The History of Maddy’s Theatre
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2023
From May 18 to May 21, the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine celebrated 100 years of children's theatre with a weekend Centennial Celebration and Play Festival. 15 original plays were selected from 17 adult and youth playwrights . Over the course of the weekend, 73 plays were performed across all three floors of the Museum & Theatre. It was an increidble celelbration of theatre, community, and the power of play.
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2021
Just three years before the centennial anniversary of the children’s theatre program, Maddy’s Theatre opens at the new Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine at Thompson’s Point in Portland amid the lingering impacts of a global pandemic.
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2020
The Museum & Theatre produced a successful tour of Elephant & Piggie: We Are in A Show as a successful reintroduction of adult actors into Theater for Young Audiences programming; construction at Thompson’s Point begins, and Madeleine Corson names the future theatre after her birth mother, Maddy, who bears the same name.
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2015
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine produced Shakespeare’s Stories, and launched a series of workshops making Shakespearian text accessible to children.
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2014
Theatre Artistic Director Reba Askari wrote The Road to Hope, An Elephant’s Story, a new play based on the life of Jim Laurita and his rescue of two circus elephants, Rosie and Opal. The play was performed by young actors in the outdoor amphitheatre at the Camden Public Library.
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2012
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine launched a series of professional development workshops for staff, integrating drama into all educational programming. Educators from the Museum & Theatre presented work at the International Museum & Theatre Alliance (IMTAL).
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1999–2000
The Children's Theatre of Maine celebrates its 75th Anniversary. The season's theme is "75 Years of Classic Children's Theatre." All CTM's productions are performed at its new home on Marginal Way.
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1998–1999
The Theatre doubles it's programming to include the Works-In-Progress Series, The Shakespeare Project and the Maine-I-Acts, an improvisational comedy troupe.
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1996–1997
The Children's Theatre of Maine kicks off its 72nd Season with an original musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes, in celebration of Election Day 96!
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1995–1996
The Children's Theatre of Maine opens its season with a new musical adaptation of Puss-in-Boots, entitled Cool Cat, Nice Shoes and culminates with the 5th Annual Young Playwrights Contest.
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1994–1995
The Children's Theatre of Maine celebrates its 70th Anniversary with a season of completely original works.
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1993–1994
The Children's Theatre of Maine begins its first season at Jack Elementary School with Pinocchio and introduces a new Young People's Theatre Program with Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories.
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1992–1993
The Children's Theatre of Maine, in its second season in partnership with King Middle School, opens with Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach.
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1991–1992
The Children's Theatre of Maine is strongly backed by the community to present a four-play season of rebirth. CTM produces Jack and the Beanstalk, Yes Yes No No, The Magic Island, and its First Annual Young Playwrights Contest!
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1979
With generous support from the Junior League, The Children's Theatre of Maine joins the Maine Touring Artists Program, and for several years, produces plays in collaboration with The University of Maine.
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1974
The Children's Theatre of Portland becomes The Children's Theatre of Maine.
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1963
The Children's Theatre of Portland opens its season with Jack and the Beanstalk and, by touring extensively, performs for over 40,000 children. Children's Theatre also offers workshops and attends national and regional theater conferences.
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1955
Bette Davis and Gary Merill move to Portland and immediately adopt The Children's Theatre of Portland, donating the proceeds from the Portland opening of the Davis film, The Virgin Queen.
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1949
After touring to over 20,000 people, The Children's Theatre of Portland performs in New York's Central Park at the Fourth Annual Children's Theatre Conference. The play chosen is Johnny Appleseed which is developed from improvisations with local children.
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1944
The world's first Children's Theatre Trailer begins in Portland, and tours parks and playgrounds, performing for over 3,000 children.
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1937
The Children's Theatre of Portland organizes its first production staff, secures the Chadwick Street Workshop for rehearsals, and produces three plays, including its opener, Jack and the Beanstalk.
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1933
With help from the National Board of the Junior League, The Children's Theatre of Portland presents its first official production, The Tinderbox, which is applauded by the press for its "Effective scenery, clever costumes and charming simplicity."
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1924
The Junior League of Portland founds the Children's Theatre of Portland, the oldest Children's Theatre in the State of Maine.
Madeleine Corson
Madeleine Corson, daughter of Creighton E. Gatchell and Alice Gannett Gatchell, is the former Chair of the Board of Guy Gannett Communications and a devoted, long-term member of the Museum & Theatre Board of Directors. Maddy’s foundational gift was inspired by her passion for the power of stories and how they make you think about how to solve things in our world.
Alice Madeleine Gannett Gatchell
The state-of-the-art theatre is named “Maddy’s Theatre” after Madeleine Corson’s birth mother, Alice Madeline Gannett Gatchell, with whom she shares her name. She passed away just eleven days into new motherhood.
May the memory of her spirit live on in every performance in Maddy's Theatre.
Archival Photographs of the History of Maddy’s Theatre
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine is immensely grateful for the archival collections curated by the Portland Public Library which document the history of our children’s theatre program, dating back to 1924. A team of staff and volunteers sifted through photographs in this extensive collection and chose a selection. This selection provides a brief overview of the past century of the children’s theatre program that has become Maddy’s Theatre. These photographs are also being mounted as an exhibit at the entrance to Maddy’s Theatre on Thompson’s Point.
