F E A T U R E D

APRIL FIRST FRIDAY

Multiple Locations

Downtown Waterville

Friday, April 7 from 4–7pm

FREE

First Fridays celebrate the vibrant creativity in Waterville through a wide array of arts experiences. On the first Friday of every month, visit Main Street in downtown Waterville to meet artists, see performances, listen to live music, eat delicious food, shop at local businesses, enjoy the arts, and come together as a community. In addition to other activities, this month we will celebrate National Poetry Month with "Try, Make, Create" projects at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.

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A R T S

APRIL COMMUNITY DRAW

Paul J. Schupf Art Center

93 Main St, Waterville

Wednesday, April 5 from 6–8pm

$10

This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Join us for our April Community Draw, a unique opportunity to practice your craft with live models. Bring your medium of choice - charcoal, pastels, paint, clay, etc. - and hone your skills in this supportive environment.

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INTRODUCTION TO 3D PRINTING

Paul J. Schupf Art Center

93 Main St, Waterville

Saturday, April 8 from 10–11:30am

$35

This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

If you've been curious about 3D printing, this workshop is for you! Makers and creators will learn about TinkerCAD and Thingiverse, the computer programs used to create objects to print. Learn the basics of the printers themselves, see what filament colors are available, and imagine the possibilities they hold. From toys to jewelry to replacement parts to game pieces and so much more, this workshop will get you started!

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WATERVILLE CREATES IS HIRING!

Interested in the performing arts, independent cinema, and the visual arts? Applications are currently being accepted for an Interim Communications Coordinator to work with us this summer. Join our creative and dynamic team supporting the arts in Waterville!

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Waterville Creates invites proposals from individuals, groups, and/or organizations for community-centered arts programming to be held at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center in Downtown Waterville between June 1, 2023 and May 30, 2024. This call is open to local, regional, and national applicants; however, priority will be given to Maine-based artists. The deadline for submission is April 14, 2023.

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F I L M

WOMEN'S ADVENTURE FILM TOUR 2023

Maine Film Center

93 Main St, Waterville

Opening April 7

$12 adults, $10 students + seniors

This film is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

The Women’s Adventure Film Tour is a celebration of fantastic women who are doing extraordinary things in the name of adventure. This year's program includes a diverse collection of six inspiring short films: “Mardi and the Whites,” following courageous and indefatigable Black hiker Mardi, who’s hiked all 40 of the over 4,000 foot or higher White Mountain peaks in both Maine and New Hampshire multiple times; “Racing Arizona,” focusing on international biking phenom Liz Sampey; “All In,” a short doc on women in the snow sports industry; “About Beth” looking at the rock climbing conqueror of El Capitan and other mind-blowing ascents; “Below Surface,” on longboard surfing vet Lucy Small, who pioneers equal opportunity in the formerly male-centric world of surfing; and “Sheri,” following Sheri Tingey, who in her 60-year career revolutionized the outdoor world.

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I KNOW A MAN... ASHLEY BRYAN

Maine Film Center

93 Main St, Waterville

Saturday, April 8 at 1pm

FREE

I Know a Man ... Ashley Bryan tells the story of Bryan, who used art his entire life to celebrate joy, mediate the darkness of war and racism, explore the mysteries of faith, and create a loving community. Bryan became a year-round resident of the Cranberry Isles in Maine during the late 1980s, living there until his death in February 2022 at 98 years old.

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P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Waterville Opera House

April 7, 8 at 7:30pm

April 9 at 2pm

$24–$26

This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, The Play That Goes Wrong is a play-within-a-play that follows the Cornley Drama Society’s production of the 1920’s whodunit, “The Murder at Haversham Manor.” Despite their best efforts, the production rapidly goes from bad to disastrous, with madcap mishaps and choreographed chaos—from an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, a self-destructing set, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences!

