PCA Offstage upcoming events

For more information about any of these events, please call us at 207.773.3150 ×227 or .

Community Outreach

Introduction

“We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.” – John F. Kennedy

Live art is a vital expression of the human experience and condition. PCA Great Performances believes that the understanding, appreciation and relevancy of the performing arts are enhanced through humanities-based lectures, meet-the-artist opportunities, and artistic residencies coupled with interactive or web-based resources linked to our community’s needs. Community outreach places artists and their art forms in historical, literary, cultural, aesthetic and social contexts. Through diverse activities, events, and suggested resources, it is our hope that our audiences of all ages and backgrounds will invite the arts and humanities into their lives, share their experiences with others, and make them a vehicle for life-long learning and exploration of the different cultural views of the arts.

The 2008-09 season offers two broad-based themes to connect performances:

Traverser la Frontière

Traverser la Frontière focuses on our shared arts and cultural heritage with Canada. It looks at the different art forms that flourish in Canada and resonate with Mainers through their own Franco-American and Celtic heritages. PCA presents children’s puppet theater company Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia; Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster; chamber orchestra I Musici de Montréal; and dance company Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Ici, nous parlons français!

PCA is grateful to the government of Canada for providing funding support for the Traverser la Frontière series.

Maine and Its Ties to Africa

Maine and Its Ties to Africa explores cultural influences brought to our state from a continent filled with diversity. The series explores how artists view their relationship with their African-American or African aesthetic and cultural influences. PCA presents the dance company Philadanco, the a cappella singers Sweet Honey in the Rock, composer-violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Malian kora master and griot Toumani Diabaté.

PCA is grateful to the following for their funding support for the Maine and Its Ties to Africa community outreach activities: the Center for Cultural Exchange Foundation, the Davis Family Foundation, the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Community Foundation, the Maine Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts’ “Expeditions” and “Meet the Composer” programs, and the Sam L. Cohen Foundation.

Traverser la Frontière: Events and Activities

Voyages: The Maine Franco-American Experience

A Book Discussion Series

Tuesdays, February 10 and February 24, 2009 ▪ 10:30 am - 12 noon

PCA Great Performances collaborates with the Portland Public Library to present an in-depth book discussion series with Dr. Barry Rodrigue, associate professor of arts & humanities at the University of Southern Maine, and others with strong ties to Canada and the Franco-American experience. The discussion groups will use the text Voyages: A Maine Franco-American Reader, co-edited by Dr. Rodrigue.

Participants in the discussion series include the following:

February 10:

Grėgoire Chabot, playwright Raymond Luc Levasseur, activist Pat LaMarche, author and educator Michael Parent, storyteller, singer, and actor

February 24: Normand Beaupré, retired professor and author Rhea Côtė Robbins, professor and founder of the Franco-American Women’s Institute Kristin M. Langellier, professor and author Juliana L‘Heureux, journalist Cindy Larock, dance educator and Maine Arts Commission master artist

To download a PDF with complete details of this book discussion series and biographies of the participants, click here.

A limited number of student tickets for Traverser la Frontiėre performances are available to all book discussion participants. Traverser la Frontiėre performances include Natalie MacMaster, I Musici de Montréal, and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal.

To register for the discussion groups, please contact Heather Tiffany at the Portland Public Library at 871-1700, x759.

Maine and Its Ties to Africa: Events and Activities

Maine’s Visible Black History: A Book Discussion Series

Tuesdays mornings, November 18, December 2, and December 16 from 10:30 am to noon

Portland Public Library, Maine Branch, 5 Monument Square

3rd Floor Lecture Hall

PCA Great Performances collaborates with the Portland Public Library to present an in-depth book discussion series with Dr. Gerald Talbot, using the text Maine’s Visible Black History, edited by Dr. Talbot and H.H. Price.

Student ticket for Maine and Its Ties to Africa performances are available to all participants in this book discussion series. The Maine and Its Ties to Africa performances include Sweet Honey in the Rock, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Toumani Diabaté.

Reading Lists, Bibliographies, and Other Literary Resources

Click below for lists of books, web sites, curriculum materials, and other resources related to Maine and Its Ties to Africa compiled by the Portland Public Library, Primary Source, and others.

Portland Public Library Resources PDF

Primary Source Resources PDF

Informative Web Sites PDF

The Artists’ Inspirations

Many of the artists, lecturers, and discussion group leaders taking part in the Maine and Its Ties to Africa series have shared their thoughts about writers, musicians, artists, activists, and others who have inspired and influenced them. Here is a sampling of what these artists and educators have shared with us:

Joan Myers Brown, Founder and Artistic Director, Philadanco

“I have always stayed away from politics, but I guess a memorable quote would be ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,’” citing John F. Kennedy.

From Langston Hughes—“They’ve taken our music and gone.”

Literary favorites: Maya Angelou; books by Katherine Dunham and Lorene Care

Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)

“Langston Hughes and James Baldwin reign supreme.”

“Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones continues to have a profound influence on me. I recommend it to anyone, anywhere. Bjork’s Vespertine is the type of album that is timeless and precious and private, much like the artist that created it.”

Dr. Gerald E. Talbot, First African-American Elected to the Maine Legislature

Co-author, Maine’s Visible Black History

Important and influential books include the following:

Hafner, Dorinda. A Taste of Africa

Flahive, Jean Mary. Billy Boy

Cohen, William S. and Janet Langhart Cohen. Love in Black and White

Cohen, Janet Langhart. From Rage to Reason

Dixon, Barbara with Josleen Wilson. Good Health for African-Americans

Stewart, Julia. The African-American Book of Days

Rowell, Victoria. The Women Who Raised Me

Lewis, John. Walking in the Wind

Kenan, Randall. Walking on Water