 Allison Eddyblouin and James Nelson discuss The Witch of Harpswell  Dear Friends of River Company, Theater has been knocked for six in the past few months. For us, our 2020 season has been turned on its head, then turned inside out, and then thrown out the window! Back in March, we had just had our first rehearsal of Karmo Sanders' Homer Bound at Skidompha Library's Porter Hall. I remember the energy being really positive. Later that week, we got news that the Library was to cancel all programming until further notice – a decision taken early, and in hindsight it was exceptionally prudent and well done. We're hoping to revisit Homer Bound in 2021. Rather than let this year slip by, we're doing our best to keep our theater active. To that end, we have some absolutely excellent news to share: River Company has won a grant from the Maine Arts Commission! Our project is to create a new play set in Maine, titled, The Witch of Harpswell. It is a collaborative project between director, actor, and River Company Board Secretary, Allison Eddyblouin, and James L. Nelson, award-winning author of historical maritime fiction and nonfiction and South Harpswell resident. “The play is based on the local folktale,” says Eddyblouin, “which is currently only available as a photocopied pamphlet at a Cundy’s Harbor gift shop.” Allison and James have been engaged in social distanced scripting and dramatrugy over recent weeks. The plan is to craft a show performed entirely by children, as and when it is safe to do so. The project is funded in part by Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.  Christine Andersen in The Spooky House. A lot of theater has appeared online. Myself, I've been really inspired by Scenes for Survival, which is a collaboration between BBC Scotland and the National Theatre for Scotland. These shows are quirky vignettes, about 10 minutes in length, and well worth exploring. Here at River Company, we thought we'd continue our monthly YouTube video in a similar vein. The Spooky House was written by myself and I was lucky enough to have Christine Andersen perform the piece. It's about a woman who moves out of the city to a spooky new house. The performance can be viewed below, or on our YouTube Channel. Please give us a "Like" and "Subscribe", if you are familiar with YouTube! Instead of a ticket for this performance, you may wish to donate to River Company to continue to support community theater here. If you'd like to be involved in future River Company YouTube performances, please get in touch via our website!
Take care out there, and enjoy the summer! Mike Lee
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