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C O M M U N I T Y

TODDLER POWER HOUR

Children's Discovery Museum

7 Eustis Parkway, Waterville

Monday, April 3 from 9–10am

$2 per toddler

Join the Children's Discovery Museum for Toddler Power Hour every Monday. Designed for children aged 1-4, this is a time of unstructured play for children to explore Mobile Museum sets, toy sets, sensory toys, and more. Please note there will be minimal museum staffing and the area will be set up in a way to invite children to explore and connect through play rather than through adult-led activities. Supervision is required.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT CONVERSATION WITH BRYANT TERRY + TARYN D. JORDAN

Greene Block + Studios

18 Main St, Waterville

Monday, April 3 at 6:30pm

FREE

Join the Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities for a community conversation with Keynote Speaker Bryant Terry and Taryn D. Jordan, Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies at Colgate University. The discussion will center around Black Foods, food justice, and food sovereignty. Reception will begin at 6pm with catering provided by Waterville’s Proper Pig, featuring local and Maine-based foods.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT KEYNOTE: BRYANT TERRY

Ostrove Auditorium in the Diamond Building

4000 Mayflower Hill Dr, Waterville

Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30pm

FREE

The Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities is delighted to announce chef, food justice activist, and critically acclaimed author Bryant Terry as their Food for Thought Keynote speaker. Groundbreaking and rich, Terry's work illuminates the intersections between poverty, structural racism, and food insecurity, in order to pave a new, better path forward.

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U P C O M I N G

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING

Maine Film Center

93 Main St, Waterville

Tuesday, April 11 at 7pm

$12 adults, $10 students + seniors

This film is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Director Lisa Cortés’ Little Richard: I Am Everything tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive material and performances that bring us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

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TAPE FACE

Waterville Opera House

Wednesday, April 12 at 7:30pm

$38–$48

This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Tape Face is a totally unique silent comedian who has been on the comedy circuit for years and become a viral sensation thanks to his appearance on America’s Got Talent. As the name suggests, Tape Face performs with duct tape covering his mouth. While he may be silent, this show will leave you roaring with laughter. Tape Face transforms every object and audience member into an active plaything. Shoes sing, empty dresses dance, and electrical tape blossoms into roses; he creates a world of possibilities where the only certainty is laughter.

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HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE

Maine Film Center

93 Main St, Waterville

Opening April 14

$12 adults, $10 students + seniors

This film is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

A crew of young environmental activists executes a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline in Daniel Goldhaber's taut and timely thriller that is part high-stakes heist, part radical exploration of the climate crisis. It’s based on the controversial book by Andreas Malm that argues for careful acts of sabotage as both moral and necessary to face the crisis of our planet.

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JUSTON MCKINNEY

Waterville Opera House

Saturday, April 15 at 8pm

$28

This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

With multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, two Comedy Central specials, and two Amazon Prime specials, including his latest, Parentally Challenged, it’s no wonder the New York Times called Juston McKinney, “Destined for stardom.” McKinney was born in Portsmouth, NH where he grew up until the 6th grade. That’s when his aunt and dad, wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, packed up the family of eight and moved north. To Kittery, ME. After attending the—very prestigious—Southern Maine Community College, he spent 7 years as a York County Deputy Sheriff, patrolling the woods. In the late 1990s, he traded in his badge for a microphone and went from York County to New York City to pursue a career in comedy. He quickly became a regular at Comic Strip Live, Stand-Up New York, Dangerfield’s, Gotham Comedy Club, and Caroline’s on Broadway, and he signed sitcom development deals with Warner Brothers, CBS, IFC, and Comedy Central.

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THE GREAT STATE OF ILLUSTRATION IN MAINE

Ticonic Gallery

93 Main St, Waterville

On view April 17–July 16

Hours: Wed–Mon, 11am–7pm

FREE

Curated by the Illustration Institute, this exhibition will showcase the past, present, and future of illustration in our state, representing history and contemporary culture through narrative imagery. Featured artists include Barbara Cooney, Lucky Platt, Daniel Minter, Ashley Bryan, Rockwell Kent, Dahlov Ipcar, Bruce Hutchison, Edward Hopper, and many more.

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