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Augusta Colonial Theater proudly presents first live performance in 53 years, Lifting the Curtain featuring Master Mind Reader Kent Axell
AUGUSTA – The Augusta Colonial Theater will host its first live performance in 53 years on Friday, May 6, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. with a production of Lifting the Curtain, featuring Master Mind Reader Kent Axell. Tickets are $25 per person and are now available for purchase at givebutter.com/kaxell. While the future is normally uncertain, this show provides the entertainment that only a Master Mind Reader can bring. It leans heavily on audience participation, from simple audience inclusion to manifestations of possible future events. In the spirit of such a performance, the Augusta Colonial Theater invites the community to join the theater as it “begins again” towards a new and…
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ACT releases 2020 Annual Report to the Community
The Augusta Colonial Theater Board of Directors released its first Annual Report to the Community today, recapping the progress made toward restoration, the work of committees, support from donors, and financial overview. Read the report here.
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Exterior restoration continues with “crowning glory”
John Gawler, Owner of Gawler and Daughters Sheet Metal of Belgrade, Molly O’Guinness Carlson, Owner of Head Tide Archeological Conservation Laboratory and Peachey Builders craftsmen Steve Brown are collaborating to restore and replace the decorative element as the “crowning glory” on top of the Augusta Colonial Theater. Molly O’Guinness Carlson of Head Tide Conservation Labs restored the original art deco zinc formations that are being placed upon a newly created replica of the arched shape made by John Gawler of Gawler and Daughters Sheet Metal of Belgrade. Steve Brown, Craftman for Peachey Builders will be the hands reinstalling the element on the top of theAugusta Colonial Theater in Spring 2021.…
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Augusta makes up to $300,000 in city funding available to help Colonial
Theater officials, who said fundraising has been stymied by the coronavirus pandemic, sought release of city money to match grants. AUGUSTA — City officials have agreed to make up to $300,000 in city money available sooner than planned to provide the Colonial Theater matching funds needed to secure grants. Theater advocates said it has been a struggle to raise funds during the coronavirus pandemic, so they’ve turned to grant funding as a way to keep the project moving forward. Many of those grants require the funds to be matched with local money, which is why theater officials asked the city to release $40,000 from a $300,000 fund set aside in 2016…
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Augusta’s Colonial Theater façade restoration complete
The project returns the front of the theater to its 1926 appearance and addressed structural concerns. The Colonial’s Theater’s facade restoration included reconstructing the formerly leaning parapet, masonry repair and repointing, new flashing, and exterior painting. The exterior painting required paint sampling and analysis by Sutherland Conservation & Consulting of Augusta to accurately recreate the six-color tapestry paint scheme. Hascall & Hall, a Portland-based company with experience in historic renovations did the reconstruction work. Support for this project included: Grants: Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Certified Local Government Grant, $24,995 Completed in cooperation with the City of Augusta, the grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior Morton-Kelly Charitable…
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Colonial Theater names interim executive director
AUGUSTA — The Colonial Theater Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Kathi Wall as the theater’s interim executive director. Wall will lead the theater’s ongoing restoration efforts and fundraising, filling a vacancy left by outgoing director Peter Bezemes. Wall is a longtime advocate and supporter for the arts and community youth programs in central Maine, and served as the President of the Augusta Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors after being the executive director for 12 years. Originally from New York, Wall began her career in nursing in 1965, quickly ascending to leadership roles in oncology and transplant units in Buffalo, Boston, and Cooperstown. In 1978, Wall and…
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The Colonial Theater awarded grant from the National Trust
AUGUSTA — The Colonial Theater Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has received a $15,000 grant from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund to support an ambitious restoration plan for the theater. The funds, which range in size from $2500 to $15,000 are gifted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Drafted by members of the Colonial Theater Grants Committee and the Augusta Downtown Alliance, this grant will be used to help restore the interior of the theater by developing a master plan to preserve historic elements such as lobby floor tiles, tin ceiling components and wood finishes. Such a plan will help the theater pursue more fundraising…
