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Item Description

Two excellent seats to the Ogunquit Playhouse Summer/Fall 2013 season performance of your choice.

Call the Ogunquit Playhouse early to reserve two excellent seats to the 2013 performance of your choice.  The Ogunquit Playhouse brings exciting musical theater productions to southern Maine, and features major, internationally acclaimed performers in its casts.  Ogunquit, Maine plus summer music theater – a perfect combination!

Note:  This excludes Saturday evening and Sunday matinee performances.

http://www.ogunquitplahouse.org

Item Special Note

Ogunquit Playhouse History

What began on a warm evening in a renovated garage in Ogunquit’s town square during the summer of 1933, quickly blossomed into one of our country’s finest theatres and continues today as “America’s Foremost Summer Theatre.”

Broadway showman Walter Hartwig and his wife Maude dedicated their lives to bringing first-quality theatre to venues outside of New York City as part of the “Little Theatre Movement” of the 1920s and early 30s. When the Depression put an end to the Movement, the Harwig’s started the Manhattan Theatre Colony and brought it to the renowned art colony and summer resort town of Ogunquit. Hartwig’s reputation and connections to Broadway allowed him to persuade such theatre legends as Maude Adams, Ethel Barrymore and Laurette Taylor to star with the resident company. The theatre experienced enormous success and soon sought larger quarters; Hartwig bought a parcel of land, part of the old Weare Farm on Route 1 and built the present-day Ogunquit Playhouse, which opened on July 17, 1937. Unlike other Summer Theatres of its day, which were renovated barns, garages or churches, the Ogunquit Playhouse was the first, and remains the only, summer theatre from the Summer Stock era built exclusively as a seasonal venue! For its time it was a state of the art building that rivaled many theatres in New York.

With Walter Hartwig’s death in 1941, his widow Maude stepped in to carry on his legacy. Maude kept the theatre alive and well during the turbulent years of WWII, which caused many summer theatres to close forever. In 1950 John Lane, then a young actor, was hired as general manager to help oversee production duties. He acquired the theatre and land from the retiring Maude in 1951. Joined by a new business partner, Henry Weller, they embarked on a long-range plan of modernizing and improving the building and grounds and without missing a beat, enhanced the tradition of excellence in entertainment on the Ogunquit stage. Through John Lane’s dedicated direction, professional integrity and impeccable taste, generations of theatergoers enjoyed the brightest stars and finest professional actors performing in Broadway’s best shows.

After a long and successful career, John Lane retired in 1994. In order to perpetuate his legacy he spearheaded the formation of the Ogunquit Playhouse Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to “preserve and maintain the Ogunquit Playhouse as a community-based performing-arts center.” John Lane transferred ownership to the newly formed Foundation in 1997, after $500,000 was raised to ensure the longevity and maintenance of the theatre and grounds. John’s extraordinary stewardship of the Ogunquit Playhouse ended after 46 years. Though John Lane passed away in the autumn of 2000, his Playhouse — our Playhouse — continues to be a dynamic testimony to his commitment to professional live theatre.

In September 1999 the Ogunquit Playhouse Foundation selected Roy M. Rogosin as Producing Artistic Director for the Playhouse to build a bridge between the legendary history of the Playhouse and the exciting and challenging future ahead. During this transition the Playhouse began to produce its own shows, designing and building sets and costumes and bringing back the stars, including Sally Struthers and Lucie Arnaz. The Colony was restored as a center for youth theatre classes and performances as the Children’s Theatre Program began to grow and prosper.

2006 ushered in a new era as newly appointed Executive Artistic Director Bradford Kenney assumed the reins. The Playhouse continued its tradition of excellence with regional premieres of two Broadway classics, Cabaret and Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, while continuing the tradition of star-studded productions with Andrea McArdle, Sally Struthers and Leslie Uggams all gracing the Playhouse stage. 2006 also brought additional improvements to the sound and lighting systems with grants from The Maine Arts Commission and The Donato J. Tramuto Foundation.Visitation more than doubled and the demand enabled the theatre to expand its season from the traditional 10 weeks to a 21-week season. For the first time in its history, the Playhouse opened its doors in May and extended the season into the fall making the Ogunquit Playhouse a true regional theatre.

Our 75th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary Season was celebrated in 2007 with star-studded shows, record breaking crowds and glorious Broadway costumes and sets for magnificent shows that included Crazy for You with Rue McClanahan, The King and I starring Lorenzo Lamas, The Full Monty starring Sally Struthers and Hunter Foster, La Cage aux Folles with Maxwell Caulfield and Hairspray starring Eddie Mekka and Ryan Landry. The 75th Anniversary Season raised the bar for the Ogunquit Playhouse setting the stage for “Broadway at the Beach” to continue and ensuring its place in history as “America’s Foremost Summer Theatre.”

For the first time in its history the Playhouse developed and offered special performances for middle and high school aged children in 2008. Performances of Fiddler on the Roof and Les Misérables were sold out to enthusiastic students from seacoast region. In 2009, thanks to corporate funding from Bank of America and a grant from the Davis Family Foundation, the school performance and other outreach programs were able to grow. Our Outreach efforts now include partnering with dozens of social service agencies throughout the region to bring less fortunate children and families to the Playhouse to enjoy live theatre. Thanks to our local business sponsors, granting institutions, members and donors, we are able to support these initiatives.  In addition, the Ogunquit Playhouse also received American Masterpiece grants from the Maine Arts Commission for its productions of My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls.

The tradition of excellence continues at the Ogunquit Playhouse in 2010. For the first time in 78 years the Ogunquit Playhouse Foundation invested in a new steel support system for the stage house section of the theatre –an entire steel skeleton now supports the building and a new rigging system. As opposed to hanging all this weight on our historic building, the new, stronger steel skeleton can support our scenery and curtains and can accommodate a much larger scale of hanging scenery if needed.

Every show produced on the Playhouse stage this season has either won or been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Set, Best Costumes, Best Book, Best Score, etc! We are dedicated to producing the finest shows ever to appear on Broadway stages, right here on our own stage and to carrying on the legacy of the Ogunquit Playhouse – one that will continue to be enjoyed and appreciated by generations to come.