MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2023

JUNE FIRST FRIDAY IN DOWNTOWN WATERVILLE - PRIDE!

Multiple Locations

Downtown Waterville

Friday, June 2 from 10am–10pm

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, this month we are celebrating Pride Month! Join local businesses, establishments, and the Paul J Schupf Art Center for various events and activities throughout the day.

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ARTS

THE GREAT STATE OF ILLUSTRATION IN MAINE

Ticonic Gallery
93 Main St, Waterville
On view through July 16
Hours: Wed–Mon, 11am–7pm
FREE

Curated by the Illustration Institute, this exhibition showcases 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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FILM

MIFF 26 PASSES + PACKAGES

Maine Film Center
93 Main St, Waterville
July 7–16

Full and Partial passes, as well as special Festival packages, are now on sale at MIFF.org. The 26th Maine International Film Festival will take place this July 7–16, 2023. Throughout 10 days, Festival attendees will have the opportunity to see a unique slate of approximately 100 films, including premieres, made-in-Maine features, classic revivals, and short films from around the world.

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PERFORMING ARTS

AUDITIONS:
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS  

Studio 1902 in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center
93 Main St, Waterville
Sunday, June 4 at 4:30pm
Monday, June 5 at 6pm

Come audition for our next theatrical production: Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express! Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.

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SLICE (STUDENTS LEARNING INNOVATIVE CREATIVE ENDEAVORS)  

Paul J. Schupf Art Center
93 Main St, Waterville
May 31, June 7 from 3–5pm
FREE

Do you know any teenagers interested in art careers? Our free SLICE program is designed for students aged 13–18 to explore careers in the creative arts. This spring, we'll offer 5 sessions on film, museum, visual art, theatre, and wood working careers; the session on May 31 will feature combat and movement for the stage led by theatre educators John Dalton Logan and Nathan Sylvester. Students will watch a choreographed combat scene and learn the magic of how the scene is crafted and created. Each session is packed with programming, inspiration, and pizza!

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COMMUNITY

DOWNTOWN WATERVILLE FARMERS MARKET                 

Head of Falls, Waterville
Thursday, June 1 from 2–6pm
The Downtown Waterville Farmers Market offers a wide range of locally produced items. From steak and potatoes to milk and cookies, from bacon and eggs to bread and cheese, the market members will surprise you with the wide range of locally produced items they offer. Online pre-ordering is now available.

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UPCOMING

ROCK OF AGES

Waterville Opera House
June 16, 17, 23, 24 at 7:30pm
June 18, 25 at 2pm
$27–$29
This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

It’s the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace, and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strip's last legendary venues, a place where sex machine, Stacee Jaxx, takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner), Drew, longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl, Sherri, fresh off the bus from Kansas with stars in her eyes). But the rock 'n' roll fairy tale is about to end when German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherri, and the gang save the strip – and themselves – before it's too late? Only the hit music of Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake and many more hold the answer.

Make sure you visit our First Friday art-making activities for sneak peek of Rock of Ages! and a chance to win tickets to the show! Voucher winners will be randomly selected to win 2 tickets to the show.

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TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! JULIE NEWMAR

Maine Film Center
93 Maine St, Waterville
Thursday, June 8 at 7pm
$12 adults, $10 students + seniors
This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Elite Manhattan drag queens Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) and Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) impress regional judges in competition, securing berths in the Nationals in Los Angeles. When the two meet pathetic drag novice Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Alberto Leguizamo) – one of the losers that evening – the charmed Vida and Noxeema agree to take the hopeless youngster under their joined wing. Soon the three set off on a madcap road trip across America and struggle to make it to Los Angeles in time.

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CONSTRUCTING IDENTITY  (3D PRINTING)

Paul J. Schupf Art Center
93 Main St, Waterville
June 6–July 11 from 5:30–7pm
$130
This event is eligible for the Youth Arts Access Fund.

Simply defined, identity is how we see ourselves, the qualities that make up our unique sense of self. In this special 4-week summer course, students will combine art, 3D printing technology and the psychology of identity to express personal ideas, style and uniqueness. Co-taught by Mark Kavanaugh, KVCC Psychology Department Chair, and Stephen LaRochelle, KVCC Director of Library Services. This course is open to all levels from beginners to advanced, ages 16+.

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BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING

Maine Film Center
93 Main St, Waterville
Friday, June 9 at 7pm
FREE

Part biography, part live performance, Beauty Is Embarrassing traces the career of Wayne White and shows what it takes for one uniquely talented, profanely hilarious, and utterly uncompromising artist to make it in America. Post-film Q&A by Scott Nash and Nancy Gibson-Nash, directors of the Illustration Institute, where Wayne White was a former artist in residence.

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