LEWISTON — The Thread Theater at the Franco Center will hold its first event on on Thursday, Feb. 19 in the Center’s Heritage Hall Clubhouse. The door opens at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30. 

There is a $5 entrance fee for everyone, including playwrights, actors, and spectators.  The Heritage Café Grill and Bar will be open.

All who would like to write plays around the “First Night” theme are invited to enter their work.  Plays or scenes need to be 10 minutes or less in length. Playwrights are responsible for bringing enough copies of the play for all of the required actors and a copy to submit.  They are also responsible for any props they may want or need. Plays will be drawn at random and performed in two acts: 5 plays in the first act; 5 plays in the second.

Once a play is selected and the actors are drawn, they have two minutes to assign roles and give some brief direction. The best play in each act will be voted on by all in attendance and a winner of the night will be chosen by the audience. 

All who would like to be considered as actors put their names in for random drawings. Scripts will be provided and a best actor will be voted on by the audience at the end of the night.  Anyone is invited to just come and watch from the audience.  The audience is encouraged to actively let the cast of each play know just how they are doing. The event tends to carry adult themes and is usually not appropriate for minors.

The Franco Center is handicap accessible. All proceeds to benefit the Franco Center. For more information, contact or visit the box office or www.francocenter.org.  Call (207) 689-2000.  Box office hours are noon to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.