Introducing our 2026-2027 season!
PortTIX is the official box office for the USM Department of Theatre.
Purchase online or
By phone – (207) 842-0800 or
In-Person Monday-Thursday, 11am-3pm at 400 Congress St., Suite A, Portland, ME 04101
All shows are performed at Russell Hall on the USM Gorham Campus.
The Lightning Thief:
The Percy Jackson Musical
Sept. 25-27, 2026
In collaboration with the Osher School of Music
Book by Joe Tracz
Music & Lyrics by
Rob Rokicki
Adapted from the book
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
Directed by Danny Hutchins
Musical Direction by
Jeff Christmas
When teenager Percy Jackson discovers he’s a demigod, he and his friends embark on an epic journey to find Zeus’ missing lightning bolt and prevent a war among the gods. Adapted from the best-selling book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed mythical adventure “worthy of the gods” (Time Out New York).
Student-Directed Series:
Ride the Cyclone
October 2-4 , 2026
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jacob Richmond &
Brooke Maxwell
Directed by
Quintessa Marcotte
Performed in the
Tony Shalhoub
Black Box Theater
In this darkly comedic, moving musical, six teenagers from a Canadian choir die in a freak roller coaster accident. Then they awake in limbo with the chance to.
The Real Inspector Hound
October 23-November 1, 2026
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Reba Askari
Feuding theatre critics Moon and Birdboot are swept into the whodunit they are viewing in this hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie-esque melodramas, filled with classically Stoppardian musings on fate and free will.
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes)
Nov. 13-15, 2026
By Greg Allen
Directed by Rachel Price Cooper
Can a theatre ensemble possibly perform thirty plays in under an hour?! Join us for this high-octane, interactive theatre experience, one of Chicago’s longest-running theatre phenomena. Part theatre, part sporting event, each night is different as the audience picks the plays and cheers on the cast to make it past the finish line before the buzzer sounds.
USM Winter Dance Concert
Dec. 4-6, 2026
Directed by Jessie Laurita-Spanglet
Experience an inspiring evening of dance as USM students bring to life original works by faculty choreographers Vanessa Beyland, Jessie Laurita-Spanglet, and Maria Tzianabos along with bold new pieces by guest choreographers. Full of energy, creativity, and artistry, this performance promises a vibrant celebration of dance.
Mars is Heaven
Radio Play
Listening Party
January 22, 2027
Written by Ray Bradbury and Adapted for Radio by Ernest Kinoy
Directed by Fred Greenhalgh
The first visitors from Earth arrive on Mars, only to discover the Red Planet has all-too familiar places and people. Ray Bradbury’s haunting sci-fi classic probes the question of what life on other planets might really look like and whether we should be prepared to be welcomed with open arms.
The Language Archive
February 26-
March 7, 2027
By Julia Cho
Directed by Stephanie Clay
Performed in the
Tony Shalhoub
Black Box Theater
George is a man consumed with preserving and documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, though, language is failing him. He doesn’t know what to say to his wife Mary to keep her from leaving him, and he doesn’t recognize the deep feelings that his lab assistant Emma has for him.
The Drowsy Chaperone
April 2-11, 2027
In Collaboration with the Osher School of Music
Music & Lyrics by
Lisa Lambert &
Greg Morrison
Book by Bob Martin &
Don McKellar
Directed by Danny Hutchins
Musical Direction by Edward Reichert
Choreography by
Vanessa Beyland
When a die-hard theatre fan plays his favorite cast album, the characters come to life in this hilarious Tony Award-winning musical farce. With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.
Student-Directed Series:
Antigone
April 16-17, 2027
A play by Sophocles, adapted by Emily Mann
Directed by Talon Moody
Performed in the
Tony Shalhoub
Black Box Theater
In this contemporary retelling of a famous Greek story, a young generation attempts to defy the laws of a powerful government to do what they believe is right. ‘Antigone’ asks audiences to consider what makes something ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, and warns of the consequences of standing stuck in your ways, or letting your passion devour you.