Searsport High School Theater Presents 'The Waterspout'

School's one-act play to be featured at Maine Drama Festival

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Searsport District High School Theater is taking on the production of 'The Waterspout' as part of the 2026 Maine Drama Festival. The play, adapted by Christi Goosman from a first-hand account of the 1869 Trovatore shipwreck, will be performed on February 26 in Searsport, with additional showings on February 27 and 28 at other locations. The cast includes several Searsport students playing multiple roles.

Why it matters

The Maine Drama Festival is an annual event that showcases the talents of high school theater programs across the state. Searsport's entry highlights the school's commitment to the arts and provides an opportunity for the community to support its students.

The details

The Waterspout' reimagines the events leading up to and including the 1869 shipwreck of the bark Trovatore and the subsequent rescue. The play is based on a first-hand account originally published in the Iowa Register in 1890 and later in the Belfast, Maine Republican Journal. The Searsport production features a cast of students playing multiple roles, including Nellie Stanley as 'Catherine', 'Marco', and 'Ocean', Dilyla Brown as 'Oliver Winslow Park', and Lillian Boyd as 'Ocean' and stage crew.

  • The Searsport District High School Theater production of 'The Waterspout' will be performed on February 26, 2026 in Searsport.
  • Additional performances will be held on February 27 at Mt. View High School and February 28 at Troy Howard Middle School.
  • Searsport's regional competition performance will be on March 7, 2026 at 1 p.m. at Strom Auditorium in Camden.

The players

Christi Goosman

The playwright who adapted the first-hand account of the 1869 Trovatore shipwreck into the stage play 'The Waterspout'.

Oliver Winslow Park

The second mate on the bark Trovatore, whose first-hand account of the shipwreck and the waterspout that caused it was originally published in 1890.

James M. Blanchard

The captain of the bark Trovatore at the time of the 1869 shipwreck.

Oliver Crary Park

The father of Oliver Winslow Park, a Searsport captain who died in 1865, leaving his wife and five children, which forced Oliver to ship as a cabin boy to help support the family.

Nellie Stanley

A senior at Searsport District High School who is playing the roles of 'Catherine', 'Marco', and 'Ocean' in the school's production of 'The Waterspout'.

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What they’re saying

“Research from the Penobscot Marine Museum tells us that a first-hand account of the 1869 Trovatore shipwreck and the waterspout that caused it was originally published in the Iowa Register in 1890, and later in the Belfast, Maine Republican Journal.”

— Christi Goosman

What’s next

Searsport District High School's production of 'The Waterspout' will compete in the regional competition on March 7, 2026 at 1 p.m. at Strom Auditorium in Camden.

The takeaway

Searsport District High School's theater program is showcasing its talent and commitment to the arts by taking on the production of 'The Waterspout' as part of the 2026 Maine Drama Festival, providing an opportunity for the community to support its students.