For the next several months, Homer’s community-supported live and local theater company, Pier One Theatre, hosts its summer season at the Spit Theatre.
“Since its inception in the early 1970s, Pier One has been offering quality community theater performances, youth theater instruction, orchestral and choral performances and community collaborations incorporating the performing arts,” said Jennifer Norton, Pier One’s executive director. “We believe the practice of creating, performing and experiencing stories together has an incredible impact on our community, bringing us together to discuss ideas and share emotions.”
Here, in its 52nd season, is Pier One’s summer schedule, with all performances at the Spit Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. showtime.
‘The Half-Life of Marie Curie’
Written by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Jennifer Norton
May 15-18
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Marie Curie finds herself in the middle of a scandal in Paris and is whisked away by her friend and fellow-scientist Hertha Ayrton for a summer retreat. Together they explore science, friendship and what it means to be a woman in a field dominated by men.
“In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium,” Norton said. “By 1912, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair with the married Frenchman Paul Langevin, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Weakened and demoralized by the press lambasting her as a ‘foreign’ Jewish temptress and a homewrecking traitor, Marie agrees to join her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette, at her summer home in England.”
Katherine Brennan is cast as Marie Curie, with Christine Kulcheski as Hertha Ayrton.
‘Silent Sky’
Written by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Val Sheppard
May 22-25
When astronomer Henrietta Leavitt begins work as a “computer” at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope. In her free time, she attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, while balancing her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love.
“When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea,” Norton said. “Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. These two plays feature real historical figures from the early 1900s, and Lauren Gunderson beautifully weaves their stories together with suffragist struggles of the age, as well as struggles for women which continue today, including the challenge of obtaining respect from male colleagues and balancing personal and home life with scientific research.”
The cast of “Silent Sky” includes Regi Johanos as Henrietta Leavitt, Carolyn Norton as Margaret Leavitt, Curtis Jackson as Peter Shaw, Jenna Gerrety as Annie Cannon, and Deb Rowzee as Williamina Fleming, with Ola Mullikin on piano.
‘Treasure Island’
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted by Jules Eckert Goodman, directed by Kathleen Gustafson and Carolyn Norton
June 19-21, 26-28
This classic swashbuckling story of adventure on the high seas is brought to life by the Pier One Youth Theatre Production Camp.
“Youth Theatre Production Camp gives kids an opportunity to apply skills they have learned during their younger years in Theatre Play & Stories on the Stage to a full production,” Norton said. “They audition for specific parts, rehearse their scenes, practice lines, blocking, music, and choreography, build sets and costumes, design the technical elements and ultimately perform before a community audience. The content for production camp is also selected to appeal to a youth audience, encouraging new generations of theatre-goers.”
Cast to be announced.
‘The Seagull’
Written by Anton Chekhov (new version by Christopher Hampton), directed by Cristen San Roman
July 11-13, 17-20 and 25-27
A classic drama in four acts by Anton Chekhov, first performed in 1896, the play centers around a group of artists, all guests at a country estate, exploring unrequited love, fame and the unfulfilled life of artists.
Director Cristen San Roman has been doing theater on and off for the past decade or so, and this play is her directorial debut.
“I have enjoyed acting, tech and front of house, and have dabbled a smidge in directing, but I am so excited to announce my debut directing for the Pier One 2025 season,” she said. “’The Seagull’ is a classic ensemble piece and a compelling study of the complexity of the human condition, told through deep dialogues and explorations of unrequited love, artistic expression, familial woes, obsession, disillusionment and more chronic predicaments we find ourselves in.”
Cast members include Christine Kulcheski as Arkadina; Chloe Pleznac as Treplev; Peter Norton as Sorin; Katia Holmes as Nina; Mike Tupper as Shamrayev; Val Sheppard as Polina; Hope Stearns as Masha; Tom Custer as Trigorin; Brian Duffy as Dorn; Dayus Geysbeek as Medvedenko; Meaghan McCallum as Yakov and Rebecca Trowbridge as the Maid/Cook.
‘Thieves’ Carnival’
Written by Jean Anoulih, directed by Jennifer Norton
August 8-10, 14-17 and 21-23
“Written in 1932 and translated into English in the 1950s, ‘Thieves Carnival’ follows a trio of pickpockets in the resort town of Vichy, France, as they attempt to steal jewels from the aristocratic Lady Hurf and find themselves instead invited to her home,” Norton said. “This is a delightful play full of ridiculous costume changes, mistaken identity, mystery and romance.”
Cast to be announced.
Additional Pier One Theatre summer activities at the Spit Theatre include an open-mic night on Friday, May 30, in celebration of Mary Epperson Day and in collaboration with Homer Council on the Arts; Johnny B’s “Rhythm of the North,” held Sunday, June 22 and Saturday, July 5; and this year’s Ten-Minute Play Festival, a collection of new, unpublished works by Alaska playwrights onstage for the first time. The festival will take place Aug. 29-31 and Sept. 4-6.
For 52 years, Pier One Theatre has been creating, promoting and sharing the performing arts, producing nearly 400 different plays to date, with community members engaged as cast, crew and in a variety of volunteer support roles.
Local students interested in branching out into theater can register online for one or all of Pier One Theatre’s upcoming summer youth theater camps. More information and registration are available at pieronetheatre.org/youth-theatre.
Community members interested in volunteering, offering financial support, or finding the complete summer schedule can learn more by visiting pieronetheatre.org, calling 907-226-2287, or stopping by the office at 332 E Pioneer Avenue, #2, open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kathy Brennan and Christine Kulcheski perform in “The Half-Life of Marie Curie” in February 2025, in Homer, Alaska. The show will run again, May 15-18, 2025, at Pier One Theatre in Homer. Photo courtesy of Christopher Kincaid
Christine Kulcheski and Rudy Multz give an introduction before a Ten Minute Play Festival performance in August 2024, at Pier One Theatre in Homer, Alaska. Photo provided by Jennifer Norton
Prospective playwrights, actors and directors gather on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Grace Ridge Brewing in Homer, Alaska to prepare for this year’s Ten Minute Play Festival. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
Christine Kulcheski and Tom Custer rehearse for Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Homer High School Mariner Theater in Homer, Alaska. The play is set to premiere on the Pier One Spit Theatre stage in July. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
