'Sometimes in this business, it can seem you work and work and you aren't seeing results right away. Then all at once, everything comes to fruition at once, and that is a major boost to our company morale. That's exactly what has happened this season for MSMT,' says Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark. 'Of our main stage productions, we have three that will be firsts!' Clark, who is joined by director Marc Robin, actors Liz Shivener and Mike Backes, is speaking to a Brunswick audience at Curtis Memorial Library on June 15, 2016, at the first of the season's Peek Behind the Curtain series, which is moderated by Broadway World's Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold. He elaborates. 'This summer we will present the New England regional premiere of Mama Mia; we have extended our twelve-week season for the first time by co-producing with Portland Stage, The Irish and How They Got That Way, and together with the Fulton Theatre, we have created the East Coast Regional premiere of the new chamber music version of Ghost The Musical. It's been an extraordinary adventure!'
Maine State Music Theatre announced yesterday that the professional theatre company has added an additional performance of their fourth main stage show of the 2016 season, MAMMA MIA!. The newly added performance will take place on Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 2:00 PM.
Maine State Music Theatre presents Rodgers & Hammerstein's A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING appearing on the Pickard stage for one day only: Monday, June 20, 2016 at 2 PM and 7:30 PM. Taste and imagination, the two key ingredients for a first-rate revue, abound in this fresh take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein canon. This revue, with innovative musical arrangements including a sultry Andrews Sisters-esque 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out-a My Hair,' a swingin' 'Honeybun' worthy of the Modernaires, and a jazzy 'Kansas City', leaves no question about how terrifically up to date the remarkable songs of R&H remain.
The 'nationally regarded' Maine State Music Theatre and Fulton Theatre present the exclusive premiere of the new chamber version of GHOST THE MUSICAL, beginning tonight, June 8 through June 25. BroadwayWorld brings you a sneak peek at highlights and behind the scenes below!
Maine State Music Theatre and Fulton Theatre present the exclusive premiere of the new chamber version of GHOST THE MUSICAL, beginning tonight, June 8, and continuing through June 25.
'What they did is nothing short of miraculous! I know because I was there as a friend, a colleague, an artist. I was there in that room as the magic was happening!' Award-winning actress E. Faye Butler is speaking of the Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre, of her old friends from their Rockford, Illinois days, Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark, and of the entire creative team and cast of the new chamber music version of the musical Ghost in which she now stars. The Bruce Joel Rubin-Glen Ballard-Dave Stewart show which opens at Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick on Thursday, June 9, is a reprise (and New England premiere) of the newly minted chamber adaptation presented at Lancaster's Fulton Theatre on April 21, 2016, after a year-long development process.
One can feel the excitement and electricity in Butler's presence and her comments about this play with music which, she believes has given new life to both the original 1990 Jerry Zucker movie starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg and the 2011 stage version. 'E. Faye is a force of nature!' MSMT Managing Director Stephanie Dupal proclaimed when she saw her in the premiere.
The 'nationally regarded' Maine State Music Theatre and Fulton Theatre present the exclusive premiere of the new chamber version of GHOST THE MUSICAL June 8 through June 25.
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! BroadwayWorld has an exclusive first look below!
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!
The touching love story of a boy and his cow, with a Mysterious Man, a Giant, Ogra the Giant's wife, and more jokes than legally allowed. The fun? You can't handle the fun.
From August 16 - September 4 this summer, two of greater Portland's leading theatre companies will combine forces in an exciting and news-making endeavor that is sure to enrich Maine's arts landscape. Both prestigious Equity companies, Maine State Music Theatre and Portland Stage Company, have announced a co-production of Frank McCourt's runaway hit, The Irish and How They Got That Way, at Portland Stage in the weeks following MSMT's regular summer season in Brunswick and before the opening of Portland Stage's 2016-2017 season in late September. The 1997 play with music chronicles the emotional and spiritual journey of the Irish on both sides of the Atlantic and features melodies, originally arranged by Rusty Magee, that range from traditional Celtic folk tunes to Thomas Moore ballads, George M. Cohen favorites, and the more contemporary sounds of U-2.
The Fulton Theatre is thrilled to announce a season bursting with dance, iconic musical theatre heroes, and a music legend in its mainstage offering! The Ellen Arnold Groff Studio Series, now in its third season, will offer three selections, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. The popular family series again will offer four shows that are ideal for the entire family. The 2016/2017 season kicks off with the mainstage series on Tuesday, September 20, 2016, with the triumphant Billy Elliot.
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.'
The Catamounts present SPIRITS TO ENFORCE by Mickle Maher, directed by Amanda Berg Wilson. The production runs tonight, October, 2, through October 17, 2014, at The Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado.
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.