COMMAND PERFORMANCE

DANCE ON THE FOOTBRIDGE, BELFAST

COMMAND PERFORMANCE

FROM SUMMER CONCERTS TO CONTRA DANCES, BELFAST AND WALDO COUNTY HAVE A WIDE ARRAY OF MUSIC, THEATER, FILM, AND ARTS TO OFFER YEAR-ROUND.

Belfastians are creative folks, so it’s no wonder that their community boasts a surfeit of performing arts, from plays and movies to music and dance. Some programming is seasonal — the Belfast Summer Nights outdoor concert series (facebook.com/belfastsummernights) is a perennial hit. But the vast majority is year-round, and the Belfast Creative Coalition’s events calendar (belfastcreativecoalition.org) is a handy resource. With so much going on, it’s no easy task keeping tabs.

T e Crosby Center

Belfast resident Kiril Lozanov bought the former Crosby High School after a decade of disuse and reopened it in 2017 as a community arts hub (plus a wedding venue, hostel, and commercial kitchen). Since then, the Crosby Center’s calendar has been brimming with boisterous musicals, incisive dramas, movie screenings, folk singers, and classical ensembles. 96 Church St., Belfast. 207-370-6622. thecrosbycenter.com and started year-round programming. Now, in addition to a range of visual arts classes in printmaking, pottery, and more, the center hosts events like kids’ open-mic comedy nights, puppetry shows, and Quebecois folk bands. 256 High St., Belfast. 207-338-2222. waterfallarts.org

Belfast Flying Shoes

Down-home jamborees have been kicking up monthly at Belfast’s American Legion Post #43 for 15 years. That means the city has its fair share of experienced stompers and twirlers, but the Flying Shoes’ contra dances on the

BELFAST SUMMER NIGHTS

Midcoast Actors Studio

A relative newcomer to Maine’s theater scene, the Midcoast Actors Studio didn’t waste any time making a name for itself. In a review of a performance of Peter and the Starcatcher a couple of years ago, the Bangor Daily News pronounced the troupe on its way to being “Maine’s most professional community theater group.” Other past performances include Cabaret, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and The Crucible. The troupe also puts on an annual two-week youth summer camp that culminates in the performance of a musical. midcoastactors.org

Waterfall Arts

In 2000, Waterfall Arts got its start on 11 rural acres in Montville, offering a wide range of arts programming to community members of all ages and all levels of experience in the warmer PRQWKV,Q%HOIDVWRIƂFLDOV FRQYLQFHGWKHƃHGJOLQJRUJDQL]DWLRQ to move into town, where it took over a former elementary school building

COURTESY OF BELFAST AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ƂUVW)ULGD\RIHYHU\PRQWKDUHFRPH one-come-all affairs, from little kids to old timers, no partner necessary. Newbies might want to show up early for the “community dance” part of the evening, when any local musician can join the band and the caller keeps the steps simple. Then, once everyone has the hang of it, a visiting band takes the stage and the caller ups the pace and the fun. 143 Church St., Belfast. EHOIDVWƃ\LQJVKRHVRUJ

Belfast Maskers

The Maskers recently moved into a new home. Well, actually, an old home. The group started out in an old church on Court Street in the late ’80s and early ’90s, then moved to another space. And they’ve since spent several years turning parks, meeting halls, and various other spaces into pop-up theaters. Last summer, though, they moved back into the old church, now named the Basil Burwell Community

Theater, in honor of the troupe’s founder. The group has a knack for pulling of farce, and this year’s lineup includes Shakespeare’s As You Like It as well as a musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. 17 Court St., Belfast. 207-619-3256. belfastmaskers.com

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Colonial Teatre

Single-screen cinemas often seem to cater to the art-house crowd, while multiplexes push predictable blockbusters. Belfast’s Colonial Theatre splits the difference. On any given night, in the more-than-century-old building with a colorful art-deco façade, the three screens might be VKRZLQJWKHODWHVWVXSHUKHURƃLFN a heady doc, and some highbrow Oscar bait. And unlike many old theaters, the Colonial has comfy seats, so patrons can really cozy in with a big bag of popcorn, a box of Junior Mints, and a movie suited to their particular tastes. 163 High St., Belfast. 207-338-1930. colonialtheater.com

Marsh River Teater

Brooks is a small town — population DERXWŐbEXWLWŒVELJRQ entertainment. Union Hall, built in the center of town in 1904, has provided a coming-together place for a long time, serving variously as a school, a town forum, a bowling alley, a roller rink, and a movie theater. Then, in 1997, after an extensive renovation, it became Marsh River Theater. Go for the plays or the live music, or steal the spotlight yourself at one of the venue’s community talent shows. ME-139, Brooks. 207-722-4110. marshrivertheater.org •

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