The Sandy River Players of Farmington is taking their fall show on the road. The Court of Final Reckoning will be performed in three venues over two weekends, a first for this 50-year-old organization. The play is also their second play this year by a Maine author. The Court of Final Reckoning was written by local playwright Anna Freeman of West Athens.
The Court of Final Reckoning is a unique play that takes the audience to a Heavenly Courtroom where the Seven Deadly Sins are put on trial. Each defendant is questioned by an impartial judge, allowed to deliver a defense to the jury, and then declared to be forgiven, condemned, or given a second chance. The 12-person jury will be chosen randomly from the audience.
Author Anna Freeman said the play is a serio-comedy: “not just a comedy because some of it is serious – I think – I hope – at least the message about being careful about judgment and about the two sides of every pancake. Particularly in this time of conflicts between people of different color, religion, sexual orientation, etc. etc. etc., we need to pull back the reins of judgment. And that is a serious undertaking. However, as to it being comedic – a sugar coated pill is always easier to swallow!”
The cast of nine and their technical crew will open on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Phillips Area Community Center, where seating will be cabaret style. The next night, Saturday, Sept. 21, the production moves to the Vienna Union Hall. Then The Court of Final Reckoning performs twice more the next weekend on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27 and 28, at the Emery Community Arts Center, on the campus of the University of Maine at Farmington. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets will be $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students, and they will be available at the door. Director Robin Lisherness said: “Before the curtain goes up, from the audience we will choose twelve people by a raffle, and they will have special front row seats and an exceptional opportunity to decide the ending of the play.”
The Sandy River Players wants all to be aware that the play has mature content and adult language. “Consider,” said Lisherness, “that we are dealing with deadly sins here!”
