MSMT HISTORY
Founder Victoria Crandall, after a 1959 performance of Mame.
1959 • Brunswick Summer Playhouse
Victoria Crandall, affectionately known as Vicki, opened her summer playhouse in the Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick, Maine, with a production of The Song of Norway. It was an adventurous undertaking: Vicki was a woman working in a field dominated by men, and she was producing nine shows – one per week – all with complete sets, costumes, and chorus. The following year, she reduced the number of productions to seven, running two shows for two weeks. Vicki’s audiences were building rapidly.
1967 • Brunswick Music Theater
By the late ’60s, summer playhouses saturated Maine. Theaters sprouted across New England, making up what the New York Times called the “Straw Hat Circuit.” Many playhouses featured TV and film stars in romantic comedies, but few were exclusively musical theater houses.
Hello, Dolly! (1971)
Man of LaMancha (1970)
Damn Yankees (1979)
1970s • The Theatre Becomes a Non-Profit
Changing the theater to a non-profit organization focused its commitment on developing and expanding an intern program that would educate and train young artists in theatre crafts. By the mid-’70s, the theater had reduced the number of productions to five, running four of these shows for two weeks and one musical for three weeks.
1988 • A Name for Then and Now
Brunswick Music Theater celebrated 30 years of bringing professional musical theater to the people of Maine. Governor John R. McKernan presented an award to founder Vicki Crandall, citing her for this significant achievement. That year, the name changed to Maine State Music Theatre to reflect a significant growth beyond the Midcoast region. By the late ’80s, the number of Equity Theaters in the state had dwindled to half of what had existed in the early ’60s. Few exclusively musical houses remained nationwide, and none as intimate as Pickard Theater.
Annie Get Your Gun (1985)
A Chorus Line (1986)
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1987)
The King And I (1989)
1998 • MSMT Turns 40
Beginning in the fall of ’98, an $11 million renovation project of Bowdoin’s Pickard Theater was undertaken and completed just in time for our 2000 summer season. While retaining its historic elements, the theater was thoroughly modernized from within. Air-conditioning, new seating, and other amenities were installed to make the theatergoing experience even more pleasurable.
Hello, Dolly! (1991)
Into the Woods (1993)
Peter Pan (1995)
Evita (1996)
Sweeney Todd (1997)
2000s • Solidly Rooted in the Midcoast
Faced with an escalating housing crisis, the Gorham Campus of the University of Southern Maine offered its facilities to MSMT. Instead, the Board of Trustees made a solid commitment to the community of Brunswick and purchased the Maine Line Bus Garage at 22 Elm Street, formally a Studebaker dealership, and renovated the building into a beautiful permanent home for MSMT. The building houses the administrative offices as well as technical and rehearsal space.
2010s • Building a Better Future for the Arts in Midcoast Maine
Maine State Music Theatre announced a three-year $2 million Capital Campaign in 2015. The purpose of which was multi-faceted: fulfilling commitments to our partner and lessor, Bowdoin College, MSMT paid for the replacement of carpeting and seats, as well as upgrades to the hearing system in Pickard Theater; providing housing for theatre professionals; and attending to the repair and maintenance of current properties used for housing, administrative offices, technical shops, and studios.
Always, Patsy Cline (2010)
Spamalot (2010)
The Marvelous Wonderettes (2011)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(2014)
Young Frankenstein (2015)
2020 • The Season That Wasn’t
The 2020 season was slated to be a good year for MSMT, with blockbuster shows that attracted new subscribers and ticket buyers. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the first cancellation of a summer season in the theatre’s history. MSMT created the Lifeline Fund to offset losses, remain strong, and prepare for the future. Subscribers, patrons, businesses, and organizations rallied to support the theatre during this challenging time, preserving the legacy of nearly 63 years of live theater.
2021 • The Short Season
The 2021 season was in flux for most of the year due to COVID-19-related issues, which resulted in changes to the line-up and location. In March, the theatre announced that it would produce concerts and Family Theatre shows at its usual home, the Pickard Theater, in August, and its two mainstage shows – Jersey Boys and Cinderella – as well as one children’s show and The Rocky Horror Show at The Westbrook Performing Arts Center in September and October. As the summer arrived, however, COVID-19 infections began to escalate throughout Maine, specifically in Cumberland County. Ticket sales waned, and it was decided that the best course of action was to cancel all performances after the run of Jersey Boys.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Thanks to our generous donors and supporters, MSMT is thriving and approaching pre-pandemic audience numbers. The popularity of our Mainstage, Concert, and Family Theatre Series is stronger than ever, and we continue to offer the premiere theater experience in midcoast Maine. We hope to see you at the Pickard!
