Venue: Maine State Music Theatre
Address: 22 Elm Street
Town: Maine, US

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is a professional performing arts organization based on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, United States. MSMT presents a summer season of four fully staged musicals, a concert series, and a Theatre for Young Audiences series. MSMT began as Brunswick Music Theatre (BMT). Founded by Victoria (Vicki) Crandall, BMT opened in 1959 with a summer production of Song of Norway. In the next decade, playhouses became quite prevalent in New England. BMT was one of the few that exclusively produced musical theatre. In the 1970s, BMT changed to a non-profit organization in order to focus on establishing an intern program that intended to help equip young and emerging theatre artists for their intended industry. In 1988, BMT celebrated its 30th anniversary. Governor John R. McKernan presented an award to founder Vicki Crandall, and the organization changed its name to Maine State Music Theatre to reflect that its influence had reached past the Mid-coast region of the state. By this time, the number of professional theaters in New England had been significantly reduced. MSMT was one of the very few remaining musical houses. During the late 2000s, as the severity of the housing crisis grew, MSMT was presented with an opportunity to make the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine its home base. The Board of Trustees opted to remain in Brunswick, as they were committed to remaining in the birthplace of the organization. This commitment prompted them to purchase the Maine Line Bus Garage at 22 Elm Street. The space was renovated to become a permanent home for MSMT, complete with administrative offices, rehearsal spaces and technical facilities. Performances would still be mounted in the Pickard Theater. In 2015, MSMT announced a three-year $2 million capital campaign to assist with upgrades, housing, and maintenance. The COVID-19 pandemic forced MSMT to cancel its previously announced 2020 season, the first time a summer seas