Imagine Maine without Maine State Music Theatre? It’s not hard to do because, like all our sister institutions,  we are not up and running this summer. MSMT was on pace to sell 75,000 tickets in 12 weeks, and those tickets would have spun local restaurants, shops, bars, and hotels to a fevered pitch and generated some $14 million in revenue for these businesses. The productions that did not happen this year would have caused thousands of people to ponder social questions, to laugh, cry, and just to have a plain old good time.

At MSMT we make 80% of our income during those 12 weeks.  After the cancellation of the 2020 season, many patrons donated their tickets, and some of them made additional gifts.  But the nature of a 501(c) 3 company is such that profit from previous years is pumped back into the company and is not “sitting around” for a rainy day… and thus arises the current problem for MSMT. We have had ZERO income this year, and even after donations, we stare at a large deficit. This problem is amplified by the fact that we live and work in a state that does not have money lying around to help us – at least not amounts large enough to make a dent anyway.  So we are at the mercy of our patrons and the Federal Government.

 As far as patrons go, many of our charitable gifts come from those who summer here in Maine.  And guess what?  These folks are not coming to Maine this year…and so, out of sight, out of mind and a letter or a Zoom call to them is not effective.  In addition the 14-day quarantine is making interstate travel an impossible option. So we continue our personal efforts with patrons with varying success, and that leaves us with one option: the Federal Government!  Write your Senators and Congress people!  Tell them to help us because without their assistance, we will be limping badly toward next season. Tell them we desperately need funding and a seat at the table to plan for the re-opening of Maine’s arts sector.

 The arts and especially our brand of musical theatre will be essential to the healing of our souls next summer. We must have the funding needed to make that happen, and the need for funding is time sensitive. Our large-scale Broadway-style productions take months to plan and create, and the budgets needed to make these happen must be implemented soon. Pressure your Senators and Congress people to come to our aid.

 The health of any community is commensurate with the health of the arts in that community. Our ability to attract young professionals to Maine in the coming years is dependent on our keeping our artistic institutions like Maine State Music Theatre alive and thriving. The arts will be able to bridge the gap between COVID-19 and the “new normal.”  But they must be kept alive to do so. 

Support the arts in the State of Maine! 

Maine State Music needs you!