Feb 1 by appointment for their May production of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys, directed by Shari John. Message Shari Wick John on Facebook to schedule YOUR appointment!
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite his elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - “Tuna Water” by William Nelson - A Staged Reading
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab will present a staged reading of “Tuna Water” by William Nelson of Belfast, Maine, winner of its 6th annual playwriting competition.
“Tuna Water” tells of the ailing cat that brings a spirited young runaway into the company of a jaded professor and a sympathetic divorcee. Together they explore and experience the meanings of friendship and love, freedom and responsibility. How much do we give? How much do we take?
Despite worlds-apart backgrounds, the three principals locate common interests and pursuits. Without hatred or harangue, “Tuna Water” takes on some of the big issues of our time.
“Every generation brings on confrontation and trade-off with its predecessor,” the playwright says. He especially enjoys plotting out dialogue between younger and older. “The age difference promotes a level of honesty and directness that is often missing in talk between adult peers,” he says. “That’s particularly true in a situation like this. The kid needs a roof. The professor can use a life.”
Borrowing figures from the classics, Nelson characterizes the play as “Puck drops in on Faust.”
At certain points in the play some coarse language is heard; parental discretion is advised.
There will be a talk-back and reception with the playwright immediately following the 6 PM reading.
Admission is free but donations gratefully accepted.
***a note to actors: unlike the regular Out of the Hat! workshops, this is a special event and will be pre-cast***
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2024-2025 - Out of the Hat! Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at noon to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at noon or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
December’s Reading: Holiday Selections
Enjoy Holiday favorites as we celebrate the Season!
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab Presents: A Christmas Carol - A One-Man Show
A Christmas Carol -
A One-Man Show with Tim Pugliese
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.”
So begins A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Some say this short story (first published in 1843) transformed Christmas into a major holiday. The tale has inspired movies, operas, readings and countless stage performances around the globe.
Veteran actor Tim Pugliese makes the stage vibrate with his interpretation of Dickens’ Holiday tale. In an impressive tour-de-force Pugliese moves about the stage as he recounts this classic story and plays all the parts - by himself. You’ll find yourself looking at characters that aren’t really there, but you will see them in your mind, just as surely as Pugliese himself does. This form of story-telling is fun for the whole family.
We invite you this holiday season to share our presentation of a one-man show of A Christmas Carol at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor.
Directed by Shari John
Also showing on: Friday, December 13th
$15 suggested donation, free for children
Tickets are available at the link below, and at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab Presents: A Christmas Carol - A One-Man Show
A Christmas Carol -
A One-Man Show with Tim Pugliese
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.”
So begins A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Some say this short story (first published in 1843) transformed Christmas into a major holiday. The tale has inspired movies, operas, readings and countless stage performances around the globe.
Veteran actor Tim Pugliese makes the stage vibrate with his interpretation of Dickens’ Holiday tale. In an impressive tour-de-force Pugliese moves about the stage as he recounts this classic story and plays all the parts - by himself. You’ll find yourself looking at characters that aren’t really there, but you will see them in your mind, just as surely as Pugliese himself does. This form of story-telling is fun for the whole family.
We invite you this holiday season to share our presentation of a one-man show of A Christmas Carol at Hammond Hall in Winter Harbor.
Directed by Shari John
Also showing on: Saturday, December 14th
$15 suggested donation, free for children
Tickets are available at the link below and at the door.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2024-2025 - Out of the Hat! Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at noon to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at noon or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
November’s Reading: The Odd Couple Female Version, by Neil Simon
Unger and Madison are at it again! Florence Unger and Olive Madison, that is, in Neil Simon's hilarious contemporary comic classic: the female version of The Odd Couple. Instead of the poker party that begins the original version, Ms. Madison has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit. The Pidgeon sisters have been replaced by the two Constanzuela brothers. But the hilarity remains the same.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2024-2025 - Out of the Hat! Readers’ Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day and performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at noon to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 6pm.
Come to read and play at noon or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
October’s Reading: The Edgar Allan Poe Afterlife Radio Show by Patrick Green and Jason Pizzarello
A tap at a chamber door, and the beat of a hideous heart evoke the very best and creepiest of Edgar Allan Poe. So when Poe sets out to keep his stories alive from beyond the grave, an otherworldly radio studio proves just the thing. Wandering spirits gather to play the roles in Poe's most classic works, from The Cask of the Amontillado to The Fall of the House of Usher. But the grim master of the macabre is a little new to radio. What's all this about commercials? And why is a skeptical cemetery cat sticking around for all these stories?
Just in time for Halloween! Come join us for some spooky fun in old time radio show fomat. Hot cider and Halloween cookies will be served.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2023 - 2024
Out of the Hat! Readers' Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day, 7 hours, performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at noon to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 7pm.
Come to read and play at noon or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
This popular retelling of the beloved children's classic never strays far from Twain's original text. Huck Finn is an outcast. He has no mother and his father is a hopeless drunkard. The Widow Douglas takes him in but he rejects her "civilized" world and runs away. On his epic journey down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave named Jim, Huck finds acceptance for the first time in his life. He also learns responsibility, an awareness of equality, and the meaning of true friendship.
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2023 - 2024
Out of the Hat! Readers' Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day, 7 hours, performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at noon to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 7pm.
Come to read and play at noon or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
This month - short plays by local playwrights!
Meetinghouse Theatre Lab - Out of the Hat!
October through April, 2023 - 2024
Out of the Hat! Readers' Theatre Series
What’s "Out of the Hat!?” It’s a fresh, compact production with a rehearsal time of one day, 7 hours, performed that same night. The play, the director, the cast are all picked "out of the hat" so to speak -- this makes it fresh and exciting.
It goes like so ... we gather at noon to read the chosen play -- many of us for the first time. After a first read, the director for the play retires to cast the show. Once done, the group works to put the play on its feet with the result being an outstanding and very fresh performance at 7pm.
Come to read and play at noon or come to watch it that evening. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted.
Interested in reading? We would love to have you! To read, you will need yourself, writing utensils, dark clothes, a potluck, energy and a penchant for fun.
Please message Meetinghouse Theatre Lab on Facebook or e-mail Cathy at cathyjohnson2012@hotmail.com if you would like to be a part of the day's production.
Nat Paradis is a Red Sox-loving part-time dad who manages Paradis’ Last Convenient Store, the last convenient place to get gas—or anything—before the Canadian border to the north and the North Maine Woods to the west. When an old flame returns to town, Nat gets a chance to rekindle a romance he gave up on years ago. But sparks fly as he’s forced to choose between new love and old. Last Gas takes a hilarious and heartbreakingly hard look at love lost and found, and at what it means to “get back to happy."