Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is a professional performing arts organization based in Brunswick, Maine. MSMT presents a summer season of four fully staged

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, a concert series, and a

Theatre for Young Audiences Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), also youth theatre, theatre for children, and children's theatre is a branch of theatre arts that encompasses all forms of theatre that are attended by or created for younger audiences. It blankets many differen ...

series. The company attracts the best and brightest casts, crews, and administrators from Broadway, national tours, and regional theaters. MSMT’s mission is to offer engaging live professional performances and outreach opportunities that entertain, educate, and enrich with power and passion. Since its first season, MSMT's shows have been presented in the Pickard Theater on the campus of

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

History

Early Years (1950s - 1970s)

MSMT began as Brunswick Music Theatre (BMT). Founded by Victoria (Vicki) Crandall, BMT opened in 1959 with a summer production of

Song of Norway ''Song of Norway'' is an operetta written in 1944 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Edvard Grieg and the book by Milton Lazarus and Homer Curran. A very loose film adaptation with major changes to both the book a ...

. In the next decade, playhouses became quite prevalent in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. BMT was one of the few that exclusively produced

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

. In the 1970s, BMT changed to a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

in order to focus on establishing an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

program that would help equip young and emerging theatre artists for their intended industry.

Name Change & Growing Influence (1980s - 1990s)

In 1988, BMT celebrated its 30th anniversary. Governor John R. McKernan presented an award to founder Vicki Crandall, and the organization changed its name to Maine State Music Theatre to reflect that its influence had reached past the Midcoast region of the state. By this time, the number of professional theaters in New England had been significantly reduced. MSMT was one of the very few remaining musical houses.

Recent Years (2000s - 2020s)

During the late 2000s, as the severity of the housing crisis grew, MSMT was presented with an opportunity to make the Gorham campus of the

University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universitie ...

its home base. The Board of Trustees opted to remain in Brunswick, as they were committed to remaining in the birthplace of the organization. This commitment prompted them to purchase the Maine Line Bus Garage at 22 Elm Street. The space was renovated to become a permanent home for MSMT, complete with administrative offices, rehearsal spaces and technical facilities. Performances would still be mounted in the Pickard Theater. In 2015, MSMT announced a three-year $2 million capital campaign. The purpose of the campaign was multi-faceted: # Fulfilling commitments to the organization’s partner and lessor,

. MSMT paid for replacement of carpeting and seats, as well as upgrades to the hearing system in Pickard Theater. # Providing housing for theatre professionals. # Attending to the repair and maintenance of current properties used for housing, administrative offices, technical shops, and studios. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

forced MSMT to cancel its previously announced 2020 season, the first time a summer season had been canceled by the organization. MSMT created the Lifeline Fund to offset losses and remain strong and prepared for 2021. Subscribers and patrons, businesses and organizations rallied to support the theatre during this difficult time, preserving the legacy of the organization. Though a 2021 season was announced, the pandemic forced MSMT to cancel all events, other than its production of Jersey Boys. In 2022, MSMT returned for a full summer season.

Educational Fellowship Program

Every summer, MSMT’s diverse Educational Fellowship Program brings 45 young theatre students and early career professionals to Maine to participate in a full-immersion program focused on practical, experiential training designed to ease the transition into a professional career. The program, which serves to bridge the gap between their education and the professional world, has received national recognition and has been featured on PBS and in national and regional publications. This intensive program gives those with aspirations of a life in the performing arts the chance to work alongside professionals in their field.

Notable alumni

Theatre artists who have gone through the MSMT Educational Fellowship Program include: * Ephie Aardema (2009) * Jay Carey (2001) *

Lindsay Nicole Chambers Lindsay Nicole Chambers (born April 22, 1980) is an American actress and singer, known for her work on Broadway and in ''Submissions Only''. Career Chambers understudied the female authority figure and Penny Pingleton in the touring production ...

(2002) * Jennifer Coty (1991) *

Barrett Foa Barrett Conrad Foa (born September 18, 1977) is an American bari-tenor singer, dancer, and actor, with over a decade in Broadway theatre shows. He has played many leading characters in off-Broadway and regional theatre productions. He has appe ...

