Upcoming Events

Join us! – for Shterna and the Lost Voice: a musical crankie storytelling adventure! This new folktale by A. C. Weaver is inspired by mythical stories of Elyahu Hanovi and traditional Yiddish folklore. Shterna and the Lost Voice follows a young woman’s quest from the realms of the dead to the celestial gardens of the immortal – all to restore her friend’s lost voice. Shterna’s epic adventure is accompanied by live original klezmer music while the narrative unfolds through a papercut crankie. This dynamic performance is geared towards audiences of all ages!

Puppet show! Puppet show! Bread & Puppet Theater is excited to announce that they will kick off our 61st year by traversing the Northeast and Eastern Seaboard with a brand-new play created with their director, Peter Schumann, for the exact moment at hand. 

Of the show–The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide–director Peter Schumann says, “The imminent end of the capitalist empire, colonizing and genociding as the whole world looks on in horror, attacked by a flock of cranes migrating from Palestine to replace the shit inside the White House with genuine bird droppings. Frogs, caribou, dancing bears, bicycling chickens make up the rest of the cast.”

After the performance, Bread & Puppet will serve its free sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets, and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.

Puppet show! Puppet show! Bread & Puppet Theater is excited to announce that they will kick off our 61st year by traversing the Northeast and Eastern Seaboard with a brand-new play created with their director, Peter Schumann, for the exact moment at hand. 

Of the show–The Hope Principle Show: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide–director Peter Schumann says, “The imminent end of the capitalist empire, colonizing and genociding as the whole world looks on in horror, attacked by a flock of cranes migrating from Palestine to replace the shit inside the White House with genuine bird droppings. Frogs, caribou, dancing bears, bicycling chickens make up the rest of the cast.”

After the performance, Bread & Puppet will serve its free sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets, and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.

From Iceland to Italy, and all over the U.S., San Francisco-based band Dirty Cello brings the world a high energy and unique spin on blues, rock, and Americana. 

Led by vivacious cross-over cellist, Rebecca Roudman, Dirty Cello is cello like you’ve never heard before. From down-home blues and rock with a wailing cello to virtuosic stompin’ Americana, Dirty Cello gets your heart thumping and your toes tapping! Combine the virtuosic wail of Jimi Hendrix, the soul of BB King, and the fire of Bill Monroe, and add a whole lot of cello, and you get the Dirty Cello band. 

Mayo Street Arts and the Portland Housing Authority (PHA) are teaming up for an exhibit showcasing 50 talented artists who work and reside with the Housing Authority!

The theme of the exhibit is the connections that bind us as a community and as neighbors. Stop by for to celebrate these fantastic artists and this intergenerational community art show! Art will be for sale.

The opening reception will take place on Friday, May 3 from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. There will be hors d’oeuvres and libations provided free of charge!

Local musician Kafari is bringing his ethereal and atmospheric sound, with a live performance during the opening from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Click the link below to see the participating artists.

Hear ye! Hear ye! King Friday, post-monarch, deposed and living in squalor beneath an old vaudeville house requests thy presence to witness the unveiling of new puppet works and puppet works in progress at an impromptu, after-hours, puppet-roadhouse show.

King Friday’s Dungeon Puppet Slam is an opportunity for emerging and experienced puppeteers to share works-in-progress, experimental projects, and other acts that dance outside of the family-friendly mainstream puppet circuit. 

Imagery by Jana Heckerman

Hear ye! Hear ye! King Friday, post-monarch, deposed and living in squalor beneath an old vaudeville house requests thy presence to witness the unveiling of new puppet works and puppet works in progress at an impromptu, after-hours, puppet-roadhouse show.

King Friday’s Dungeon Puppet Slam is an opportunity for emerging and experienced puppeteers to share works-in-progress, experimental projects, and other acts that dance outside of the family-friendly mainstream puppet circuit. 

Imagery by Jana Heckerman

Portland’s legendary INTERNATIONAL OPEN MIC is here to bring you a wide range of songs, poetry, and beyond.

Please join us for curated (& spontaneous!) performances featuring a wide variety of international and American artists who call the Greater Portland area home. 

The event celebrates the international community that is our Portland, Maine with an evening of traditional and innovative performances.

