Nate Stephenson and Owen Philip Arthur perform in “Flirting With Disaster,” a short play by Todd Brian Backus, at the 2023 Maine Playwrights Festival. This year’s festival takes place May 2-12 Thursdays through Saturdays at The Studio Theater at Portland Stage. Get tickets at acorn-productions.org. Contributed / Photo by Katie Day
Comedy
Friday 5/3
Jordan Klepper: 7 p.m., State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland. $25-$45. statetheatreportland.com
Ultimate Roast Championship preliminary round 3: 7 p.m., Empire Comedy Club, 575 Congress St., Portland. $10. 21-plus. empirecomedyme.com
Jeff Leeson: 9:30 p.m., Empire Comedy Club, 575 Congress St., Portland. $25. 21-plus. empirecomedyme.com
Saturday 5/4
Erik Scott: 7 p.m., Empire Comedy Club, 575 Congress St., Portland. $25. 21-plus. empirecomedyme.com
Nomad Laughs: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Nomad Maine, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. $15 advance, $20 day-of. nomadmaine.com
Friday 5/10
Downeasta: 7 p.m., Empire Comedy Club, 575 Congress St., Portland. $20. 21-plus. empirecomedyme.com
TJ: 9:30 p.m., Empire Comedy Club, 575 Congress St., Portland. $20-$30. 21-plus. empirecomedyme.com
Exhibits/Galleries
Through 5/3
“Father and Daughter: William Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar”: Noon to 4 p.m., Maine Jewish Museum, 267 Congress St., Portland. mainejewishmuseum.org
Friday 5/3
“Connections” opening reception: 5-8 p.m., Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St., Portland. Exhibiting through June 23. Free. mayostreetarts.org
Saturday 5/4 & Sunday 5/5
Maine Pottery Tour: Self-guided tour to over 70 pottery studios across Maine. mainepotterytour.org
Tuesday 5/7-Friday 7/7
Maya Kuvaja: Gilsland Farm Gallery, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth. maineaudubon.org/art
Through 5/18
Brita Holmquist; Lynn Sisler; Sarah Steedman: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, Elizabeth Moss Galleries, 251 Route 1, Falmouth. elizabethmossgalleries.com
Through 5/25
Paula Tognarelli Collection: Maine Museum of Photographic Arts, 15 Middle St., Portland. mainemuseumofphotographicarts.org
Through 5/30
“Lens and Light”: Thornton Oaks Retirement Community, 25 Thornton Way, Brunswick. firstlightcc.com
“Paintings In Oil”: A group exhibition, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Richard Boyd Art Gallery, 15 Epps St., Peaks Island. Free. richardboydpottery.com
Through 5/31
“Maine Landscapes and Landmarks”: Linda Rowell-Kelley, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive. freeportlibrary.com
Through 6/1
“Recent Paintings from the Adirondacks and Maine”: Ed Douglas, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, to 5 p.m. Saturday, Greenhut Galleries, 146 Middle St., Portland. greenhutgalleries.com
“Salon 24: The Art of the Salon Style Hanging”: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays, Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport. Free. meetinghousearts.org
Through 6/2
“Celestial Blue”: Frances Hynes, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, Elizabeth Moss Galleries, 100 Fore St., Portland. elizabethmossgalleries.com
Through 6/23
“Connections”: Collaboration with Portland Housing Authority, Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St., Portland. mayostreetarts.org
Ongoing
Maine Art Collective: 157 Middle St., Portland. maineartcollective.com
Film
Friday 5/3 & Saturday 5/4
“Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World” (2023): 4 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square. $10, $7 students. portlandmuseum.org
Monday 5/6
“The Quiet Girl” (2022): Rated PG-13, 2 p.m., South Portland Public Library, 482 Broadway. southportlandlibrary.com
Tuesday 5/7
“Lucky Night“: Cinema studies student film, followed by Q&A, 8 p.m., Mills Hall, Bowdoin College, 239 Maine St., Brunswick. calendar.bowdoin.edu
Wednesday 5/8
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981): Rated PG, 7 p.m., Merrill Memorial Library, 215 Main St., Yarmouth. yarmouthlibrary.org
“Top Hat” (1935): 7 p.m., Kinonik, 121 Cassidy Point Drive, Portland. $10. kinonik.org
Friday 5/10
“The Boys in the Boat” (2023): Rated PG-13, 1 p.m., Scarborough Public Library, 48 Gorham Road. Registration required. scarboroughlibrary.org
Ongoing
Apohadion Theater: 107 Hanover St., Portland. facebook.com/TheApohadionTheater
Merrill Film Society: Watch movies on your own and join a Zoom discussion. Email mcarnes@yarmouthlibrary.org for an invitation. yarmouthlibrary.org
Movie Discussion Group: Watch movies on your own and join a Zoom discussion. Register at patten.lib.me.us.
