Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre plans to bring Allagash book to stage

    On Tuesday March 8, cast members of the Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre’s upcoming production of “An Allagash Haunting” met with local author Tim Caverly, whose book of the same title is the basis for the play.
    “An Allagash Haunting” is second in a series of children’s books set in the Allagash region of northern Maine, and tells the story of ten-year-old Olivia who, while on a canoe trip in the Allagash with her parents, meets with an unexpected visitor near an abandoned lumbermen’s boarding house. The book has been adapted into a stage production by author Tim Caverly and the Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre, with plans for the Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre to present the play in Houlton on April 29 and 30 and in Millinocket on May 7.
Contributed photo
GETTING READY — Young actors from Houlton Star Bright Chrildren’s Theater gathered March 8 to meet local author Tim Caverly, whose book “An Allagash Haunting” is the basis for their next play. Cast members include, front from left, Carrie Hannigan, Shiloh Shaw, Lindsay Gardner, Cassie Shaw, Sydney Peabody, Hannah Millet, Maggie Cowperthwaite, Kelsey Sewell and Rothery Sullivan; middle, Davan Thornton, Catherine Hovda, Heather Hannigan, Emily Miller, John Thatcher and Josh Sutton; and back, Joey Ebner, Lyra Sylvester and author Tim Caverly.
    While an entertaining ghost story for children, “An Allagash Haunting” is very educational in teaching children about the customs and methods of the lumbermen who once worked along the Allagash river. The production will also include traditional Acadian folk songs from the Allagash region which were collected in a volume of Acadian songs, recipes and customs, “Memories d’une Famille Acadienne”, by Marguerite Cyr, s.m., whose niece, Joan Logan is coaching with the cast members in their French pronunciations for the play. The Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre has adapted the songs from the hand-written manuscript and translated the lyrics from Acadian French into English. Some of the songs will be performed in both languages.
    Author Tim Caverly, who retired in 1999 from a 32-year career with the Maine Department of Conservation, including 18 years as supervisor of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, has written several children’s books that are based in the Allagash region. He has used his books as a literacy project and has distributed, through grants, 900 books to 40 Maine schools.
     Caverly met with the cast members of “An Allagash Haunting” on Tuesday at the Court Street Baptist Church in Houlton. Also present were HSBCT president and director of the play Barbara Hogan, HSBCT board member and Music Director for the play Mary Miller, HSBCT board members Ann Barnes, Pamela Chernesky, JoAnn Dunfy, Susan McMann and Frank Sullivan, and parents of several of the cast members. Mr. Caverly talked about the history of logging in the Allagash and the development of the story from an old newspaper article. He also gave a slide presentation, which included several images from the region in which the story takes place including old lumbermen’s boarding houses and the Churchill Dam.
    The cast and chorus, who have been rehearsing separately since early January, then did their first full read-through of the script for the author The presentation included all of the songs, accompanied by Mary Miller on piano and guitar,
    The upcoming production will help to promote knowledge and appreciation of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and northern Maine history through drama and literature while giving local children a unique opportunity to be involved in all steps of the process of taking a work of literature to the live theater stage. Anyone interested in contributing to or learning more about this project can contact Barbara Hogan by telephone at 532-2290 or via e-mail at: houltonstarbright@gmail.com.
    The Houlton Star Bright Children’s Theatre, founded in 1969 by students at Ricker College, is one of the oldest community children’s theatres in the country and offers live theater FOR and BY children to the Greater Houlton area. The Theatre is a non-profit organization supported by volunteer help and community donations.
    For more information contact: Barbara Hogan at 532-2290 or e-mail houltonstarbright @gmail.com or Frank Sullivan at 538-9416 or e-mail frank@rainbarrow.net.