The Forty Hour Club

A COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY THROUGH THEATER.
Founded by Playwright and Director Michael Gorman and a collective of independent artists, The Forty Hour Club is a production company based in Rockland, Maine dedicated to creating productions that ask the question “To what consequence?” The productions focus on the economic, environmental and systemic destruction facing working communities, and the paramount issue of sustainability.

Most critically, our work explores the idea of invisibility—that there is a whole class and culture of people among us that feels, for all intents and purposes, "invisible” in our society—the addict; our abandoned and alienated working communities; the marginalized.  At its heart is the issue of cultural erasure and the abandonment of our poor & working class.  Our goal is to open a portal into the “Phantom World” of rural America by framing a window into this nation’s deep economic and cultural divide.  The aim is to give body and voice to these often overlooked and forgotten individuals and communities.

Of timely importance, The Forty Hour Club is currently working on an epic project “Chasing the New White Whale—Harpooning Addiction”—an Arts & Advocacy model that includes an on-going series of environmental installations and performances that deal with the issue of opiate addiction in the commercial fishing community of New England.  Working directly with recovering addicts and those in re-entry, the project serves as an "Arts Intervention" and tool for restorative justice and healing.  To this end, the project has the capacity to resonate on a much larger National and International level. We are currently planning a summer 2021 tour with performances to take place in Rockland, Maine and New Bedford, MA.

In addition to the company's theatrical and advocacy work, the Forty Hour Club is also currently developing a documentary film based on Mike's 20+ years of dedication to writing about and presenting work about addiction, as well as other related projects.

WHO WE ARE:
MICHAEL GORMAN- Founder/Director/Producer
​DONNA DALY- Co-Director/Project Manager/Producer
THE FORTY HOUR CLUB- A collective of independent artists, contractors, performers, advocates, and supporters.

..Modern theatre does not write enough about blue-collar characters or drug addiction..”
                —NY Times

"Think The Perfect Storm meets Trainspotting"
Backstage.com

Chasing The New White Whale / Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa, New York City. November-December 2018.

About The Forty Hour Club / Watch a short video about our work and mission.

Fedallah and the Phantoms / Staged reading series at LaMama Theatre and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art

Fedallah and the Phantoms is a mythical chorus of ghostly whale hunters and modern day commercial fishermen inspired by Ahab's stowaway crew— who represent those who are often “invisible” in our society—the addict; our abandoned and alienated working communities; the poor; the marginalized.  "To make visible the invisible, and in the process, restore dignity to a people who have been stripped of it by fatal forces often beyond their control—that is my current goal as an artist"  --Mike Gorman

Art & Advocacy
Partner With Us
If you’re interested in partnering with the Forty Hour Club on an upcoming event or production, please contact us. We are always interested in creating new models that combine arts and advocacy to explore
​critical social, cultural and environmental issues.

contact US