LEWISTON – The Maine premiere of “The Old Settler” opens Friday, Jan 26, at The Public Theatre. “It’s hard to believe that the actors arrived from New York and dove into rehearsals on January 8th and two-and-a-half weeks later, it’s now opening night.” said director Janet Mitchko. “Being a professional Equity theater gives us the ability to rehearse for 40 hours each week. This is what we all do for a living, and this is a real job for everyone involved.”

“The Old Settler” focuses on the lives of two sisters living in Harlem in 1943 and a young man from the South who enters their lives when they take him in as a boarder to help pay the rent. The four actors in this show met each other for the first time when they arrived in Maine.

“The Old Settler,” which is humorous and heartbreaking, was the most-produced play in the country from 1998 to 2000. The show will be staged Jan. 26, 27, 28; and Feb. 1, 2, 3, 4. Curtain is at 7 p.m. Thursday; at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $16/$14. Call the theater box office at 782-3200.