Headquarters Maine, United States | ||
The Maine State Music Theatre is a performing arts organization based in Brunswick, Maine, United States. It was founded in 1959 by Victoria Crandall as the Brunswick Music Theatre. The theatre became a non-profit in 1970 focusing its commitment to develop and expand an internship program that would educate and train young artists in theatre crafts. In 1988, Brunswick Music Theatre celebrated 30 years of bringing professional musical theatre to the people of Maine. Governor John R. McKernan presented an award to founder Crandall citing her for this significant achievement. In that year the name changed to Maine State Music Theatre to reflect a patronage which had grown significantly beyond the mid-coast region. By the late ’80s the number of Equity theatres in the state had dwindled to half what had existed in the early ’60s. There were few exclusively musical houses remaining nationwide, and none as intimate as Pickard Theater.
Challenging years faced MSMT with an escalating housing crisis prompted by limited availability and prohibitive costs. When the Theatre was given an opportunity to move to the Gorham Campus of the University of Southern Maine, the Board of Trustees made a strong commitment to the community of Brunswick and purchased the Maine Line Bus Garage at 22 Elm Street, renovating the space as the beautiful permanent home for MSMT. The building houses the administrative offices as well as technical and rehearsal space.
The theatre presents a summer season of four fully staged musicals, several children's musicals, and related special events.