Music
Friday 5/3
Abtrio; El Malo: 7 p.m., Blue, 650 Congress St., Portland. 21-plus. blueportlandmaine.com
Jud Caswell: 7 p.m., Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. $23 advance, $28 at door, $10 students. cadenzafreeport.com
Breakin’ Strings: 8 p.m., Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St., Portland. $20. 21-plus. portlandhouseofmusic.com
Dub Apocalypse: 8 p.m., Sun Tiki Studios, 375 Forest Ave., Portland. $15-$20. suntikistudios.com
Livingston Taylor: 8 p.m., One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. $45 advance, $55 at door. onelongfellowsquare.com
NightHawk; Far From Juno: 9 p.m., Nomad Maine, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. $10. nomadmaine.com
Saturday 5/4
James Allister: 3 and 5 p.m., Abyssinian Meeting House, 75 Newbury St., Portland. Free, registration required. space538.org
Forêt Endormie; Wild Honey Collective: 7 p.m., Blue, 650 Congress St., Portland. 21-plus. blueportlandmaine.com
Rasa String Quartet: 7 p.m., The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland. $25 advance, $29 at door. thehillarts.me
Unfinished Blues Band: 7 p.m., Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport. $23 advance, $28 at door, $10 students. cadenzafreeport.com
Jenny Owen Youngs; Ken Pomeroy: 8 p.m., One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. $22 advance, $27 at door. onelongfellowsquare.com
L’Rain; Duffy x Uhlmann: 8 p.m., Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. $18 advance, $22 at door. space538.org
Rodrigo y Gabriela: 8 p.m., State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland. $35-$55. statetheatreportland.com
Wheatus: 8 p.m., Sun Tiki Studios, 375 Forest Ave., Portland. $20-$25. suntikistudios.com
Sunday 5/5
Forêt Endormie; An Anderson; Is She?: 7 p.m., Nomad Maine, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. $15. nomadmaine.com
King Kyote: 8 p.m., Blue, 650 Congress St., Portland. 21-plus. blueportlandmaine.com
Mammoth WVH; Intervals: 8 p.m., Aura Maine, 121 Center St., Portland. $31.10. 18-plus. auramaine.com
Tuesday 5/7
Albert Lee: 7 p.m., The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland. $50. thehillarts.me
Thursday 5/9
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: 8 p.m., One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. $20 advance, $25 at door. onelongfellowsquare.com
The Front Bottoms: 8 p.m., State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland. $35 advance, $40 at door. statetheatreportland.com
Friday 5/10
OneBeat: 7 p.m., Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. $10 suggested donation. chocolatechurcharts.org
GoldenOak; Caroline Cotter: 8 p.m., Portland House of Music, 25 Temple St., Portland. $20. 21-plus. portlandhouseofmusic.com
Slim Volume; Big Brute; Qvick Draw: 8 p.m., Blue, 650 Congress St., Portland. $10 advance, $12 day-of. 21-plus. blueportlandmaine.com
Ongoing
Musicians Circle: 3-5 p.m., Wednesdays, Scarborough Community Center, 418 Payne Road, Scarborough. 730-4150, comserv@scarboroughmaine.org
Rob Carpenter: 6 p.m., Fridays, Byrnes’ Irish Pub, 16 Station Ave., Brunswick. byrnesirishpub.com
Open jazz session: 7 p.m., Wednesdays, Blue, 650A Congress St., Portland. blueportlandmaine.com
Flask Retro Party: 8 p.m., every last Saturday, Flask Lounge, 117 Spring St., Portland. $5. flasklounge.com
Friday DJ: 8 p.m., Fridays, O’Donoghue’s Pub, 103 Pleasant St., Brunswick. facebook.com/ODonoghuesPubBrunswickMe
“Monday of the Minds”: Hip hop open mic, 8 p.m., Mondays, Flask Lounge, 117 Spring St., Portland. 21-plus. flasklounge.com
Stereo Dreams: Open mic, 8 p.m., every first Wednesday, Sun Tiki Studios, 375 Forest Ave., Portland. suntikistudios.com
Open DJ Night: 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Flask Lounge, 117 Spring St., Portland. flasklounge.com
Live Music: 9 p.m., Fridays, Sea Dog Brewing Company, 125 Western Ave., South Portland. seadogbrewing.com
Karaoke: 10 p.m., Thursdays, Sea Dog Brewing Company, 125 Western Ave., South Portland. seadogbrewing.com
Theater/Dance
Friday 5/3
“Project Dragology, Season 2, Round 1”: Drag race, 7-9 p.m., The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland. $15 advance, $19 at door. thehillarts.me
Saturday 5/4
“Tony Montanaro – A Love Story”: 7 p.m., Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport. $30, $35 at door, $15 students. meetinghousearts.org
Saturday 5/4 & Sunday 5/5
“King Friday’s Dungeon Puppet Slam”: 7 p.m., Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St., Portland. $15 advance, $18 at door. mayostreetarts.org
Through 5/5
“Tumacho”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. May 5, Mad Horse Theater, 24 Mosher St., South Portland. Pay-what-you-can. madhorse.com
Thursday 5/9 & Friday 5/10
