Exhibit Feature Friday: Maddy’s Theatre
Exhibit Feature Friday
At the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (CMTM), we use the word exhibit to describe the interactive experiences, spaces, and displays spread across three floors and immediately outside the facility at 250 Thompson’s Point Road. CMTM is home to over 15 exhibits, each designed to encourage experiential learning through open-ended play.
Our team at CMTM decided to give each exhibit the spotlight it deserves and is dedicating Fridays to highlighting a new exhibit, diving a little deeper into the WHY and HOW behind each playful space and experience.
EXHIBIT: Maddy’s Theatre
LOCATION: 1st Floor
Maddy’s Theatre is a state-of-the-art 89 seat theatre with its own lobby space, a thrust stage, a teaching tech booth, and a sound-proof viewing gallery. This performance space, designed with family audiences in mind, produces world-class children’s theatre for all!
Theatre plays an invaluable role in communication, self expression, and belonging. Maddy’s Theatre offers a range of unique programs and productions with these guiding principles in mind. In Maddy’s Theatre you may experience:
Theatre for Young Audiences: Theatre for Young Audiences plays offer a chance to see professional actors creating theatre for children and their families. These plays are occasionally available to tour to schools, community centers, and performance space throughout Maine!
Intergenerational Plays: Intergenerational Plays feature actors of all ages onstage together. Actors of all ages learn from each other while producing these memorable shows.
Youth Theatre Ensembles: Ensembles provide an opportunity for children to build friendships while developing their theatre skills! These educational programs place process over product, and are a by kids, for kids. Their emphasis is on working together to craft and tell a story.
Pop Up Plays: These programs are included with admission to the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine! They are short, interactive, and FUN! Pop Up Plays allow new theatre-goers to experience the joy of live theatre, and can help families decide whether a full-length stage production is of interest.
Theatre History
The Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine is home to the oldest continuously operating Children’s Theatre in the nation!
Having journeyed from parks to flatbed trucks, storefronts, and temporary locations across Portland since 1923, the Children’s Theatre of Maine merged with the Children’s Museum of Maine in 2008. Organizational leaders dreamed of one day finding a permanent home for the museum and theatre that allowed both to flourish and weave together narrative, play, performance, and learning all under one roof. The new Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine at Thompson’s Point is the realization of that dream and the product of 100 years and countless individual’s hard work to retain a precious community resource for current and future generations.
Check out a full timeline of the theatre’s history here:
Gallery wall in the theatre lobby showcasing the history of the Children’s Theatre of Maine was made possible by a generous gift from Josh, Marci and Hunter Murphy.
Alice “Maddy” Madeline Gannett Gatchell.
Who is “Maddy”?
Maddy’s Theatre was named by Madeleine Corson, a long-time friend of the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. Maddy is the former Chair of the Board of Guy Gannett Communications, as well as a devoted, long-term member of the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine’s Board of Directors and Advisory Council. A foundational gift from Madeleine allowed for the creation of Maddy’s Theatre at CMTM’s new Thompson’s Point facility.
Maddy chose the theatre’s name in honor of her birth-mother, Alice “Maddy” Madeline Gannett Gatchell, with whom she shares her name. Maddy continues to be a steadfast supporter of Theatre For Young Audiences, and the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine.
Thank you, Maddy!
Madeleine “Maddy” Corson.
Theatre For Everyone
Maddy’s Theatre is committed to creating a comfortable, inclusive viewing experience for all, and to performing shows that highlight and celebrate the rich diversity of our community. This is apparent in the theatre’s show offerings, which feature themes like fitting in, being brave, finding your voice, asking questions, experiencing new things, caring for each other, and doing the right thing in the face of adversity.
This attention to comfort and inclusivity extends to the physical theatre space. Maddy’s Theatre was designed with accessibility in mind, and performances welcome children and family members of all abilities. Special thanks to Hussey Seating for their contribution of a meticulous seating layout design and over 100 theatre seats to maximize accessibility.
CMTM is committed to making Maddy's Theatre as welcoming as possible. If you'd like to reserve one of the following accommodations, or have questions about further accommodations, please email boxoffice@kitetails.org.
Most theatre seats are 17-20 inches wide; select seats are 23 inches wide for size inclusivity.
Dedicated wheelchair and companion seats, or a seat with a lift-arm for easier access are available.
CMTM offers two types of hearing assistance: a necklace that helps amplify the sound to your hearing aids; or a headset with headphones if you don't have hearing aids.
Noise-canceling headphones are available at the Welcome Desk for guests who would like to watch the show and are sensitive to sound.
Maddy’s Theatre is also equipped with a viewing gallery! This is a sound proof room with a big window, where guests can watch the show while making noise and moving about. Performance sound levels and volume are adjustable within the viewing gallery.
Viewing gallery made possible by a generous gift from the Pond Family Foundation.
100 Years of Children’s Theatre!
This May, CMTM is celebrating 100 Years of performance and play with a Theatre Centennial Celebration!
Join CMTM for a Centennial Celebration Weekend of theatre-focused events for adults, children, and their families from May 18 - 21, 2023.
Find more information about the Centennial Celebration Weekend here:
Get Involved
Be a part of Maddy’s Theatre’s Centennial Season! Learn more about casting & professional opportunities here:
Maddy’s Theatre was made possible by a generous gift from Madeleine Corson.
Gallery Wall in the theatre lobby made possible by a generous gift from Josh, Marci and Hunter Murphy.
Viewing Gallery made possible by a generous gift from the Pond Family Foundation.
Theatre Seating made possible by a generous gift from Hussey Seating.
Learn more about Maddy’s Theatre here: Maddy's Theatre