LEWISTON — Two new plays by Linda Britt opened this past weekend with good performances by excellent casts in each show. With an unusual scheduling arrangement, two more productions of each play are coming up Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 8-11, so it’s still possible to catch both shows by Out of the Box Theater at Downstage at L/A Arts, 5 Canal St., Lewiston.

“Aiken Pond” deals with doubts and guilt of a college professor over the suicide of a student. “What If …?” deals with doubts and guilt of two young married couples when a truth-or-dare parlor game veers off into dangerous territory. Except for similar living room sets, the similarities end there.

Britt presents some intriguing twists in “Aiken Pond.” Guidance from ghosts has been seen in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” and on modern stages in “Blithe Spirit” and “The Canterbury Ghost,” but Britt’s use of that plot device is fresh, often funny and fundamental to the show’s final minutes.

Britt’s characterizations are diverse and sharply drawn. Under her direction, the eight actors (four in each play) are outstanding in each role.

Be aware that both shows contain adult language, and lots of it in “What If ..?” Given the contemporary setting and twenties-something ages of the couples, anything less would not propel the powerful story to its inevitable conclusion.

Veteran actors Mark Hazard and Cheryl Reynolds give strong portrayals of Sarah and Andy Weston in “Aiken Pond.” Reynolds is devastated by the suicide drowning of Amanda, her student who had recently sought her advice. and she blames herself for the tragedy. Andy struggles to understand his wife’s extreme insistence on shouldering responsibility, even when Sarah reveals that she sees and talks with Amanda’s ghost.

Maisy Cyr delivers a delightful performance as the deceased but still bubbly and irrepressible college student. Mary Turcotte, who plays Sarah’s best friend, Barbara, delivers a solid supporting performance.

Both Cyr and Turcotte are in their first OOTB appearances.

The final moments of Britt’s play wrap the situation up with a surprising and satisfying scene. It’s not so much what is said as how it is said that makes “Aiken Pond” a memorable show.

In “What If …?”, the constant acceleration of intensity challenges the audience to deal with an uncomfortable situation that the characters have created for themselves. The plot moves with predictability, and the conclusion is easily foreseen. Britt’s intention, ably accomplished by the actors, is to make audiences think about their own reactions when placed in “what if” circumstances.

Danielle Eaton and Jason Pelletier play Hollis and Cooper Steele, who spar with barbed wit during the after-dinner game of risky questions and answers.

Reed and Kirby Quinn, played by Ryan Adair and Vicki Machado, gradually show that they are in a downhill relationship.

The game sets up a collision course between friends and spouses toward an unconscionable act that tests the strength of each couple’s commitment.

Eaton and Machado are outstanding in their portrayals of wives whose reactions to the game’s consequences bring about a painful and a healing result.

The men in Britt’s play also meet their unexpected what-if moments with honest but agonizing acceptance.

Eaton, in her first role for OOTB Theater, has been seen in numerous local dramatic and musical productions. Pelletier has appeared in roles from OOTB’s award-winning productions of “Hamlet” and “Media” to Community Little Theatre (CLT) presentations of “The Odd Couple” and “Almost, Maine.”

Adair and Machado give fine performances of their strained relationship. Adair played Horatio in OOTB’s “Hamlet and also appeared in “Chosen: Adoption Stories,“ another of Britt’s original works. He has been in several CLT shows.

Machado also was in “Chosen,” as well as CLT‘s “Rabbit Hole,” “Inspecting Carol” and “Almost, Maine.”

Mark Hazzard was assistant director for “What If …?” and Anna Cyr, who is Maisy Cyr’s mother, was assistant director for “Aiken Pond.”

If you go

What: The remaining dates for “What If…?” are Thursday and Friday, Aug. 8 and 9. Show dates for “Aiken Pond” are Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10 and 11.

When: Show times are 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Where: Downstage at L/A Arts is at 5 Canal St., Lewiston.

Tickets: For tickets call 782-7228 or go online to www.laarts.org. Both plays contain adult language and content and are not recommended for younger children.

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