Portland Ovations

01/09/2026

What is Haint Blue?

"In Black American culture, Haint Blue is a color that wards off evil spirits. It's also a symbol of the community that birthed our musical traditions. In calling this night Haint Blue, we hope to bring a little bit of light to our current dark times by sharing these traditions."

"Haint Blue": A Night of Songs, Stories and Traditions with Samuel James & Michael Kebede
📅 Thursday, February 5, 2026
🕓 7 PM
📍 First Parish Church, Portland
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01/08/2026

The career of Sunny Jain is a celebration of cultural diaspora: deep-rooted tradition that ripples outward, changing – and being changed by – the cultures that it touches. He is a composer, drummer, dhol player and thought leader.

Most recently, Jain played dhol with Ed Sheeran in his Netflix show “One Shot” and co-wrote and recorded the song “Ai Miei Amici” with Italian Superstar, Jovanotti. You might have also seen him acting as “Mr. Tambourine Man” in the Oscar nominated “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet.

See the raucous, electrifying, jubilant, mesmerizing Sunny Jain, returning to Portland with "Wild Wild East"!

🗓️ February 18, 2026 • 7 PM
📍 One Longfellow Square, Portland, Maine
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01/07/2026

Get ready for Recycled Percussion, just TWO WEEKS AWAY! Using everyday objects like power tools, ladders, buckets, and trash cans, this high-octane performance is a dynamic mix of rock drumming, guitar smashing, and DJ-spinning, all bended into the recyclable magic of what the band calls “junk music.”

🗓️ January 22, 2026 • 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland
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01/06/2026

CLUE is just one week away! The mansion doors are about to open, the suspects are assembling, and your favorite characters are ready to cause trouble. Mrs. Peacock. Colonel Mustard. Miss Scarlet. Professor Plum. Who are you betting on this time? Relive the classic board game, the iconic characters, and the mystery you love. The only question is… whodunit?

🗓️ January 14 & 15, 2025 • 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland
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PortTIX is owned by Portland Ovations and Portland Symphony Orchestra, and is the official ticket seller for Merrill Auditorium.

01/05/2026

Pattie Gonia stars in SAVE HER!, a drag show about the climate, politics, and the power of nature. Featuring co-hosts VERA!, Sequoia, and an all-star cast of local drag kings and queens, SAVE HER! delivers performances with humor, power, upcycled outfits, and more.

Pattie Gonia is an environmentalist, drag queen, and community organizer. They’ve been named to the TIME100 list, Outside Magazine’s Person of the Year, and National Geographic’s 33 list, and have raised more than $3 million for grassroots BIPOC and Q***r non-profits. A portion of each ticket sold is donated to organizations working to diversify the outdoors.

Co-presented with State Theatre, Portland, Maine
🗓️ April 26, 2026 • 8 PM
📍 State Theatre, Portland
🎟 FOR TICKETS - State Theatre Box Office

01/04/2026

FLIP Fabrique’s Blizzard is the magical story of a group of friends, each one different from the other, like snowflakes, exploring the awe and wonder of winter. Taking the stage by storm, Cirque FLIP Fabrique brings audiences on a wacky, fun, poetic, and tender journey through the season, and invites one to get lost in a moment of white wonder. Blizzard is a feast of artistry, imagery, personality, and humanity set to original music performed live. Hailing from Québec City, FLIP Fabrique fascinates audiences worldwide with performances that are equally as fun and accessible for everyone as visually stunning. “After watching them perform, you may suspect that they hail from a different planet” (The New York Times).

FLIP Fabrique: "Blizzard"
🗓️ February 11, 2026 • 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland
🎟 FOR TICKETS & MEMBERSHIP - PortTIX Box Office - The trusted box office for purchasing Portland Ovations tickets.

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01/03/2026

Unique and energetic “junk rock” band, Recycled Percussion have been making rock-n-roll music from recycled materials for 20 years! Get ready for a musical experience that will have you clapping your hands and stomping your feet as you marvel at what can be done musically with some humble materials.

The band gained national fame with their groundbreaking performances on America’s Got Talent, later becoming one of the most successful acts on the Las Vegas strip. Using everyday objects like power tools, ladders, buckets, and trash cans, this high-octane performance is a dynamic mix of rock drumming, guitar smashing, and DJ-spinning, all bended into the recyclable magic of what the band calls “junk music.”

