No one did more for putting a discount Maine department store on the map than Karmo Sanders and her famous Marden’s TV commercials.
So it’s only fitting that the annual Maine Playwrights Festival mark its 25th year by honoring the memory of the “Marden’s Lady.”
The weeklong festival, which runs through May 24 at Stevens Square Theater in Portland, is premiering her ten-minute play, “Ethelred and the Green Door.”
The festival, now in its 25th year, features seven world premieres and staged readings, all “pay-what-you-can.”
“Sanders, a TV star and acting teacher, left a lasting impact on Maine’s theater scene,” the festival says. “Her play explores the struggle of artists, reflecting her deep introspection beyond her commercial persona.”
The Marden’s Lady’s work as an actor, teacher, playwright and promoter of the performing arts inspired legions.
Sanders, born Martha Lello, died last fall at the age of 74, leaving behind her famous line, “the more you shop at Marden’s dear the more you save.”
“We have opportunity in this lifetime to be happy or sad, it’s pretty simple,” Sanders said during her heyday. “I chose happy.”
The festival honoring her memory features several one-act plays selected annually by a committee of readers for production.
The selected plays enter a development and production process with a dramaturg, director, and actors.
The process culminates in a fully produced festival each spring.
I always consider that commercial to be man bashing, and hence offensive.