Theater wins grant for hearing assistance

Saco River Theatre, now in its 26th year as an arts and cultural center, has received a $2,500 grant from the Kay E. Dopp Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to purchase and install a hearing-assistance system at its theater, 29 Salmon Falls Road, Bar Mills.

The new system will allow patrons with hearing difficulties to clearly hear dialogue onstage during both performances and post-show conversations.

“This grant will allow us to improve the audience experience for seniors and others who deal with hearing loss,” Dana Packard, executive director of Saco River Theatre, said in an announcement. “Many patrons have reported over the years that they can’t always hear actors in plays, even though our theater is an intimate venue. The support of the Maine Community Foundation will now allow anyone in our community to enjoy performances without straining to hear the words.”

The new hearing-assistance system will function by providing patrons who have hearing difficulties with audio headsets that pick up a feed from microphones installed near the stage.  Packard said that the system will be installed at Saco River Theatre and available to patrons in time for the company’s summer production of  “The Unexpected Guest” by Agatha Christie, which opens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 15, and runs through Saturday, July 23.

Tickets are $20; $18, students and seniors. For tickets or more information, visit www.sacorivertheatre.org.

Buxton students excel at SMCC
Numerous Buxton students have been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Southern Maine Community College. They are Brooke Anderson, Elizabeth Barrett, Emily Boyd, Katie Davis, Peter Durgin, Casey Johnson, Michael Letourneau, Emily Morrison, Melodylee Pinkham-Kistner, Laura Racioppi, Brandon Redlon, Elijah Richards, Jeffrey Roblee, Arianna Roybal, Crystal Shorey, Kirsten Thomas, Cameron Welch, George Welch, Matthew Yankowsky, Brianna Yates and Joseph Zampini.