Events
Early Bird Breakfast December 11, 2024 - Pull Back the Curtain on the Opportunities and Challenges Facing Theatres
We are pulling the curtain back on the OPPORTUNITIES and CHALLENGES facing theatres as we take you behind the scenes of the Penobscot Theatre Company, Gracie Theatre and Collins Center for the Arts.
We may have a few surprises in store for you!
Starring: Jen Shepard, Jeri Misler, and Danny Williams
The Penobscot Theatre Company has a rich 50-year history with roots in the Acadia Repertory Theatre, founded in Bangor in 1973 by George Vafiadis and Lou Collier. Acadia Rep presented 97 productions in Bangor before Penobscot Theatre Company was incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 1983. The School For Wives was the first play officially produced by the nonprofit. Acadia Rep still operates on Mount Desert Island as a separate entity, while Penobscot Theatre Company is the only year-round, professional regional theatre in Northern Maine.
Jen Shepard, Executive Director of the Penobscot Theatre Company, is also the proud co-owner of ImprovAcadia in Bar Harbor. She moved to Maine in 2004 to open ImprovAcadia and has been operating and performing there since the beginning. Her Bangor artistic home is The Penobscot Theatre Company and she’s appeared many times on stage most recently as Suzette in Don’t Dress for Dinner. Shepard applies a “Yes, and..” philosophy to her day to day and business life.
Learn More about the Penobscot Theatre Company: https://www.penobscottheatre.org/
The Gracie Theatre, in a collaboration with artists, students, and university constituents, is an intimate and inviting performing arts facility that provides hands-on experiential learning and technical support services for the Husson University community through a combination of diverse cultural programming and community engagement. The theatre is named for Grace McCollum, the granddaughter of longtime Husson trustee and friend Hilda Hutchins McCollum. Since its opening in 2010, the Gracie has hosted a wide variety of events including producing two full-scale Broadway-style productions, West Side Story and Tommy, the Musical. The Gracie presents a range of cultural events from concerts to lectures, to touring theatre shows. Legendary bands including The 5th Dimension and Manhattan Transfer, hilarious Off-Broadway smash hit musicals such as Disenchanted and Forbidden Broadway, popular comedians like Paul Reiser and Carolyn Rea, iconic actors including Ed Asner and Molly Ringwald and outstanding classical or ensemble performances featuring international opera star Richard Troxell, NPR host Christopher O’Riley have graced our stage since 2011.
Jeri Misler has served as managing artistic director of The Gracie Theatre at Husson University in Bangor, ME for over 13 years. In that time, the venue has grown from presenting a four-show season, to currently presenting over a dozen professional touring shows each season. Holding a Master’s of Fine Arts from the University of Pittsburgh, Jeri brings a wealth of experience in acting and directing, as well as in theatre management, marketing and education. Additionally, Jeri is a part-time faculty member at Husson University.
Learn More about The Gracie Theatre: https://gracietheatre.com/
The Collins Center for the Arts is the anchor for the performing arts at the University of Maine, and supports the University’s overall mission of teaching, research, and service. The CCA serves as a cultural resource for the region, and offers a broad and exceptional selection of programming designed to enrich, educate, and entertain.
Located on the University of Maine campus, the Richard R. and Anne A. Collins Center for the Arts (CCA) has been the cultural centerpiece of eastern and northern Maine since it opened on September 24, 1986.
Originally named the Maine Center for the Arts, the center continues to present performances in a wide variety of art forms and cultures, appealing to diverse interests and age groups. Each season brings a wide variety of events, including Broadway tours, nationally-known comedians, legendary concert performers, well-known dance troupes, live theatre, and everything in between.
Daniel Williams is the founding Director of the Black Bear Men’s Chorus (2001) and has been the Music Director for several School of Performing Arts productions. By day, he is the Executive Director for the Collins Center for the Arts at UMaine. Danny has been a strong voice and advocate for the arts while serving as a member and chair of UMaine’s Patrons of the Arts and as a long-standing member of the Maine Center/Collins Center for Arts Board. In 2005 Danny received the Vincent A. Hartgen Award for outstanding contributions to the arts at the University of Maine.
Learn More about the Collins Center for the Arts: https://www.collinscenterforthearts.com/
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