Bowdoin College

Oak View Group’s Theater Alliance presented the prestigious Impact Award to legendary theater operator Josiah (“Joe”) Spaulding, Jr., who recently retired after a nearly 40-year career as President/CEO of Boch Center in Boston, MA, at the second annual Theater Alliance Gala presented by DeKuyper on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Cape Ann Symphony's Musicians Unleashed concert series kicks off with Bluegrass and Beyond, featuring a blend of bluegrass and classical music.

Brand Library & Art Center has announced its Fall Art Talks series, featuring discussions with artists and experts on contemporary art topics.

Curt Dale Clark and Seth Eliser joined Kathryn Boswell, Alfie Parker, Jr., Associate Choreographer/Dance Captain, and an actor playing one of The Drifters, for a panel discussion moderated by Broadway World’s Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold on August 14th at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine.

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.

Powered by poetry, fueled by raw and resilient emotion, and presented with passion and high voltage energy by a company committed to the music and message, BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL triumphantly takes the stage as the finale of Maine State Music Theatre’s 2024 season. Exploring the early life and creative journey of popular music’s living legend, Carole King, BEAUTIFUL is a biographical jukebox musical that plays like a top 10 hit parade, at the same time that it tells its disarmingly, immediate and vulnerable story. With the luminous Kyra Kennedy giving a deeply authentic, earthy, and uplifting performance in the title role, BEAUTIFUL offers both absorbing entertainment and inspiration.

“It is perfect symmetry to utter the words ‘Curt Dale Clark’ and ‘Christmas’ in one sentence because no one does Christmas better than he and Marc Robin.”  These were my words as moderator of MSMT’s third Peek Behind the Curtain panel discussion as I introduced MSMT Artistic Director, (Curt Dale Clark) and his concept for the Christmas in July extravaganza currently providing context for the theatre’s spectacular production of WHITE CHRISTMAS, directed and choreographed by Robin. The panel of several of the show’s stars, Kerry Conte (Betty Haynes), Darien Crago (Judy Haynes), and David Girolmo (General Waverly) joined Clark and me to share with the audience their experience on stage in the beloved Irving Berlin classic now running at the Pickard Theater until August 3.

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.

The thermometer in Brunswick Maine reads 85°F, but as one approaches the Pickard Theater, a band plays Christmas music outside, and inside the lights are twinkling; the halls are decked with garlands and wreaths; there is literally a forest of elegantly decorated trees, and there is a promise of snow in the air. This is, indeed, a white Christmas like no other. The brainchild of Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, Maine Street Music Theatre has created “Christmas in July” with a spectacular production of Irving Berlin’s classic WHITE CHRISTMAS, directed and choreographed by Marc Robin as its centerpiece. This is a singular and sensational opportunity to experience a breathtaking Broadway musical in a beautiful fantasy setting. 

“There’s so much more to this show than just Christmas,” declares actress Kerry Conte, describing Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS, which receives its first ever production at Maine State Music Theatre beginning July 17.  “It’s one of those shows that has something for everyone,” adds co-star Will Ray.  “How lucky are we to spread a little Christmas cheer in July!” Ray, who plays Bob Wallace, and Conte, who portrays Betty Haynes, are enthusing about Maine State Music Theatre’s newest extravaganza: a spectacular, immersive production of the holiday classic that will transform the entire Pickard Theater and offer dazzling visual effects, breathtaking choreography, and stunning vocal and dance performances as it tells the beloved story in the irresistible language of live theatre.

Maine State Music Theatre’s second concert of the season is a high energy musical tribute to Sir Elton John, performed by pianist and singer Colte Julian. The adrenaline-pumping program, WONDERFUL CRAZY NIGHT, features a well-chosen setlist of songs spanning some sixty years of John’s colorful and complex career. These mega hits are interspersed with biographical tidbits and snippets of video as Colte and his four-piece band rock away the evening, recalling the many moods and milestones of the “Rocket Man’s” superstar career.

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!

“There was no one else like Fanny Brice!  Since I was a child, I have identified with her in so many ways,” enthuses Jenna Lea Rosen, who makes her MSMT debut and role debut this week in the first regional revival since the Broadway show’s recent closing.

For its first sold out concert of the 2024 season, Maine State Music Theatre presents the music of two vocal virtuosi of Pop, Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand.   Performed by twin sisters, Susie Pepper and Ali Butler, with guests and their band, Mixology, The Way We Were The Music of Celine & Barbra pays homage to both divas in electric and riveting arrangements of their greatest hits. 

“I feel a responsibility to both past and present,” declares MSMT Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, who also serves, together with Marc Robin as Co-Director for the production which opens MSMT’s 2024 season.