Standing Just Outside the Door revolves around the "coming out" of a teenage student in a New York high school in 1966. The play had its premiere in 2003. The Police Know Everything is an adaptation of Phippen's popular book of Maine stories and was first produced in 1992. The Straight and Crazy Doped-Up World was first produced in 1973 in Syracuse, NY during the "race riot" days. The play is a compilation of student journal writings and was performed by his students in 1974 and again in 2003. All of the plays were written for Phippen's students.

In the afterward to the book, Kent McKusick (Founding Artistic Director of Northern Lights Repertory Theatre) writes: "Sanford Phippen is an observer and chronicler of life…. The words, sounds, and descriptions are uncanny in the fashion that they capture the spirit of independence and interdependence where the sea meets the woods and the mountains, where the locals meet the summer visitors, and where the students meet the teachers…. throughout his writing about the inevitable conflicts that occur when these divergent groups somehow intersect and react, there is a balance of fact and fancy and a dedication to the truth in the visions and journeys of the individuals portrayed. There is a mix of 'in-your-face' honesty and homespun humor that either entertains, infuriates, or touches your heart depending on your viewpoint."

This program at the Depot Street Development will be presented on Saturday, August 16th at 8 PM. Admission is $5.00. For more information: 695-3170

Signed copies of Phippen's new book, as well as his other books will be on sale.