Does Maine have a higher-than-normal occurrence of local horror films due to its naturally spooky…read morecharacter? Perhaps. Damnationland 2014 provided a peek inside the minds of a few local filmmakers. Ranging from humor to surreal to straight-up-slasher, this festival was all-around fun (and not too bloody for the slightly-horror-averse like myself). For those of you expecting shaky cameras and stilted performances, think again. There wasn't a stinker in the bunch. Looking forward to an equally spooky offering next year. *at least one extra star awarded for the quality tagline "The way life should bleed"

2015 was my first experience going to this event. The State Theater is such a great facility to…read morehold this local "horror" movie feature. We did not realize just how popular this is and thought that getting to will call 30 minutes before opening would be plenty of time. We were wrong. The line was already around the corner and 1/2 way to the church. Many more people came as we waited. *a credit to event staff for repeatedly coming around to let ticket holders know this was will call/buying and they could go to the front if they already had a ticket*. My only opinion being that there should have been more than one person in the booth and split the line in two, one being buying tickets and one line for will call. It was great that they held the start of the show until the line had mostly gotten back up on to Congress St. Not knowing what to expect, we were surprised at how great the production was in each short film. For me, I will always think of what happened at my favorite coffee shop which was a featured location in Misandry. The trailer awards were great and we were happily surprised to see a finalist group we know. The overall flow and presentation was well done and the organizers did a great job. Now that we know what the hubbub is about, I'm sure this will be a yearly event for us.

So many things to love and dislike about this place…read more Great things: They have some amazing bands that play here. The venue is very relaxed and has a fun vibe. It's right on the water with great views. The food is pretty great cause it's all food trucks. They have plenty of bathrooms and they are super clean, with actually hand washing stations. Plenty of drink stations so you don't have to wait in line for that. They do Thursday and Friday on thompsons point when they don't have a concert, with free music and food trucks. Cons: The food truck lines are forever, they try their best but it's just too many people and not enough food trucks. Only a certain amount of people can bring chairs? Not sure why, so you end up leaving that and not being able to find it. PARKING, is the absolute worst and so expensive. There has to be a better way to do this and they charge so much. I know it's hard to get out of most concerts so this is a common issue but Thompsons point is by far the worst and the most expensive. Even with the parking though I'll continue to go to concerts/ other events here!

I would go to Thompsons Point so much more if it was easier and cheaper to park there! There is…read moresuch a bottleneck to enter for events it really deters us from going. Having the bus station at the entrance really adds to the difficulty in attending events there. We have tried ubering and that also is difficult. You pretty much have to be dropped off by the transportation center and walk down. I dont know what the solution is, bit building a huge hotel there is not going to help.

My wife and I recently went to our first show at Blue the other night. Had never really known it…read morewas a spot prior to this concert. It was an album release party for local pop-punk/emo band Broadwing. The card featured other local bands as well as a New England DJ. I know now that some shows at Blue are free or minimal cover which is great. Tickets for this show ended up being $12 which is a great value for a concert/night out. Hard to find tickets that cheap nowadays. The person working the door was friendly and had our name already so didn't even need to pull the tickets up. Bartenders were friendly and the drinks were well made. I especially liked their spicy cocktail Bing Bong which had the perfect kick to it! Prices were reasonable for drinks as well. Venue is on the small side as expected but had a great vibe for intimate smaller shows. Even with a sold-out show it was not overpacked. The acoustics and sound were good for a smaller venue as well. If you love smaller concerts I would recommend checking out their event schedule to see if something piques your interest. Also if you are a fan of pop punk music then do yourself a favor and check out Broadwing (especially their song New England Baby)! Very down to earth friendly band!

The online presence of Blue is a dumpster fire. Why do I need to enter my contact information just…read moreto see what's happening tonight? If I don't, there is NO current reliable information on who's scheduled. Pathetic and unreliable. I'm not doing it. I've enjoyed many evenings there, but the basic management of the venue is a joke. It will be a shame when it closes. What acts are scheduled for the NEXT WEEK? How difficult is that to maintain? Apparently, it's not possible.

