The Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn, seen Feb. 12, will host the Maine State Music Theatre’s first satellite concert series this fall. The series will include three epic tribute shows featuring the music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Sept. 6-7; Elvis Presley, Sept. 20-21; and Buddy Holly, Oct. 4-5. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
AUBURN — The new Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School will host the Maine State Music Theatre‘s first ever satellite concert series this fall.
The series will include three epic tribute shows featuring the music of Jerry Lee Lewis (Sept. 6-7), Elvis Presley (Sept. 20-21) and Buddy Holly (Oct. 4-5.).
“This is a huge moment for the arts community in the region, and we’re thrilled about what this partnership means not only for the visibility of the (Gay Auditorium) but also for the broader local economy,” Lilly Gardner, the venue’s event coordinator, said. “Bringing a professional company like MSMT into our space helps further position the LA region as a cultural hub and creates exciting new opportunities for community engagement, education, and tourism.”
As the largest high school auditorium in Maine, the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center boasts over 1,200 seats and the latest amenities, including climate-controlled seats, computerized stage controls and an elevator to the balcony.
Curt Dale Clark, the artistic director for MSMT, loves the new facility.
“My director of production and I went over and looked at the facility,” Clark said. “Absolutely a first-class facility. Maine State Music Theatre rents our space from Bowdoin College. We’re sort of pigeonholed to the 12 weeks Bowdoin College lets us have.”
“Everything costs more money now,” Clark continued. “We’re trying to find new ways to make money. Starting this new concert series, we’ll see how it goes. And if it goes well, hoping it will be something we do every year.”
In Brunswick, MSMT hosts four mainstage musicals per summer, plus four limited-run concert series shows and three shows for families and children from early June through late August.
Clark said the Auburn connection was provided by board member Joe Phillipon, a detective with the Lewiston Police Department.
“That’s the miracle of good board members. They find ways to help us, one way or another,” Clark said.
The Jerry Lee Lewis show will be similar to the show MSMT hosted last year in Brunswick. The Elvis show will be different than the one the group is holding this year in Brunswick. Clark described it as “the original Elvis show.” The Buddy Holly show will also feature the music of Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, the three musicians who were killed in a plane crash in an Iowa cornfield in 1959.
Tickets for each show will cost between $25 and $100, cheaper than shows in Brunswick. Tickets will be available from the MSMT Box Office in Brunswick starting May 1. Discounts will be available for those who purchase a three-show package or subscription.
A successful season will likely lead to additional MSMT shows in Auburn.
“We’re hoping to get as close to a sell out as we can get,” Clark said. “Ticket prices will be a little cheaper there because they have a lot of seats. We’re hoping to give people something to do in the fall.”
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