Play reading series at Mad Horse

The Mad Horse Theatre Company in South Portland will hold the next installment of its new By Local play reading series this weekend.

Readings will be offered at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 9-11 and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 12. Pay what you can at the door.

The goal of the By Local program is to give Maine playwrights the opportunity to present their original, full-length plays in front of Mad Horse audiences. Each selected play is read twice during the course of a single weekend and a discussion follows each reading, which gives the playwright a chance to make changes based on audience feedback and then test their newly edited work.

“There’s a tremendous amount of playwriting talent in the greater Portland area,” according to Brent Askari, a By Local co-organizer. “And with By Local Mad Horse is demonstrating a deep and substantial intention to help foster, nurture and promote that talent.”

The plays to be read and critiqued this time around are “Discipline,” by Gerard Bianco, which will be staged on April 9 and 11, and “From Away,” by MK Wolfe, which will be staged on April 10 and 12.

See www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information. The theater is located at 24 Mosher St. in the former Hutchins School.

Dragonfly nymphs available

Scarborough Community Services is now selling Dragonfly nymphs for mosquito control. Orders will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and supplies are limited.

Order forms can be downloaded from the Community Services page on the town’s website, www.scarboroughmaine.org. The forms are also available in the Community Services office at Town Hall. Call 730-4150 for more information.

Autism roundtable set for April 16

The Opportunity Alliance in South Portland will hold a roundtable on Autism at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. The alliance is located at 50 Lydia Lane.

The goal of the session is to give parents and those with autism tips for advocacy and how to navigate the system. The event, which is free and open to the public, also includes exhibitors and information on how to access to local resources.

Pre-registration is required. Go online to http://bit.ly/April16Portland or call Kate O’Neill at 781-808-1973.

Come meet the animals

On Saturday, April 11, at 2 p.m., the Friends of the Scarborough Library will hold a special event with Wildlife Encounters at the middle school.

Most of these animals are rescues that were injured, abandoned or displaced and they all have their own stories. Join the friends for this free, hands-on experience with various sized exotic animals. See www.wildlifeencountersnh.com for more information.

Celebrate national library week with pizza

On Thursday, April 16, 5-9 p.m., Portland Pie in Scarborough will donate $1 from every pizza and Shipyard beer purchased to the Scarborough Public Library in honor of National Library Week.

The evening also includes fun raffle items. Call 510-6999 or see www.portlandpie.com for more information.

Middle school musical on tap

The theater team at Scarborough Middle School will stage “Seussical the Musical Jr.” the weekend of April 10-12 at the high school auditorium.

Showtimes are at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11, with a 2 p.m. matinee on both Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children or $15 per family. A bake sale and 50-50 raffle are also offered.