Who’s performing? The event features experienced and emerging performers, as well as some open mic slots. ADVANCE SIGNUPS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. To sign up, email jennyvanwestmusic[at]gmail[dot]com.

Photo by Luke Madden

Oma says that knitting is not just pom pom hats and sweaters. Oma’s knitting contains whole stories! This puppet tale will also feature live music by Molly Gawler.

This new family show by Shoshana Bass and Jana Zeller is an intergenerational tale that revolves around Grandma or “Oma.” It is her birthday and all are preparing for the celebration. While the grown-ups manage work phone calls, playdate logistics, and other such tasks, the children get into mischief with party decorating, present wrapping, and cake baking. Finally, they all gather around for one of Oma’s stories told in yarn. One character emerges from the tangle of wool and nearly ruins the party. But not to worry, all ends well at Oma’s house.

Following their “OMA” performance, Sandglass Theater artists Shoshana Bass & Jana Zeller will lead a FREE hands-on workshop promoting imagination, problem-solving, and upcycling.

Utilizing toilet paper rolls, old chopsticks, and a variety of decorative elements participants will be able to build their very own character from their imagination. The puppet building will be followed by a brief lesson in bringing your creation to life!

The workshop is wonderful for youth, families, art educators, the puppet curious, and anyone interested in play. Activities are suited for those 8+  but all are welcome. 

Describing Black folks’ hair, writer and philosopher bell hooks once said, “our hair feels like flower petals.” She was discussing language and its power to liberate — its power to generate narratives around Black identity that communicate beauty within a society where minstrel images and racial stereotypes run rampant. When Steph Davis heard her say “our hair feels like flower petals,”  they reached up to touch their own hair. Running their fingers through their 4C coils, they smiled when they agreed with her; our hair feels like flower petals. Internalizing this powerful description helped to shift how they view themself.

like flower petals… aims to shift how some people view the marimba. Though the marimba has a rich history rooted on the African continent, much of the marimba repertoire in the West emphasizes white Euro-American contributions while simultaneously ignoring the music of African-descended people and cultures. Combining arrangements of 1) traditional and contemporary West African gyil music, 2) African American spirituals and the Hush Arbor tradition, and 3) contemporary classical works by Black composers, this program engages Africanity as a lens through which to conceptualize and listen to the marimba.

Photo by Lauren Miller

Portraits of Spirituals is a free workshop/performance led by Steph Davis that explores the music/culture of African American spirituals as arranged for marimba. Centered around principles of dignity, connectivity, and liberation, participants will have the opportunity to engage with traditional music, the Hush Arbor tradition, and African American quilt making.

Participants will learn, listen, and participate in a hands-on quilt decorating session. Recommended for ages 7+. This workshop was developed in collaboration with Castle of our Skins.

Photo by Robert Torres (Celebrity Series of Boston)

Who is George? He’s a tortoise, a giant Galapagos tortoise! Watch George grow up among lizards, sea turtles, and sea lions, along with hungry goats and dancing birds with blue feet. This show tells the true story of the last tortoise to be found on Pinta Island in the Galapagos archipelago.

Touring from Virginia, Barefoot Puppet Theatre brings us an “uplifting eco-fable,” as described by The Smithsonian, that shares an important lesson about humans’ impact on the environment. This adorable show was awarded the UNIMA Citation of Excellence in 2005, the highest American honor in puppetry arts.

If you love animals, tortoises, the environment, and adorable puppets, Galapagos George is the show for you! You’ll fall in love with these islands…and this not-so-little tortoise.

Save the date for A Taste of Nations Food Festival at Mayo Street Arts, in collaboration with Fork Food Labs!

During this afternoon of flavors, participants are invited to ‘taste’ succulent and sizzling bites from a custom menu featuring local vendors from both national and international backgrounds. Each taste is only $5! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options will be available.

In addition to sampling delectable foods, entrants can enjoy curated libations and an art installation by the residents and staff of the Portland Housing Authority. There will be live DJ sets by multiple artists, including Sergio Cahueque of WMPG’s Our Latin Thing.

Save the date for A Taste of Nations Food Festival at Mayo Street Arts, in collaboration with Fork Food Labs!

