Calista Jones

PETER PAN To Play The Fox Theatre; Tickets On Sale Today
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 22, 2025

Tickets for the all-new production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway classic, PETER PAN are on sale now for a limited one-week premiere engagement at the Fox Theatre from April 29 – May 4.

Kruz Maldonado Will Take Over Title Role in PETER PAN Tour
by Stephi Wild - Feb 19, 2025

Kruz Maldonado will join the cast of the national tour of the all-new production of PETER PAN, as the tour continues into its second year. Learn more about where to catch the show here!

Review: MSMT Celebrates Community
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Aug 15, 2024

On August 14, the Brunswick Town Mall brimmed full with spectators, all eager to enjoy Maine State Music Theatre’s annual free Concert on the Mall, presented in collaboration with the Brunswick Downtown Association. For MSMT, the performance is a meaningful opportunity to give back to the community that has supported the theatre all summer. Stars of the final main stage show, BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, together with the MSMT singers and several other favorite artists, treated the enthusiastic crowd of all ages to an evening of Broadway favorites and covers of popular standards.

Video: First Look at BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Maine State Music Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Aug 14, 2024

Get a first look at Maine State Music Theatre's production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, a captivating journey through the life of one of music’s most iconic songwriters. The production is now on stage through August 24th, 2024.

Review: Beyond the Rainbow: MSMT Presents THE WIZARD OF OZ Youth Edition
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Aug 12, 2024

When Dorothy, swept away by the tornado, finds herself transported beyond the rainbow to a land of vibrant color, the audience at Maine State Music Theatre’s final Theatre for Young Audiences production gasps in wonder. The production of the children’s version of the Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg musical with a cast of young professionals and local youth, directed by Betsy Puelle, has transformed the Pickard Theater into a land of pure fantasy and imagination using all the theatrical elements at their disposal. MSMT serves up an evening of song, dance, puppetry, and visual wizardry that is one of the most stunning and enchanting TYA performances seen there in recent years.

Video: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Maine State Music Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 7, 2024

Get a first look at Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Maine State Music Theatre. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Video: First Look At WHITE CHRISTMAS At Maine Street Music Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Jul 30, 2024

Get a first look at MSMT's enchanting summer production of Irving Berlin’s timeless classic, Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Running from July 17 to August 3, this heartwarming musical promises to bring festive cheer to the Pickard Theatre with its captivating performances, dazzling choreography, and unforgettable melodies. 

BWW Q&A: Kyra Kennedy on BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL at Maine State Music Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Jul 30, 2024

Kyra recently completed a run of Beautiful at Papermill Playhouse - also playing the role of Carole King. Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is thrilled to announce its upcoming production of 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,' a captivating journey through the life of one of music’s most iconic songwriters. The production, a co-production with the Fulton Theatre, will run from August 7 to August 24.

Review: Into the Land of Magic: MSMT Presents THE STORY OF THE NUTCRACKER
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Jul 22, 2024

What could be more enticing to youngsters than Christmas that comes early? This summer Maine State Music Theatre invites families to experience Christmas in July at the Pickard Theatre and to share the magic of a musical never before presented here in Brunswick: Robin and Clark’s  THE STORY OF THE NUTCRACKER. Twinkling lights, myriads of trees, a market filled with goodies, and even a hint of snow …. all join forces to create an immersive experience for the Theatre for Young Audiences series. While Robin and Clark’s musical version of the Nutcracker story has been a Christmas staple for years in cities like Chicago and Lancaster, PA, It has not been presented here in Maine until now.  But after this debut series of performances, one can only hope it will become a new Maine tradition.

BWW Q&A: Charis Leos on Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS at Maine State Music Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Jul 2, 2024

We spoke to Charis Leos about appearing in Irving Berlin's White Christmas at Maine State Music Theatre!  Charis is a familiar face at MSMT, appearing in dozens of shows over the years,  beginning with Nunsense in 1997. Some favorite MSMT roles include Roz (9 to 5), Rose (Gypsy), Louise (Always, Patsy Cline), Paulette (Legally Blonde), Maggie (42nd Street), Madame Thenardier (Les Miserables), Chaperone (Drowsy Chaperone) and Dolly (Hello, Dolly!).

Review: MSMT's FUNNY GIRL: Bold, Beautiful & Star-Studded
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Jun 28, 2024

Maine State Music Theatre’s new production of FUNNY GIRL is a triumph for its star and a coup for the company. Obtaining the first rights to produce the show after the closing of the recent Broadway revival is an unprecedented accomplishment for the theatre’s Artistic Director, Curt Dale Clark.  In addition, the production, itself, is arguably the first FUNNY GIRL anywhere to use the state-of-the art video technology, and perhaps the most thrilling feat of all: not only does the entire cast deliver stunning performances, but Jenna Lea Rosen, who makes her MSMT debut and role debut as Fanny Brice, is unquestionably a superstar. The result is an evening in the theatre that is as exhilarating and spellbinding as any you will see on any stage and an experience not to be missed!

BWW Q&A: Kenny Ingram on FUNNY GIRL at Maine State Music Theatre
by Joshua Wright - Jun 18, 2024

Maine State Music Theatre is the first - and only - regional theatre to be granted the rights to produce Funny Girl since the Broadway National Tour launched. We chat with Kenny Ingram about the upcoming production.

Review: Maine State Music Theatre's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Jun 10, 2024

In a colorful, imaginative retelling of this “tale as old as time,” MSMT opens its 2024 TYA series with a revival of Robin and Clark’s version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The production, directed by Betsy Puelle, not only offers a contemporary twist on the classic fairytale, but also layers onto that version another dimension of fantasy and fun. Setting the ancient story as a play within a modern play, Robin and Clark create the dual perspective that characterizes many of their musicals and allows the actors to break the fourth wall and engage the youngsters directly. The narrator, a schoolgirl named Cindy, fashion – often improvises - her version of the story, lobbies to have it produced, and eventually plays a pivotal role in the work. Employing MSMT’s exciting new video technology, a stellar cast of young professionals, and incorporating large-scale, whimsical puppetry into the mix, this BEAUTY AND THE BEAST proves the resilience of the source material and the creative genius of the company

Feature: Lucky To Be Me: MSMT Singers Perform Around the State
by Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold - Jun 8, 2024

“We perform in parking lots, restaurants, tents, bandshells, and lovely venues like this one,” declares Maine State Music Theatre’s Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark. He is addressing a full house in the Lunt Auditorium at Oceanview at Falmouth on May 30. It is only one of over 95 free public outreach events that MSMT offers in the course of each year,  but today is special because it introduces the new 2024 crop of MSMT Singers in their second public performance since arriving in the state. An outgrowth of the company’s former intern program, the MSMT Singers are an elite group of young (college age) professionals selected by Clark in an annual nationwide search that has holds over 3000 auditions for eight spots. “These young artists have to sing, dance and act on a scale of at least an 8 out of 10 when they come here,” Clark explains, “and when they leave, I expect that they will have grown into the stars they are going to be.”