Steamy month ahead of music and theatre ~ things to do in Maine’s Lakes Region!
(C) Performing Artist Gary Backstrom performs Frampton Comes Alive!
(R) Actor Mary Beth Murphy performing in the acclaimed “Every Brilliant Thing”
McGRATHPR.com – Deertrees Theatre, Maine’s most enchanting playhouse, presents exceptional entertainment for the month of August ahead. Performances occur at 156 Deertrees Road, Harrison. Deertrees has been serving the Greater Maine region since 1936 offering an eclectic summer season of entertainment, featuring theatrical productions and comedies, family shows, concerts annually from June through early September. Tickets are available at deertrees-theatre.org.
THIS WEEKEND: An Evening at Dave’s Sauna, Naughty Musical
Friday and Saturday, August 5 and 6, 7:30 pm, tickets are $28
Rated “N” for naughty, “An Evening at Dave’s Sauna” is written and directed by Mainer Jonathan Leavitt, telling the tale of one evening back in 1980 at the legendary/infamous Dave’s Sauna in South Paris, Maine. Hippies, rednecks, bikers, townies, swingers and all kinds of folks would come for a sauna (and maybe more!). Watch and listen as the legendary/infamous “Sauna Dave” shares his own philosophies on life, chats up the customers and takes care of “commerce”. Meet Weird Rob, Bearded Hippie, Off-Duty Waitress, 9-5 Guy, Neighbor Not Happy, Local Town Cop, Trailer Park Woman, MassHole, Dave’s best friend Saul, his wife Nancy, her best friend Josephine, the seductive Sauna Sirens and many other colorful characters. Sponsored by Tom and Jen Vose, Q-Team Tree Service and Camp Laughing Grass.
Frampton Comes Alive!
Saturday, August 13, 7:30 pm, tickets are $30
Regional and national touring artist Gary Backstrom, front man and founder of New England-based jam band Jiggle the Handle, has performed for more than 30 years. Gary’s stellar 4-piece line-up of amazing musicians for The Gary Backstrom Band performs a tribute concert to Peter Frampton’s best selling album of all time, featuring Gary on vocals and guitar, Chris Nemitz on keys, guitars and voice, Everett Pendleton on bass and voice, and Peter Koeplin on drums. Backstrom has played with Liberty Devito, the drummer for Billy Joel’s band, while touring with the symphonic rock group Piano Menperforming rock concerts with various orchestras around the country. Sponsored by Hancock Lumber.
Tartan Terrors – A Celtic Invasion
Friday, August 19, 7:30 pm, tickets are $32
The Tartan Terrors bring their Celtic Invasion back to the Deertrees stage, blending the energy of a rock show with humor and stepdance. With a distinctive sound and a proud tradition of making Celtic music fun and accessible to any audience, the Terrors have played big stages across North America, including Market Square, St. John NB, sharing the stage with Scott Helman, The Beaches, and the Celtic Music & Craft Beer Festival in Dunedin, Florida. Sponsored by Stephens Memorial Hospital.
50th Annual Sebago Long Lake Music Festival
Final concerts: Tuesdays, August 2 and 9, 7:30 pm, tickets are $32, under 21 free
Deertrees is home to Sebago Long Lake Music Festival’s annual five-week series of summer chamber music concerts, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022. This series includes a wide variety of music for sometimes unusual instrument combinations, from different periods ranging from the 17th century to present day. Familiar works are balanced with the obscure and provide ongoing enjoyment and enrichment for a devoted audience. Summer season passes will be sold prior to the first concert for $125.
Every Brilliant Thing
Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27, 7:30 pm; Sunday, August 28, 3 pm, tickets are $26
Nominated for Drama Desk Award,
Outstanding Solo Performance
and Lucille Lortel Award, Outstanding Solo Show
Duncan MacMillon’s critically acclaimed play “Every Brilliant Thing” is a life-affirming story about the strength inside all of us and how to delight in the everyday. This heart-warming, one-person show tells the story of a woman who started a list of “brilliant things about the world” as a little girl to ease her mother’s depression. She continues the list as an adult, and discovers it has a great impact on her life. “Every Brilliant Thing” stars Mary Beth Murphy and is much more than a play, according to director David Costa. “It’s an interactive, theatrical experience that shines a light on one of the most powerful things we can do-focus on all the positive things in our lives, rather than the negative.” At Deertrees, the staging will take place in the Salt Lick cabaret space and patrons will be seated on stage and in the Art Gallery, limited to 70-seat capacity. Sponsored by Jane Curran and Gail Bowen.
~ The Salt Lick Café Cabaret Series ~
Casual Thursday evening performances in a 70-seat cabaret setting
Admission is $20, wine and beer, canned cocktails, and light bites available for purchase at small table seating in the art gallery.
The Carpenters Reimagined – Thursday, August 11 and Friday, August 12, 7 pm ~ WC Edgar American Outlaw – Thursday, August 18, 7pm
Founded in 1936 originally as an opera house by prominent opera singer/director Enrica Clay Dillon, Deertrees Theatre has been home to Broadway stars and local actors, world-acclaimed musicians, and aspiring students. Nestled in the beautiful foothills of Southern Maine’s lake region in the town of Harrison, historically serving as a secluded retreat for artists. The acoustically perfect theatre is set in one of the nation’s most idyllic locations, boasting a rose hemlock wood structure harvested from the property, featuring hand-carved beams, doors, trim and light fixtures. The building, in stages of restoration since 1990, is now listed on Maine’s State Register of Historic Landmarks and on the National Registry of Historic Places. Deertrees offers classical music Tuesday evenings in July, The Backstage Art Gallery featuring the works of local artists, and The Salt Lick Café, offering cabaret acts, small bites, beer, wine and canned cocktails.
Ticket prices include a $2 Heritage Fee that supports the ongoing restoration and improvements of Deertrees Theatre. For more information, visit deertrees-theatre.org, email gail@deertrees.org, call 207-583-6747 or follow Deertrees Theatre on Facebook and Instagram.
About Deertrees Theatre
Founded in 1936 as an opera house, Deertrees Theatre was built on the site of an old deer run in the forest above the village of Harrison, Maine. Constructed of rose hemlock in the Adirondack style with hand carved fixtures and near perfect acoustics, the theatre has long been home to Broadway-quality entertainment.
Now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the non-profit Deertrees Theatre presents an eclectic offering of theatrical productions and comedies, family entertainment, and a variety of musical concerts during the quintessential summer theater season annually from late June through early September. As a most active performing arts venue of the Northeast, Deertrees is home to the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival on Tuesday evenings in July, The Backstage Art Gallery featuring the works of local artists, and The Salt Lick Café, offering cabaret acts, small bites, beer, and wine.
Deertrees Theatre is located at 156 Deertrees Road, Harrison, Maine. For more information, visit deertrees-theatre.org, email gail@deertrees.org, or follow Deertrees Theatre on Facebook and Instagram.
