The 10 Best Places for Live Theater in Maine!

Despite its small population, Maine has a thriving arts scene from York to Fort Kent. There is a wide variety of live theater and entertainment centers throughout the state running shows, especially during the summer months. It’s not uncommon to see famous actors milling around town because they are performing in Maine. Here are the 10 best places to see live theater in the state! 

Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, ME

The Ogunquit Playhouse has been holding theater shows for over 85 years. Opened in 1933 in a renovated garage, the Ogunquit Playhouse has become the premier playhouse in Maine. Plays like “Billy Elliot the Musical,” “West Side Story,” and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” have attracted the likes of Bette Davis, Clay Aiken, and Sally Struthers over the years. 

Portland Stage Company, Portland, ME

Portland Stage Company was founded in 1974 as a touring company of young passionate theater professionals. Today, the cast performs mainly in their permanent home in Portland where it puts on multiple shows throughout the year. To date, Portland stage has produced over 346 plays, including the local favorite, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. 

Hackmatack Playhouse, Berwick, ME

Hackmatack Playhouse was founded in 1972 in Berwick as a summer playhouse on the old Guptill family farmstead. From June to September, the small playhouse puts on at least four shows like “She Loves Me” and “Steel Magnolias.” No summer is complete without a visit to Hackmatack. 

Lakewood Theater, Madison, ME

The Lakewood Theater, founded in 1898, is one of the oldest summer theaters in the country. Rocking for over a century of seasons, the Lakewood Theater offers multiple shows throughout the summer months from May to September. Enjoy a comedy, drama, musical, or children’s show on the banks of the Wesserunsett Lake.  

The Grand, Ellsworth, ME

The Grand has been home to exceptional entertainment from across the globe in a historic Art Deco theater on Main Street in coastal Ellsworth since 1938. The theater hosts over 200 events every year, including several self-produced community theater productions and musical events. 

Freeport Players, Freeport, ME

Every year the Freeport Plays, a small community theater, puts on everything from contemporary drama to classics to musicals on their stage in Freeport. Actors of all abilities are welcomed to performed with this inclusive playhouse making it a great place to see new local talent.  

Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor, ME

The Penobscot Theatre Company is America’s Northeastern-most professional, year-round, nonprofit organization producing several major shows every year since 1973. Check their calendar and catch a show at this historic Art Deco/Egyptian Revival Bangor Opera House on Main Street. 

Theater at Monmouth, Monmouth, ME

The Theater at Monmouth is a year-round professional theater home to artists from across Maine and the United States. Since 1970, the Theater at Monmouth has presented over 300 productions in its Summer Repertory Season. The Theater at Monmouth is the best place in Maine to see Shakespeare and classical plays. 

University Players, Presque Isle, ME

People living in Maine’s rural Aroostook County don’t have to go down to the big cities of Bangor and Portland to catch a show. The University of Maine at Presque Isle is home to the student founded and run drama club, the University Players. Since being revived in 2015, the Players have been busy putting on shows like Dan LeFranc’s “The Big Meal.”

Mad Horse Theatre Company, South Portland, ME

Mad Horse Theatre Company was founded in Portland in 1986 as a professional residential theater company and has quickly developed a reputation as being one of the best playhouses in the state. From cutting-edge contemporary plays to the classics, Mad Horse Theatre Company knows how to put on a good show. Get tickets early as shows sell out fast. 

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42 Depot Street, Unity, ME
Built from a one hundred year-old barn with an attached farmhouse, the Unity College Center for the Performing Arts (UCCPA), is a vibrant cultural ... Read More
139 Water Street, Augusta, ME
Our mission is to restore and operate the historic Colonial Theater, located in downtown Augusta, Maine, for the artistic, educational, and charita... Read More
The Kennebec Performing Arts Company started as the Augusta Symphony Orchestra in 1920 under the direction of Ernest Hill, in order to provide musi... Read More
76 Theatre Road, Madison, ME
Mission Statement: In keeping with the standards and traditions of Lakewood Theater, the State Theater of Maine and the oldest summer theater in A... Read More
76 Theater Road, Madison, ME
In keeping with the standards and traditions of Lakewood Theater, the State Theater of Maine and the oldest summer theater in America, we intend to... Read More
139 Northport Ave., Belfast, ME
The Belfast Maskers is an organization for the performing arts, devoted to a wide range of creative and challenging theater for the education and e... Read More
163 High Street, Belfast, ME
About : In the heart of downtown Belfast, close to restaurants, shopping, and the working waterfront, the Colonial Theatre is an old-fashioned, ye... Read More
1 Winthrop Street, Hallowell, ME
Gaslight Theater has undergone many changes since its inception in 1937. Originally known as the Augusta Players, Gaslight began as an outgrowth of... Read More
916 Main Street, Waldoboro, ME
History: In 1936, a New York lumber dealer named Carroll T. Cooney decided to build a movie theater in Waldoboro.  He hired New York theater ... Read More
Atlantic Avenue, Camden, ME
The Camden Shakespeare Festival is a professional, non-profit theatre committed to producing Shakespeare’s plays chiefly in the Camden Amphit... Read More
29 Elm Street, Camden, ME
The Camden Civic Theatre has been entertaining our friends and neighbors from the mid-coast area and from "away" for more then three decades. As pa... Read More
Atlantic Avenue, Camden, ME
History:Harbor Park and the Amphitheatre were a magnificent gift to the library in 1931 from Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist. They are a shared le... Read More
81 Academy Hill Road, Damariscotta, ME
Mission Heartwood Theater promotes the theater art experience in the lives of children and adults in the community. Performers and audiences alike... Read More
2 Theater Street, Damariscotta, ME
Mission:Lincoln Theater's mission is to be the major community resource for the promotion and production of the performing arts. Read More
345 Main Street, Rockland, ME
About Us: The Historic Strand Theatre, located in downtown Rockland, Maine, has been entertaining moviegoers since 1923. Independently owned and l... Read More
211 Rambler Road, Winthrop, ME
About The Winthrop Performing Arts Center is a dream come true for the Winthrop Community. Through the commitment and hard work of the members of ... Read More
20 East Main Street, Dover Foxcroft, ME
About Us: The Center Theatre is a historic movie theater and local landmark located in downtown Dover-Foxcroft, the County Seat of Piscataquis Cou... Read More
P. O. Box 489, Monmouth, ME
Mission Statement:The Mission of the Maine Association of Community Theaters (MeACT), a duly incorporated Maine Non-Profit Corporation, is to:1. Pr... Read More
796 Main Street, Monmouth, ME
The mission of Theater at Monmouth is to present innovative approaches to Shakespeare and other classic plays through professional productions that... Read More
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