ROCKPORT — The Everyman Repertory Theatre received a $5000 grant from the Maine Community Foundation’s Theater Fund and a grant of 45% of its lost income in 2020 as a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant with funds from the American Rescue Plan.

“We have had consistent support from the Theater Fund since our first production,” said Everyman Artistic Director Paul Hodgson, in a news release, “But, obviously, the SVOG grant is a one-off for extraordinary times. Although, we may be eligible for a Supplemental Grant as our revenue for most of 2021 was also severely depressed.”

The Everyman Rep will use the funds for what it hopes will be a near normal 2022 season, which opens with an on-stage radio drama reading of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, adapted by PG Hodgson, on January 14, as part of The Camden Opera House’s SoundCheck series.

“We started officially with Noel Coward’s Private Lives, so it’s nice to return to him. The process of adapting the show has shown me Coward’s incredible mastery,” said Hodgson. “And Brief Encounter regularly shows up on ‘the greatest movies of all time’ lists. We’ve wanted to do the play – the original stage version is called Still Life – for a long time, but it’s short, only an hour, but that makes it perfect for SoundCheck.”

The show will be performed in the way all live radio shows were recorded, except the cast will be using iPads instead of scripts. Radio performances of hit movies were all the rage from the 1930s to the 1960s, sometimes starring the same stars as in the movie.

“We’re doing this one as Lux Radio Theater, complete with announcer and commercials,” said Everyman. “And we have David Berez doing all our sound effects, from trains to tea cups.”

The Everyman Repertory Theatre, founded in 2008, is a registered 501(c)3, not-for-profit theatre company committed to bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Midcoast Maine.