“Sara Juli’s Naughty Bits”: 7 p.m., The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland. $25 advance, $29 at door. thehillarts.me
Thursday 5/9-Saturday 5/25
“The Best Part of my Life: The ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot Story”: 7 p.m. Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Footlights Theatre, 190 Route 1, Falmouth. $20. thefootlightstheatre.com
Friday 5/10
International Open Mic: 7 p.m., Mayo Street Arts, 10 Mayo St., Portland. $5-$25 suggested donation. Register by emailing jennyvanwestmusic@gmail.com. mayostreetarts.org
Friday 5/10 & Saturday 5/11
“Little Women”: 7 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday, Woodfords Church, 202 Woodford St., Portland. $10, $5 children. acompanyofgirls.org
Through 5/12
Maine Playwrights Festival: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, Studio Theater at Portland Stage, 25 Forest Ave. $20, $18 students and seniors. acorn-productions.org
Ongoing
Balderdash Academy On The Air: 7-9 p.m., monthly, The Hill Arts, 76 Congress St., Portland. thehillarts.me
Open Stage: 6 p.m., last Friday, Three of Strong Spirits distillery, 35B Diamond St., Portland. threeofstrongspirits.com
Teller’s Garden First Friday Performances: 6:30 p.m., first Friday, Portland Media Center, 516 Congress St., Portland. $15, $10 seniors. facebook.com/TellersGarden
Writing/Authors
Tuesday 5/7
MZ author talk: “The Moorings of Mackerel Sky,” 5:30 p.m., Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive. freeportlibrary.com
Monica Wood author talk: “How to Read a Book,” 6:30 p.m., Portland Stage, 25 Forest Ave., Portland. Free, registration required. longfellowbooks.com
Wednesday 5/8
Nina Simon author talk: “Mother-Daughter Murder Night,” 7 p.m., virtual, hosted by Topsham Public Library. topshamlibrary.org
Thursday 5/9
Debra Spark author talk: “Discipline,” 6:30 p.m., Scarborough Public Library, 48 Gorham Road. Registration required. scarboroughlibrary.org
Philip Baker author talk: “Hunger Hill,” 6:30 p.m., Prince Memorial Library, 266 Main St., Cumberland. princememorial.org
Ongoing
Blurb Club in Mechanics’ Hall: Noon, every other Thursday, Congress Square Park, or Mechanics’ Hall, 519 Congress St., Portland, in bad weather. Informal book discussions for adults and seniors. Hosted by Portland Public Library. portlandlibrary.com
Books a la Carte: 2 p.m., third Tuesday, book and author discussions, no assigned reading. People Plus, 35 Union St., Brunswick. peopleplusmaine.org
Books and Brews: 6 p.m., first Wednesday, Flight Deck Brewing, Brunswick Landing, 11 Atlantic Ave., Brunswick. curtislibrary.com/book-groups
Books on Tap: 4:30 p.m., third Monday, Sea Dog Brewing Company, 3 Cabela Boulevard, Scarborough. Hosted by Scarborough Public Library. tcorbett@scarboroughlibrary.org, scarboroughlibrary.org
Casco Bay Writers’ Project at the Hall: 10 a.m. to noon, Thursdays. Mechanic’s Hall, 519 Congress St., Portland. mechanicshallmaine.org
Civil War Book Club: 7 p.m., Monday, monthly, People Plus, 35 Union St., Brunswick. peopleplusmaine.org
Free e-Books: Free military history, African-American history and Latino history downloads at ebooksforstudents.org.
Great Books Discussion: 10 a.m. to noon, second Saturday, Topsham Public Library, 25 Foreside Road. emma@topshamlibrary.org, topshamlibrary.org
Guerilla Poetry Whoop: 6:30 p.m., second Thursday, virtual via Zoom. Registration required. Hosted by Thomas Memorial Library. thomasmemoriallibrary.org
Just Desserts Mystery Group: 6:30-7:30 p.m., second Tuesday, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., Brunswick. curtislibrary.com/book-groups
LGBTQ+ Book Group for adults: 6 p.m., second Monday, Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., Brunswick. Registration required. curtislibrary.com/book-groups
Monday Afternoon Book Group: 1 p.m., first Monday, hybrid via Zoom and at Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., Brunswick. curtislibrary.com/book-groups
Preservation Pages: 6 p.m., monthly, various locations in Greater Portland. portlandlandmarks.org
Social Topics in Literature Book Group: 6:30-8 p.m., second Wednesday, virtual via Zoom. Registration required. Hosted by Prince Memorial Library. princememorial.org
South Portland Public Library Writers’ Group: 2-4 p.m., first and third Saturdays via Zoom. No experience necessary. Registration required. southportlandlibrary.com/writers-group
Thursday Afternoon Book Group: 3-4:30 p.m., last Thursday. To register, email emanning@cumberlandmaine.com. Prince Memorial Library, 266 Main St., Cumberland. princememorial.org
Write On Writers: 1 p.m., Wednesdays, People Plus, 35 Union St., Brunswick. peopleplusmaine.org
To contribute an item to the Arts Calendar, go to theforecaster.net and click on Add Your Event under the Things to Do heading.
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