Curt Dale Clark News

Maine State Music Theatre presents JACK AND THE BEANSTALK appearing on the Pickard stage Wednesday, June 15, 2015 at 10 AM and 1 PM, and a special showing on Saturday, June 18 at 11:00 AM. Children of all ages are welcome at MSMT's Theatre for Young Audience shows.

'We are all Irish. Everyone loves the free, spirited, easy come-easy go air of the Irish, and this show makes everyone want to be Irish all the time - not just on St. Patrick's Day.' There is a twinkle in his eye, as Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Curt Dale Clark, utters those words. Immediately his sentiments are seconded by the show's director/choreographer, Marc Robin, and Portland Stage's Artistic Director, Anita Stewart, all three of whom will be joining forces to create Frank McCourt's play with music, The Irish and How They Got That Way, from August 16- September 4, 2016, at Portland Stage.

 The “nationally regarded” Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre present the exclusive premiere of the new chamber version of Ghost: The Musical through May 14 (Performances at Maine State Music Theatre are June 8 – June 25, 2016). The romantic and heart-wrenching story will feature a cast of 10, focusing on the central characters of the original story, with a 6 piece orchestra. New acoustic versions of the songs from the original Broadway production will include, “Unchained Melody,” “Here Right Now,”  “Suspend My Disbelief – I Had a Life,” and more!

“We came up with this pitch that alliterates,” says Maine State Music Theatre's Managing Director Stephanie Dupal of the theatre's description of their upcoming 2016 summer season. “Relive the romance of Ghost; feel the fire of Evita; welcome the warmth of Fiddler; and experience the excitement of Mama Mia,” she recites. Joined by Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, the pair is talking about their plans for their main stage productions and the various new initiatives this dynamic team has launched since taking the helm of the company's leadership in 2013. By all accounts it is to be a season to surpass even the excellence of the prior ones!

Winning the family Christmas show sweeps this year? Marc Robin's version of the Dickens classic, complete with dreidels and a bad-attitude teen Ghost of Christmas Future

Voting has opened for the 2015 BroadwayWorld Central Pennsylvania Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of November 27th. Nominations were reader-submitted and after the nomination period ended, BroadwayWorld's local editors proofed the list for eligibility and errors. Voting runs through December 31.

The theatrical scene continued to be lively in Maine this year, with the Portland-area theatres presenting a number of stunning world premieres and the musical theatre scene gloriously vibrant. These are my personal choices of the best in Maine, grouped by theatre company and show: Because their repertoires are so vastly different, and because both companies produced outstanding seasons, my vote for highest honors goes to both Maine State Music Theatre and the Good Theater.

On a crisp October day a long line of eager people snakes around the block. For more than an hour now, a few excited customers have set up camp chairs to facilitate their wait. Shoppers at Hannaford across the street register curious stares. This is, after all, just a regular Saturday morning in the small town of Brunswick, Maine. So what has brought this clamoring crowd? It is Maine State Music Theatre's annual costume sale, a time when the company weeds out thousands of garments and accessories from its rental stock and sells them at minimal cost to the public. The event, which has grown steadily in the past four years since Costumes Rentals Manager, Amy Mussman first conceived the idea, seems to reflect the community presence, the popularity of the theatre's costume rentals business, and its possibilities for continued growth. 'The sale solves the practical needs of conserving space,' says Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, 'and what we gain in community good will is immeasurable.' Managing Director Stephanie Dupal concurs: 'There is such excitement about the event, and it is a great way to connect.'

Each year some two dozen young theatre professionals make their way to Brunswick, Maine, to take part in a dynamic summer program that is both educational and experiential. They come to fill performance, production, and administrative internships at one of New England's leading regional theatres. Maine State Music Theatre is an Equity summer company with more than a half century of storied history of bringing first-class Broadway shows to midcoast Maine and beyond. And at the heart of this ensemble are the talented, aspiring, and inspiring young actors and technicians who come to learn, to absorb, and to contribute to the magic of their chosen profession.

Maine State Music Theatre announced the public phase of their three-year capital campaign at the opening night of Young Frankenstein, the fourth and final show of their 2015 season.

