Four Weeks, Two Productions, One Theater Company

For many years, winter at Brunswick's Theater Project has meant a new offering from their noted Professional Ensemble acting company. This year, The Theater Project ups the entertainment quotient with not one production but two, offered on alternate nights over four weekends in January and February.

It's called a repertory season, and it's not alien to The Theater Project's actors. "The Theater Project used to do a repertory set up, back in the summers during 1980's and 90's," said Executive Director Wendy Poole. "It's an exciting way for the theater to work, and we think it's exciting for our audiences, to be able to come back the next night and see a completely different production." Poole has chosen two contrasting shows that highlight some of the hallmarks of a Theater Project production - original, thought-provoking works that take risks, and adult comedies that show off the well-honed comedic acting of the troupe.

The opening production is LA FILLE AT TESS' MARKET,  an original musical by Theater Project founder and artistic director Al Miller. A long time resident of Brunswick, La Fille was usually found collecting bottles and cans around town. "As I got to know La Fille a little, I realized how little we know about people, any people, if we don't take time with them," said Miller, who decided he wanted to write a play with La Fille as the main character and Brunswick the location. The end result is a fantasy, not a realistic historical play, as La Fille and her silent companion Dancer travel through time and space, going back to the late 1800's and the mid 1950's in Brunswick. They visit the Cabot Mill and the Franco-American community when the mill was active, wander in Merrymeeting Park over 100 years ago, and go to St. John's Bazaar in the past and present.  LA FILLE AT TESS' MARKET is written and directed by Al Miller, with original music by Jim Hall.

The second production is a remount of the wildly popular WONDER OF THE WORLD, last seen at The Theater Project in July of 2009. An irreverent, adults-only comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire, WONDER OF THE WORLD follows the impulsive but endearing Cass as she makes a shocking discovery about her husband, runs off to Niagara Falls, befriends a suicidal drunk, and generally decides to start doing all the things she's never been able to do before. On the way she encounters a lonely tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter, all of which pushes her perilously close to the water's edge. Reviewers of the July production called it "flawlessly cast" and noted that "on a stage laden with the fall of water, The Theater Project buoys a show that's both contemplative and gloriously raucous."  

"We're really excited to be offering these shows in repertory this year,"  said Poole.  "Next year we're planning to add a third show, our infamous WINTER CABARET into the mix, for even more laughs."

LA FILLE AT TESS' MARKET and WONDER OF THE WORLD can be seen at The Theater Project from January 22 through February 14.  For a full schedule of performances, see the sidebar. All tickets are Pay-What-You-Want with a suggested price of $18, and are available at online or at 729-8584 or on-line. The Theater Project is located at 14 School Street in Brunswick.