The Center Theatre is a performing arts venue and movie theater located at 20 East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. The theater was built in 1940 and was closed for several decades before being renovated and revived in the early 2000s.
- Venue
- Center Theatre
- Address
- 20 East Main Street
- Town
- Dover-Foxcroft, US
The Center Theatre is a performing arts venue and movie theater located at 20 East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. The theater was built in 1940 and was closed for several decades before being renovated and revived in the early 2000s. Its main auditorium contains 264 seats, while its second auditorium contains 40 seats. The Theatre hosts live stage performances, music concerts, community events, and movies. Its second screen was completed in February, 2021. Following the destruction by fire of the previous theater in town, the New Star, the Center Theatre was built in 1940. The grand opening took place on June 6, 1940. The 1950s saw the theater go into decline. The theater continued to run until 1971, when it shut its doors. From its shutdown until its revival, several businesses such as restaurants, video arcades and retail stores used the Theatre's lobby while the auditorium was abandoned. In 1998, the non-profit Center Theatre Group, later to become Center Theatre, Inc., was formed by a group of local citizens with the purpose of protecting the landmark and renovating it into a performing arts center. Renovations to the structure included structural repairs to concrete supports below the auditorium, new entry doors, installation of a sprinkler system, new plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. The stage was expanded and a lighting catwalk was installed. The projection booth was reconfigured to house a single 35mm projector and platter system as well as theatrical spotlights. The original marquee was taken down in 1974 for fear of its collapse. The marquee was then recreated by NeoKraft Signs of Lewiston, Maine and rehung on Oct. 29, 2004. It was then unveiled in a lighting ceremony in December 2004, 30 years after the original was taken down. In 2016 the front panels of the marquee were converted from fluorescent lights to LEDs during a major energy efficiency and weatherization project through the Grants to Green Maine Program. The newly renovated theater