Lakes Region of Maine, USA

	.	DEERTREESTHEATRE&CULTURALCENTER F a n t a s y in the F o r e s t
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		One of the most enchanting destinations in Western Maine is Deertrees Theatre. Nestled within the woods just outside Harrison center, Deertrees is listed on both Maine's Register of Historic Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Places. Designed in 1933, it was the dream of Enrica Clay Dillon, a remarkable woman who was a noted opera coach, singer and director and had worked with companies in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York, including New York's Metropolitan Opera company

Located on the site of a former deer run and rustically constructed of peeled rose hemlock cut on site, Deertrees takes you into a real life fantasy landscape as it proffers a vast variety of culturally enriching art forms surrounded by the spectacular landscape of western Maine. (Just driving to and from the theater is a treat in itself.) Possessed of exquisite acoustics, Deertrees is the place to hear your favorite music whether opera, chamber, choral, contemporary, jazz, blues, folk, ragtime or ethnic. Its warm log interior makes it a wonderful place to stage everything from intimate theater pieces and one person shows to puppetry and classical works.

Nationally and internationally recognized artists have always been drawn to Deertrees from its earliest days. Some of its original sponsors included Helen Hayes, Rudy Vallee and Humphrey Bogart. In the years just prior to World War II, the success of the theater reached its peak when Bela Blau, a Broadway producer, joined Dillon in presenting a nine week drama festival that featured a different Broadway star each week. For two years, until the untimely death of Blau in 1940, Deertrees dazzled its summer audiences with visiting performances by such celebrated names as Ethel Barrymore, Tallulah Bankhead, Rudy Vallee, Vivian Vance, Arthur Treacher, Edward Everett Horton, Dorothy McGuire and Joe E. Brown.

Autographs on the walls backstage

World War II combined with the death of Blau and the ill health of Dillon to intervene in the development of Deertrees. For 20 years after the death of Dillon in 1946, the theater passed through a succession of owners, but, for one reason or another, no one lasted more than a few years. From community theater companies who were able to attract a few stars such as Fabian, Ann B. Davis and Shirley Knight to ownership by the Maine Opera Association, between 1975-1979, Deertrees slipped into disrepair, its supporters unable to raise enough money through ticket sales to maintain it.
Between 1980 and 1984, the building was abandoned, and it was only the support of a community group, in 1984, that saved the building from complete collapse. They formed the Deertrees Theatre and Cultural Center with a vision not only of restoration, but an additional mission to use the energy from that restoration to provide a cultural resource for the local community. Though there is still much to do to bring back its full architectural splendor, a Deertrees season is an eclectic offering of theater, music, dance and children's shows while functioning as a showcase for local talent and a unique space for educational programs.

The Deertrees comeback story is worthy of being staged. Starting in the late 1980s, benefit performances were staged on the porch because the building was too structurally unsound to be used by performers or audience! No amount of decay had diminished the magical effect of Deertrees, however, and people flocked to the old theater with energy, talent, money, muscle and materials. Since 1982, more than 250 people have contributed over 10,000 hours of free labor. Together, they rewired, patched, painted and cleaned up the theater greeting each new season with fresh efforts. The combined effect has literally resurrected an extraordinary resource.

Today, Deertrees is fulfilling its vision as a cultural center. It hosts more than thirty innovative events per season (which runs from the end of June until just past Labor Day), and an equal or greater number of high quality performances. A calendar of events will be available in late spring and will include original theatre, children's shows and a wide range of musical offerings including opportunities for interaction between performers and audience members such as the jazz workshop held at Deertrees during the 1997 season. There is an intern program for young, theatrically bound people and Deertrees is, now, the permanent home of the Sebago Long Lake Chamber Music Festival. As a community cultural center, it promotes local artists, provides educational outreach, theatrical training, children's programming and, in an unprecedented way, links the theater to its community.

Deertrees, however, is still a work in progress. Major capital improvements must be made to secure its future health both financially and structurally. Years of abandonment must still be reversed to fully restore it and upgrade its technical capability. A challenge grant has been offered and a campaign is well underway to raise the money to meet state and federal building codes without lessening its commitment to the arts. For a memorable event and to be part of history in the making, don't leave western Maine without paying a visit to Deertrees.

web laboratory: pcc@pc2asscs.com



			Nationally and internationally recognized artists have always been drawn to Deertrees from its earliest days. Some of its original sponsors included Helen Hayes, Rudy Vallee and Humphrey Bogart. In the years just prior to World War II, the success of the theater reached its peak when Bela Blau, a Broadway producer, joined Dillon in presenting a nine week drama festival that featured a different Broadway star each week. For two years, until the untimely death of Blau in 1940, Deertrees dazzled its summer audiences with visiting performances by such celebrated names as Ethel Barrymore, Tallulah Bankhead, Rudy Vallee, Vivian Vance, Arthur Treacher, Edward Everett Horton, Dorothy McGuire and Joe E. Brown.
	Autographs on the walls backstage
	World War II combined with the death of Blau and the ill health of Dillon to intervene in the development of Deertrees. For 20 years after the death of Dillon in 1946, the theater passed through a succession of owners, but, for one reason or another, no one lasted more than a few years. From community theater companies who were able to attract a few stars such as Fabian, Ann B. Davis and Shirley Knight to ownership by the Maine Opera Association, between 1975-1979, Deertrees slipped into disrepair, its supporters unable to raise enough money through ticket sales to maintain it. Between 1980 and 1984, the building was abandoned, and it was only the support of a community group, in 1984, that saved the building from complete collapse. They formed the Deertrees Theatre and Cultural Center with a vision not only of restoration, but an additional mission to use the energy from that restoration to provide a cultural resource for the local community. Though there is still much to do to bring back its full architectural splendor, a Deertrees season is an eclectic offering of theater, music, dance and children's shows while functioning as a showcase for local talent and a unique space for educational programs.