I saw Anastasia: The Musical when it was on Broadway, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I went…read moreto see the MSMT production. I was blown away by the theater, the production value, and the quality of the performers. Any of those actors could have stood on the Broadway stage and fit right in. The building, Pickard Theater, is beautiful and looks like an old church. The ushers were friendly and helpful. We were sitting midway back in the balcony and had a perfect view of the stage. I doubt there's a bad seat in the house. The tickets were more expensive than we expected but it was absolutely worth it!

I saw West Side Story yesterday. Just WOW! I've been going to performances at this venue for many…read moreyears and they are always great, but this totally took the cake. Interesting, complicated set design, great casting, great performances by the principals. But the best part was the production numbers. Amazing dancing. Also, this year there is a shuttle so that parking is less of a hassle. This is the last play of the season and there is still time to see it. Highly recommend. Wish there was a way to give 10 stars!

Amazing intimate venue for being up close and personal with musicians and performers. Great…read moreacoustics and nearly feel as though the performance is just for you with limited seats and proximity. Staff is great, super friendly and welcoming. On tap beer selection, wine and snacks available if desired. Unfortunately I am not local or I would definitely grab a membership to enjoy the front row tables and be a regular here. Street parking is available or short walk from some of the larger public lots as well. Walking distance to a number of local restaurants and bars to grab a bite prior to or after events. Highly recommend getting out to support this awesome venue!

This is a great venue to watch artists in a very intimate setting, where you could almost have…read moreconversations with the artist as they played on the stage. The seating is limited with some obstructed views, but the audio was great and there's a selection of beverages that you could have as well, including free water. The staff was super friendly as they escorted people in and checked IDs at the door and the show that we went to was phenomenal and enjoyable. I will definitely come back if an artist comes through that I wanna see here. Oh the show we saw was the Jackie Greene set.

The Laugh Track is a fun, fast and fabulous 90 minute play about Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll…read morejr...the writers of the I Love Lucy Show. Taken from Ms Pugh's autobiography, but with some poetic license by the wonderful Playwright, Wendy MacLeod, it recounts scenarios from Madelyn Pugh's perspective both in and out of the writer's office. Her role back then was NOT always as an equal, though she was equally as funny a writer as her male counterpart. It also hits on the dynamic between all the people involved in making that show a groundbreaking hit as well as the ultimate end of the show in 1957.

My husband and I have taken to attending every show we can at Portland Stage over the past year,…read moreand let me tell you, we have seen some FANTASTIC shows!!! So far, our favorites from the 23-24 season have been "Saint Dad," a play about intricate family dynamics and loss in rural Maine, and "Clyde's," about a sandwich shop employing an entirely formerly incarcerated staff. In both of these shows, the acting was spot-on! We usually pick a showing on a weeknight to access easy parking outside on Forest Ave. Sometimes, we come early to secure parking and get a bite to eat at Empire or Otto's before the show. The theater is super comfortable, and there is not a bad seat in the house!

I'm new to the hometown theatre scene, but so far I've been to 4 different venues this year, and I…read morecan say, this is one of the nicer spots, as far as over appearances go. Clean. New. Warm. Yes, it's small. About 20 rows, maybe 20 seats per row. That being said- there's not a bad seat in the house. We saw "A Christmas Carol" and I've gotta say, the actor who played Scrooge is incredibly talented! The entire cast really did a great job. Very short play, but quality. But the review I guess is more for the venue, I bought tickets and upon arriving realized that my grandmother had also bought tickets. I didn't want a refund- it was our mistake- I more so wanted to let them know that the seats I purchased would be empty, should they want to fill them. To my surprise the very sweet ladies at the ticket office offered to switch my tickets to the next play in January! Super impressed with that, and will continue to support them, they do a lovely job there.

The Public Theater is not in a beautiful building like Comstock Hall, but this must be the best…read morevalue for theater tickets in the state. Seats are about $20 and if you have a subscription you get a free set of tickets to share. The plays are very well produced, cast, and acted. The selection of plays is one of the main reasons we have season tickets here. They generally have comedies, some with a message, but not too serious. On a hectic day, it is relaxing to sit and enjoy such high quality entertainment. Try it, you will not regret it.