The Portland City Council grants an exemption to the dispersal ordinance, clearing the way for "Sonnets and Soliloquies" to resume in November

WESTBROOK, ME - Acorn Productions, presenters of the free "Naked Shakespeare" series, will be returning to the Wine Bar on Monday, November 2 at 8 p.m. with an all-new installment of "Sonnets and Soliloquies," the company's monthly free performances of some of the Bard's best verse. The company had been displaced over the summer when the City Council refused to grant the Wine Bar on Wharf Street an entertainment license due to the so-called dispersal ordinance which prohibits venues within 100 feet of one another from receiving an entertainment license.

After several months of meetings and discussions, the Portland City Council voted 8-1 last night to allow an exemption for "non-amplified entertainment," allowing the Wine Bar to receive an entertainment license with that restriction. "We are extremely grateful to the City Council for working with us on this issue," said Acorn's Producing Director Michael Levine, "It has been a long few months for us, but we are thrilled at the final result, which will allow our unique brand of entertainment to continue in the Old Port."

"Sonnets and Soliloquies" is a one hour free performance of some of the bard's best poetry, presented in a style that is designed to be accessible to all audience members, even those that are not that familiar with his work. The ambience and performance style encourage an intimate relationship between actor and audience that allows the language to take center stage. Actors are cued by contemporary lines written on cue cards read by audience members, allowing for a playful interaction that celebrates the poetry by providing a contemporary context for the text. "Sonnets and Soliloquies" continues as a monthly series on the first Monday of every month through the spring. The line-up will change every month as different actors perform different selections, many of which will be drawn from the company's spring production of As You Like It, which will take place May 13 # 23 at Westbrook's Riverbank Park.

Call Acorn Productions at 854-0065 or visit www.nakedshakespeare.org for more information about "Sonnets and Soliloquies" or any other programs offered by Acorn Productions' "Naked Shakespeare" group.

Upcoming Naked Shakespeare performances:
November 2, December 7, February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7

FREE, suggested donation $5