During this afternoon of flavors, participants are invited to ‘taste’ succulent and sizzling bites from a custom menu featuring local vendors from both national and international backgrounds. Each taste is only $5! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options will be available.

In addition to sampling delectable foods, entrants can enjoy curated libations and an art installation by the residents and staff of the Portland Housing Authority. There will be live DJ sets by multiple artists, including Sergio Cahueque of WMPG’s Our Latin Thing.

Save the date for A Taste of Nations Food Festival at Mayo Street Arts, in collaboration with Fork Food Labs!

During this afternoon of flavors, participants are invited to ‘taste’ succulent and sizzling bites from a custom menu featuring local vendors from both national and international backgrounds. Each taste is only $5! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options will be available.

In addition to sampling delectable foods, entrants can enjoy curated libations and an art installation by the residents and staff of the Portland Housing Authority. There will be live DJ sets by multiple artists, including Sergio Cahueque of WMPG’s Our Latin Thing.

Save the date for A Taste of Nations Food Festival at Mayo Street Arts, in collaboration with Fork Food Labs!

During this afternoon of flavors, participants are invited to ‘taste’ succulent and sizzling bites from a custom menu featuring local vendors from both national and international backgrounds. Each taste is only $5! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options will be available.

In addition to sampling delectable foods, entrants can enjoy curated libations and an art installation by the residents and staff of the Portland Housing Authority. There will be live DJ sets by multiple artists, including Sergio Cahueque of WMPG’s Our Latin Thing.

Save the date for A Taste of Nations Food Festival at Mayo Street Arts, in collaboration with Fork Food Labs!

During this afternoon of flavors, participants are invited to ‘taste’ succulent and sizzling bites from a custom menu featuring local vendors from both national and international backgrounds. Each taste is only $5! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options will be available.

In addition to sampling delectable foods, entrants can enjoy curated libations and an art installation by the residents and staff of the Portland Housing Authority. There will be live DJ sets by multiple artists, including Sergio Cahueque of WMPG’s Our Latin Thing.

Save the date for A Taste of Nations Food Festival at Mayo Street Arts, in collaboration with Fork Food Labs!

During this afternoon of flavors, participants are invited to ‘taste’ succulent and sizzling bites from a custom menu featuring local vendors from both national and international backgrounds. Each taste is only $5! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options will be available.

In addition to sampling delectable foods, entrants can enjoy curated libations and an art installation by the residents and staff of the Portland Housing Authority. There will be live DJ sets by multiple artists, including Sergio Cahueque of WMPG’s Our Latin Thing.

Avner weaves a spell of poetic simplicity. He will entrance, amaze, and amuse you in a show of hilarious predicaments.

Hailed as one of the greatest clowns of all time, Avner Eisenberg is often a featured performer in comedy, magic, clown, and theatre festivals. He also teaches clowning and Eccentric Performing. Avner is a certified Ericksonian hypnotist and the curator of this night of oddities.

At this specific spectacle, Avner is joined by miniature theater legend and opera singer, David Worobec of Tophat Productions and magician Peter Boie!  

Do not miss these three artists showcasing their unconventional talent.

Cat and Mouse is the adventurous sonic dialogue between trumpet player/composer Nicole Rampersaud and percussionist/composer Brian Shankar Adler.

Before the performance, Nicole and Brian will lead the audience in a guided listening walk through the Kennedy Park neighborhood followed by a reflective sharing about what was heard. Within the performance, Cat and Mouse will create a short piece of music (in real-time) based on the sounds of the neighborhood. 

Combining brass, electronics, and a hybrid drum set that includes North Indian tabla, Argentine bombo legüero, and various found objects, the two create new connections between raga, experimental music, and more.

Katherine Fahey is a multidisciplinary artist who employs various crafts, combining intricate papercutting, ethereal shadow puppetry, music, and engaging storytelling. 

Known as the Jane Appleseed or matron saint of crankies* Katherine has toured performing and teaching her craft nationwide. Her pieces are based on tunes and tales as far-reaching as the southern swamps of Louisiana and the northern reaches of Inuit Quebec.  The crankies are performed as tabletop performance.

Joining Katherine will be her performance partner puppeteer and foley artist Dan Van Allen.

*Crankies are a form of visual performance, involving a cranked scroll of artwork usually presented inside a box.