(1997) * Tracy Geltman (2002) * Amy Halldin (2001) * Jeff Heimbrock (2012) * Angela Hooper (2010) * Robyn Hurder (2001) * Eric Jackson (1998) * Elise Joan (1998) * Marc Kessler (1993) * Renée Klapmeyer (1998) * Marty Lauter (2017) *

Aaron Lazar Aaron Scott Lazar is an American actor, artist and entrepreneur. Early life and education Lazar was born in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Lazar is of Jewish descent. He graduated from Cherry Hill High School West where he first started singing and per ...

(1996) * Amy Miller (2001) * Patrick O'Neill (1999) * Ian Rhodes (2000) * Kim Sava (2008) * Jonalyn Saxer (2012) * Blake Stadnik (2013) * Brittany Weber (2008) * Bria Jene Williams (2018) * Kyle Wrentz (2000) * Daniel Yearwood (2017) * Minami Yusui (2005)

Previous Seasons

2000

Big River •

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

• Swingtime Canteen •

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

• Victor/Victoria

2001

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

• Little Shop of Horrors • Oklahoma! • The Scarlet Pimpernel

2002

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

•

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

•

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

•

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 fil ...

2003

Hans Christian Anderson (

Loesser Loesser is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Arthur Loesser (1894–1969), American classical pianist and writer *Frank Loesser (1910–1969), American songwriter *Jo Sullivan Loesser (1927–2019), American actress and singer S ...

) •

Jekyll & Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

• La Cage Aux Folles •

Smokey Joe's Cafe Smokey Joe, Smokey Joe's or Smoky Joe's may refer to: Nickname * Joe Barton, Texan Congressman, nicknamed "Smokey Joe" for defending industries against pollution controls * Smokey Joe Baugh (1932–1999), American rockabilly musician * Happy Finne ...

2004

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a ...

• Follies • Kiss Me, Kate • Pump Boys and Dinettes

2005

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

• Mame •

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...

• Swing!

2006

South Pacific • Beauty and the Beast • Aida •

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is s ...

2007

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

•

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical-romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve young ...

•

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

•

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

2008

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

•

All Shook Up "All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley, published by Elvis Presley Music, and composed by Otis Blackwell. The single topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Top 100 on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the ''Bil ...

• The Producers •

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

2009

The Light in the Piazza • Crazy for You • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels • The Drowsy Chaperone

2010

Always, Patsy Cline • My Fair Lady •

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

• Spamalot

2011

The Marvelous Wonderettes •

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

•

Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...

• The Wiz

2012

A Chorus Line • Legally Blonde • Sunset Boulevard • 42nd Street

2013

Dreamgirls •

•

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

•

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

2014

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story • Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance (Knapp & Alper) • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers •

2015

• Sister Act •

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and ...

•

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor F ...

2016

Ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

•

Evita Evita may refer to: Arts * Evita (1996 film), ''Evita'' (1996 film), a 1996 American musical drama film based on the 1976 concept album of the same name * Evita (2008 film), ''Evita'' (2008 film), a documentary about Eva Péron * Evita (album), ''E ...

•

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

• Mamma Mia!

2017

Always, Patsy Cline •

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

• Grease •

Newsies ''Newsies'' (released as ''The News Boys'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1992 American musical historical comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega in his film directing debut. Loosely based on ...

2018

Million Dollar Quartet • Beauty and the Beast •

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American dance drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man from the Brooklyn borough of New York. Manero spends his ...

•

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

2019

Sophisticated Ladies • Treasure Island (Robin & Clark) • Hello, Dolly! • The Wizard of Oz

2021

Jersey Boys

2022

•

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...

•

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

• Kinky Boots

MSMT Costumes

Known for its elaborate original

costume Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

designs, Maine State Music Theatre launched MSMT Costumes in 2010. This branch of MSMT rents out the original costume packages for previous shows produced by the company. MSMT Costumes also owns and rents out the costumes from the original West End production of Spamalot, designed by

Tim Hatley Tim Hatley is a British set and costume designer for theater and film. He is the winner of the Tony Award for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Desi ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Theatre companies in Maine Organizations based in Brunswick, Maine 1959 establishments in Maine Arts organizations established in 1959 Theatres in Maine