🗓️ January 22, 2026 • 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland
🎟 FOR TICKETS & MEMBERSHIP - PortTIX Box Office - The trusted box office for purchasing Portland Ovations tickets.

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01/02/2026

Mischief...Mayhem...MURDER!

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.

🗓️ January 14 & 15, 2025 • 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland
🎟 FOR TICKETS & MEMBERSHIP - - The trusted box office for purchasing Portland Ovations tickets.

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12/31/2025

As the lights dim on another season, we’re pausing to say thank you.

This year was shaped by shared moments. By artists who moved us, audiences who showed up, students who reminded us why this work matters, and a community that continues to believe in the power of live performance.

Because of you, stages across Maine came alive and thousands of young people experienced the joy of the arts firsthand. That kind of impact doesn’t fade when the curtain closes.

Wishing you a holiday season full of warmth, connection, and moments that stay with you. We can’t wait to gather again in 2026.

12/24/2025

✨OVATIONS STAFF PICKS✨

"How often do you get to see an Oscar nominated film with live accompaniment from the composer? I have been looking forward to this one for a while. The recipient of 2023 Sundance US Documentary Directing Award, Sugarcane offers a sensitive exploration of the harrowing legacy of the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School, where Indigenous children endured unimaginable abuses aimed at eradicating their cultural identity. Powerful music over an important film. If you attended, We Are Water this Fall then you already familiar with Mali Obomsawin, for her evocative stage presence. I think you could hear a pin drop as she performed! Join us at the State Theater for a one-of-a-kind experience as Obomsawin and her band accompanies the film live for an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. Witness a stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life."

- Clarissa Shirley, Development Manager

Mali Obomsawin "Sugarcane"
📅 Wednesday, March 18, 2026
🕓 7 PM
📍 Sate Theatre, Portland

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12/23/2025

✨OVATIONS STAFF PICKS✨

"Do you remember how it felt like waking up to your very first snow day? Every winter, I find my now-adult self-seeking an experience that captures the way the crisp white blanket beckoned me with the temptation of untapped possibility, of absolute wonder.

This year – without a doubt – that experience is FLIP Fabrique’s "Blizzard". The biggest Nor’easter of the season won’t hold a candle to the brilliant whirlwind of gravity-defying acrobatics, radiant costumes, and emotive storytelling from Quebec’s finest cirque ensemble. Silken aerial dance flowing into gut-busting comedy blowing into somersault trampoline juggling, all wrapped up in the aura of live piano – I am absolutely sparkling with anticipation.

Will you step into the storm with me? Together, I promise we’ll emerge from this journey more luminous than when we began."

- Nicole Byrne, Grants & Major Gifts Manager

FLIP Fabrique "Blizzard"
📅 Wednesday, February 11, 2026
🕓 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland

🎁 TICKETS MAKE GREAT GIFTS - PortTIX Box Office - The trusted box office for purchasing Portland Ovations tickets.

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12/22/2025

✨OVATIONS STAFF PICKS✨

"Once upon a time, in a community theater on the border of New Hampshire and Maine, I had the delightful experience of being the killer rabbit in Monty Python’s "Spamalot" as a 13-year-old. Not only did the show fan the flames of by burgeoning love of musical theater, but also puppets, slapstick, dry humor, spectacle, and legends of King Arthur and his knights of Camelot. Spamalot embodies everything cooky and comical about both Musical Theatre and Monty Python’s Flying Circus with no holds barred. And the most recent restaging happens to be the first show my husband saw on Broadway. We are huge fans of this show, and I know you will be too! In conclusion; remember to fetchez la vas, you’re not dead yet, and always look on the bright side of life."

- Ciara Neidlinger, Artist Services and Production Coordinator

Monty Python's "Spamalot" Broadway National Tour
📅 Tuesday - Thursday, June 23 - 25, 2026
🕓 7 PM
📍 Merrill Auditorium, Portland

🎁 TICKETS MAKE GREAT GIFTS - PortTIX Box Office - The trusted box office for purchasing Portland Ovations tickets.

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