NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Jessica Shively, Communications & Development Associate
207-367-2788
jessica@operahousearts.org

DATE: February 26, 2026

TITLE: Open Audition Call for Susan Minot play, On Island 

Stonington, ME – Opera House Arts is pleased to announce a partnership with the Reach Performing Arts Center for a joint production of the play, On Island. The play will be directed by John Lincoln and performed on the Opera House stage on May 8th and 9th at 7pm.

Written by acclaimed novelist and screenwriter, Susan Minot, On Island is set on a beautiful summer day on an island in Maine. It is a celebration of the uniqueness of island living – it’s a story about a working boat yard, summer picnics, families, friends, loves lost and love found.

John Lincoln will hold auditions on Tuesday, March 10 at 5:30pm at the Reach Performing Arts Center. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. All ages and experience levels are welcome and you do not need to sign up in advance. If you need to come later, or to schedule a different time for an audition, or have any questions you may contact John at jlincoln@dishs.org. 

Opera House Arts Artistic Director Kathryn Markey said, “The beauty of this script is that there are large and small roles for folks of all ages, types, and personalities.”

On Island debuted during the summer of 2018 at Waterman’s Community Center on North Haven Island. Minot had been engaged to write the play thanks to a grant Waterman’s received from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. This Opera House production is supported, in part, by a grant from Waterman’s Community Center thanks to additional funding they received from the Toulmin Foundation to support On Island being produced in additional theaters.

“The history between the Reach Performing Arts Center and Opera House Arts is a rich one, dating back long before I was working for the Reach. Directing On Island is an exciting opportunity to rekindle that relationship, while also engaging in something both organizations have always sought to do: connecting communities through theater and providing local residents with the opportunity to be a part of what we do,” commented Lincoln, Director of the Reach Performing Arts Center. 

More information regarding the performances will be posted to the Opera House Arts website closer to the production date. Tickets will be sold as Pay What You Can at the door.   

For more information about Opera House Arts call 207-367-2788 or visit operahousearts.org.  For more information about The Reach email jlincoln@dishes.org.

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The Stonington Opera House is a historic center of culture and entertainment, a performance space, and a civic gathering place. Our work is rooted in the belief that access to and participation in the arts transforms lives.

The Stonington Opera House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and in 1999, it was rescued by the founders of Opera House Arts, a 501 (c) 3, that was established specifically to restore this historic building to its original purpose.

A cornerstone of a year-round, vibrant Main Street located at the top of the busiest commercial fishing pier in Maine, the Stonington Opera House is an economic engine for the creative economy of Deer Isle. 

On Island artwork created by local Jadyn LaDeau.