BRUNSWICK

In the midst of a successful capital campaign, Maine

State Music Theatre is enjoying its best year to date.

The three-year campaign began internally in 2015 with a $2 million goal, according to the MSMT website. At the end of the theater’s fiscal year in October 2015, more than $800,000 was raised in donations and pledges. More recently, a $50,000 matching grant was offered by Highland Green in Topsham and Ocean View of Falmouth in the spring, which the theater was able to match during its three-week run of “Evita” this past month.

The campaign helps strengthen MSMT’s economic impact, which ripples through the Midcoast and throughout Maine. For example, restaurants in Brunswick and Bath generally see a boost in business before and after shows. Theater-goers frequent shops and other places of business on show days. Hotel rooms are hard to get on show nights, but MSMT has deals with the Downeaster and the Brunswick Inn to help folks from away.

“The Maine State Music Theatre is the embodiment of what the arts can do for the local economy,” said Cory King, executive director at the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber. “They bring patrons from all around the state and out of state and make the Brunswick region a destination.”

King said that he runs into people all the time who tell him that they attend every MSMT show.

“This has to do with the quality of the product,” said King. “They bring in shows that you wouldn’t normally see, like ‘Evita’ or ‘Ghost.’ You have an opportunity to see Broadway-level talent close to home.”

One of the campaign’s primary goals is to provide money to help MSMT house theater professionals and students.

“We are housing over 100 people this year from all over the country, and Brunswick is crazy at the height of tourist season,” said MSMT Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark.

Among those housed by MSMT are actors, directors, choreographers, technicians and interns.

Last year, after renovations, MSMT opened the Clancy House for actors on Cedar Street. The building, within a stone’s throw of the theater’s offices and workshops on Elm Street, allows the theater to rely less on limited summer rental properties in Brunswick.

However, MSMT is still needs additional housing.

“We want to acquire older houses to house the students,” said Clark. “People think just because we are a nonprofit that we don’t have to pay taxes, but we pay full taxes like everyone else. What this campaign will do is take some of the pressure off.”

Money from the campaign will also go toward maintaining the theater’s existing properties and to Bowdoin College’s 600-seat Pickard Theater, where MSMT performs the majority of its shows. It will also help fund the theater’s new online ticketing system, which takes major shortcuts in differentiating between general admissions tickets and subscriber tickets.

The system is an investment which Clark sees paying off in the long run.

“We have a record number of subscribers this year,” said Clark. “We know it’s possible that people will like one show better than the next, but we hope that they always think our production value is high. I think of it this way: Hopefully you like three out of four (of this summer season’s) shows. We hope they know enough about us that if they liked three, that fourth one is a ‘gimme.’”

Out-of-staters are taking notice of what MSMT has to offer, as more and more folks are coming north from theater rich cities like Boston and New York.

“If you go into any restaurant in Bath or Brunswick prior to our shows, you’ll see the impact,” said Clark. “Some restaurant owners say they schedule their staff based on our shows.”

“On play nights, we definitely have an increase in early table settings,” said Will Gnauck, head chef and manager of Richard’s Restaurant on Maine Street in Brunswick. “It really benefits our ability to do well in this town.”

Clark realizes the theater is doing something unique to the state of Maine, and hopes the success will continue.

“People will say to me: How do you that in Brunswick, Maine?” said Clark. “I think that makes me the happiest.”

For showtimes, tickets and more information, visit msmt.org.

bgoodridge@timesrecord.com