Twenty miles off the coast, accessible only by boat or air, is Maine’s most remote year-round island, Matinicus. Several miles even further away is Matinicus Rock, home to one of Maine’s lighthouses and the setting for Penobscot Theatre Company (PCT)’s new show Matinicus: A Lighthouse Play. PCT will bring a three-week performance run of Matinicus to the Bangor Opera House from March 20 to April 6. The Theatre has tapped Maine Seacoast Mission to be the community partner for the production due to the nonprofit’s longtime ties and service work on the Maine island of Matinicus. Join Matinicus’ First Assessor Laurie Webber and Maine Seacoast Mission’s Director of Island Service Douglas Cornman for a Q&A-style “talkback” event after the matinee performance on Sunday, March 23 at 3 p.m.
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Written by Jenny Connell Davis, the play Matinicus tells the true story of the distinctive, Maine historical figure Abbie Burgess who as a young woman single-handedly manned a lighthouse on Matinicus Rock in 1856. During one particularly harsh winter, when Abbie was running the lighthouse, a large storm overtook Matinicus Rock. Her story and impact on the small, two- by six-mile island is especially significant to residents of all Maine’s remote, unbridged islands, and is a testament to the grit and resilience of those who choose to live there.
After the March 23 matinee, Cornman and Webber will answer questions about what life is like year-round on a remote, unbridged island. They will also talk about the Mission’s work on Maine’s outer, unbridged islands including Matinicus. The Mission has served island communities for 120 years by providing health, outreach, and engagement services. Before the automation of lighthouses, the Mission frequently visited and gave supplies to those living at lighthouse stations, like Abbie’s family.
Tickets to see Matinicus are available online or in the box office Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. to -5:00 p.m. at (207) 942-3333.
To learn about the programs that serve the islands, please visit explore Island Outreach and Island Health.
