Blog: New at CMTM

The Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine is dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming, and clean educational environment for all of our visitors. In response to the heightened attention to public health, we would like to share our cleaning protocols with our membership and the public.

The Makerspace allows the children to enter with an idea and leave with a complete project in their hands. The process of creation accentuates the skills of problem-solving and risk-taking. The Makerspace is a guided exhibit operated by staff and volunteers who help the children use real tools and materials for creation.

Thank you for our patience while our elevator has been under repair. The new steel piston is now on its way to Maine and the messy job begins of installing it. This involves loud noises and work around the elevator shaft which will begin on Monday February 24th and last through Monday March 10th. While the majority of the work should happen outside of our regular business hours, we recognize that this may have a noisy impact on your experience as a visitor during this time. As such, we are offering a 50% discount on all admissions on the days the loud work may be taking place: Tuesday Feb. 25th, Wednesday Feb. 26th, Thursday Feb. 27th, Tuesday March 4th, Wednesday March 5th, and Thursday March 6th. Additionally, if you are a current member with accessibility needs and the lack of the elevator has impacted your experience, we would like to offer you an extension to your membership. Please contact our Director of Visitor Engagement, Lily Gilbert, at lily@kitetails.org if you would like to request a membership extension. We all look forward this work being complete!

In honor of Women’s History Month and the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote, the Museum & Theatre is celebrating with music, stories, art, and a pop-up voting booth.

On February 3, 2020, the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine announced at a press conference the public launch of its $14 million Imagine Capital Campaign to fund construction of the Museum & Theatre’s new state-of-the-art 30,000 square foot facility at Thompson’s Point. Doubling its size and projected to host nearly a quarter of a million visitors per year, the Museum & Theatre will offer performing and visual arts, STEM, and cultural education for children, youth, and their families. All new exhibits will be fully inclusive to children and caregivers of all abilities. Campaign leadership announced that this largest capital campaign in the Museum & Theatre’s 97-year history has already raised, to date, $12.5 million dollars in gifts and pledges from individuals, corporations, and foundations, and from the proceeds of the sale of its 142 Free Street building. Throughout 2020, community members will be invited to participate in completing the Museum & Theatre’s campaign. 

Chief Knowledge Officer and Deputy Director Al Race of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University will speak about the role of play in children’s growth and development-especially in the face of adversity- with our 2020 Auction Gala attendees on May 15, 2020.

Elephant & Piggie performances have been extended to ten more dates through Saturday 2/22 due to popular demand that sold out all of our January shows! Come watch this children’s play filled with fun and laughter about the importance of friendships! Grab your tickets while they last!

Portland Bach Experience and Thompson’s Point announce the inaugural Portland Nutcracker Experience on Saturday, December 28, 2019 at Brick South, Thompson’s Point in Portland, featuring a live orchestra and prima ballerinas from Portland Bach Experience (PBE), and child actors and educators from the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine (Museum & Theatre). At a time when families are gathered together for the holiday, this interactive event provides a rare, family-friendly opportunity to bring your loved ones, your tutus and dancing shoes, and your creativity together for this immersive experience for all ages where families can dance in the Nutcracker alongside ballerinas.