“We are deeply thankful to Emily for the extraordinary chapter she has given Y-Arts, building on the vision her mother began more than 25 years ago. Her leadership, high standards, love of musical theater and devotion to generations of young people have left a lasting mark on this community.” – Allyson Goodwin, BRYMCA Director of Development

As of Aug. 28, Emily Mirabile, Y Arts director at Boothbay Region YMCA, will become director of a new youth theater group, Coastal Arts Student Theater (C.A.S.T.) in collaboration with Lincoln Theater of Damariscotta. 

Over the years, as Y Arts continued attracting new kids to learn acting, dancing and singing with a bit of gymnastics, rehearsal space in the YMCA’s annex building continued to shrink. Mirabile always made it work, but it wasn’t ideal for a program that had already grown to 50 strong.

Early this summer, after a few years of consideration, she finally made the decision to leave and begin a new youth theater group. “For me, being based out of a theater makes a lot of sense. I've spent 20 years at the Y growing the program and it's been wonderful. I love all of the kids and what we've done. And I think they will still have the opportunity to continue doing it. I'm not just closing the door and walking away from them.

"I have worked so much with the family at the Lincoln Theater, and I know we are all on the same page with what we’re doing, and what we want to offer. And, I know we can take our shows to that next level because we'll have the time and we'll be working together," said Mirabile.

Said John Mulcahy, “I just want to be clear, and I'm speaking for (theater executive director) Christina (Belknap) as well, there was no effort to woo Emily away from the Y in Boothbay. I guess the association probably started, initially, because she was looking for a space that would be a bit more conducive to do the performances,” Mulcahy said. “So, originally, it was ‘How can we get Emily in the space,’ as opposed to the program in the space’ ... But, ultimately, for whatever circumstances, that's the way it's turned out. And I’m thrilled to see how it continues to grow.”

In addition to space, another motivation for Mirabile was that 60% of the kids in Y Arts come from other towns. She attributed this to the number of students enrolled in Boothbay region schools, and how many of them are interested in the arts. No matter which extra-curricular activity, or activities, a student chooses, the time commitment required varies depending on the activity. How many of these can a student participate in and still keep up with their studies?

Mirabile noted some of “her kids” told her about friends who wanted to be in Y Arts shows, but their mom wouldn’t or couldn’t drive them down the (Boothbay) peninsula. Bearing this out was a text received by Mulcahy from a friend. “She had just signed her kid up for C.A.S.T. programs at the theater and told me it would be a lot easier for her to figure that into her schedule.”

Since word of Mirabile’s move has gotten out, parents of kids drawn to the arts, or curious about the experience, have had questions. Chief among them is how much will being part of C.A.S.T. cost? Would it prove prohibitive?

Marabile had researched the per show costs of Maine theater groups and others attending the same festivals, i.e. the Junior Theatre Festival. The range per show, she discovered, was between $400 and $600, with one company as high as $650. 

“We've always charged for the Y Arts shows as well as a costume fee. That happens,” Mirabile said. “But in anything that I direct, I would never have a child not participate because his family couldn't afford it. I would make sure that child was able to do it.” 

Mulcahy said he and Belknap had recently talked about it. “I know that the tuition for Emily's normal programs throughout the year has not been incredibly high. I haven't seen the exact numbers on the website at the Lincoln, but my guess is no kid would be denied entry for financial reasons.”

Sign up for C.A.S.T. shows on the Lincoln Theater website list, “Lyle, Lyle the Crocodile Jr” tuition (per child) at $130 with a $50 costume/production fee; and “The Rooster Who Wouldn’t Crow," tuition $60 with a $30 costume fee.

“Lyle, Lyle the Crocodile Jr” is a pilot production happening thanks to Mirabile’s friends at iTheatrics as their way of showing support for her new venture. “The Rooster Who Wouldn’t Crow" is the second youth musical written by Mirabile with husband and fellow thespian Nick.

C.A.S.T. (name created by The Mirabiles) will have year-round programming, a theater lab and a vocal studio (separate fee). C.A.S.T. will participate in the National Performing Arts Festival in Orlando next year. Similar to JTF, there are adjudicated group performances, and workshops for actors and theater students with feedback from the professionals. And there are tickets to the multi-park Universal Orlando Resort.

Mirabile recalled her 2010 trip to New York to receive a Freddie G. (Gershon) Award for “Seussical Jr” (given to teachers of the arts) for Outstanding Production - " Seussical Jr."  Gershon said theater directors shouldn’t be thinking of themselves as creating the next generation of stars, they should be thinking about their role as creating the next generation of theater audiences; of people who support theater on and off the stage, rather than the stars of tomorrow.

“That's always stuck with me. I think going into this new venture, that's something we can really make thrive,” Mirabile said. “The whole idea of bringing a community together from all of these towns and making the next generation of theater goers so theater doesn't go away."

Mirable's final Y Arts production is "The Lion King Jr." at Lincoln Theater Aug. 27 at 5 p.m.

For more information about C.A.S.T., email Emily@LincolnTheater.org with any questions.