The Fulton Theatre, in downtown Lancaster, PA is proud to announce its upcoming 2015-2016 season. The Fulton Theatre, a national historic landmark, is excited to build off of last season's record breaking attendance, by producing a season of shows filled with something for everyone, with six big Main stage musicals, two hard hitting dramas, and four theatre for young audience's shows.

Maine State Music Theatre marshaled all its resources for the finale of its 2015 season with a stunning production of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, filled with rollicking humor, brilliant dancing, and dazzling design effects that had the opening night audience on their feet cheering not only at curtain calls, but also during the course of the show. Directed and choreographed by Marc Robin, the cast of starry principals and equally gifted ensemble gave Brooks' signature off-beat humor a vibrancy and wit that had the intimate Pickard Theatre pulsating with joyous energy.

Coming to a village near you (Brunswick, Maine) to close out Maine State Music Theatre's 2015 season is Mel Brooks' hilarious musical comedy YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. This show runs August 5 through August 22 with show times at 2 and 7:30 PM.

'I try to do every play I direct keeping in mind both people who have never seen it before and those who might know it well. I ask myself, 'What would today's audience want to hear and how can I tell the story for this a contemporary public?' I actively look for ways to put a spin on even a well-known show like the Music Man so that some things strike the audience as surprises, as fresh and different. I want them not to sing along with tunes they know, but be caught off guard a little and be so busy watching the story unfold that they forget they already know it.' Director/choreographer Marc Robin is discussing his latest staging of Meredith Willson's classic musical, the Music Man, for Maine State Music Theatre. Robin was part of a panel that also included the shows stars, Curt Dale Clark and Lauren Blackman, MSMT's Props Designer Kyle Melton, and the company Director of Communications Carol Marquis, moderated by BWW's Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold, the fourth such talkback in the company's summer series, Peek Behind the Curtain, which drew a standing-room only crowd.

'I never wanted to do anything else!' the dynamic blonde character actress tells Broadway World one recent afternoon on a break in her rehearsals for Maine State Music Theatre's Music Man, which opened July 16. Charis Leos is currently playing Eulalie, the Mayor of River City's wife in her third with the company role this summer season; she has already delighted audiences as Georgie in The Full Monty and Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act, and she looks forward to undertaking Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein in what will be her tenth season in Brunswick. Leos has strong ties to MSMT, to Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, and to director Marc Robin (Music Man/Young Frankenstein), and she says she 'loves the quality of work we do here. A lot has to do with the community which is so incredibly supportive. This is the best-paid vacation ever. Of course, it it's a great deal of hard work because the schedule is so compact, but I am having a wonderful time!'

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) presents Meredith Willson's beloved all-American classic THE MUSIC MAN. This six-time TONY Award-winning musical has been entertaining audiences since 1957. THE MUSIC MAN runs tonight, July 15, through August 1, 2015. Check out a first look below!

Who doesn't love Meredith Willson's classic musical, Music Man, with its thrilling score, its witty humor, its irresistible combination of bravura and unabashed romanticism?. Generations have grown up on movie versions and memories of the big Broadway productions. So when a company undertakes a revival of such a classic, they risk the inevitable comparisons. Undaunted, Maine State Music Theatre has mounted a grand, original, and compelling look at this cornerstone of American musical theatre. The new production, directed by Marc Robin, starring Curt Dale Clark and Lauren Blackman, which opened at Brunswick's Pickard Theatre on July 16, skillfully fuses the familiar and the fresh into an evening of absolute delight.

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) presents Meredith Willson's beloved all-American classic THE MUSIC MAN. This six-time TONY Award-winning musical has been entertaining audiences since 1957. THE MUSIC MAN runs tonight, July 15, through August 1, 2015. Check out a first look below!

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) presents Meredith Willson's beloved all-American classic THE MUSIC MAN. This six-time TONY Award-winning musical has been entertaining audiences since 1957. THE MUSIC MAN runs tonight, July 15, through August 1, 2015.  Check out a sneak peek below!

When Meredith Wilson's Music Man opens July 16th at Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, Maine, this grand scale production will mark the fourth time actor and Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark has undertaken the role of Harold Hill, and it will be the first time his co-star Lauren Blackman has portrayed Marian Paroo. Yet for both artists, the experience feels like a kind of spiritual homecoming.