Nonprofit Kennebunk theater will take its last curtain call
Courtesy / MaineStage Shakespeare
Chiara Klein, founding artistic director of MaineStage Shakespeare, announced this week that the performing arts company based in Kennebunk will close.
MaineStage Shakespeare, a performing arts company based in Kennebunk, announced that it will close.
“After seven seasons of free Shakespeare and educational outreach in the Kennebunks, the board of directors of MaineStage Shakespeare has made the difficult decision to close,” the nonprofit announced in a news release sent to Mainebiz.
Since 2011, MaineStage Shakespeare has been the resident theater company of Kennebunk dedicated to the enrichment of Southern Maine by providing free, innovative performances of classic plays with a focus on educational outreach and community enrichment and the belief that access to the arts is a right not a privilege. Over the years the acting company has performed 17 plays in Lafayette Park, The Colony Hotel, L.L.Bean Discovery Park, Thornton Academy, Kennebunk Town Hall, University of New England, the Kennebunkport Village Green, and more “thanks to the support of the Town of Kennebunk, individuals, and their many corporate sponsors.”
"While we had every intention of continuing MaineStage into this summer and beyond, unforeseen challenges and events throughout the year have made it impossible for us to go on in a financially responsible manner," said Founding Artistic Director Chiara Klein. "I know that this news is disappointing, but as Hamlet says, ‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.' We are choosing to think about all of the good: the 17 shows that we produced, the thousands of audience members we entertained, the amazing acting company that we built, and the generation of ShakeSTARS that we have trained and mentored. I will be forever grateful to the community of supporters who made it all possible."
Gregory Rec, a MaineStage board member, added: "MaineStage Shakespeare has had a tremendous impact in the Kennebunks over the past seven years, both through the high caliber of their free performances and, as importantly, in passing on a love of theater and Shakespeare to the children of the community. Those children will carry MaineStage Shakespeare's ideals in to the future."
To commemorate MaineStage Shakespeare's seven-year legacy, a farewell event is being planned for Memorial Day Weekend and will feature performances by alumni of the MaineStage acting company, workshops for kids and a community celebration.
Additional information will be provided via the MaineStage Shakespeare website, mailing list, and social media, according to the news release.
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