AUGUSTA – The Augusta Colonial Theater today announced the promotion of Cathy Milojevic-Kaey to Interim Executive Director. Milojevic-Kaey takes over the position from Kathi Wall who served as the Executive Director for four years.
“Cathy has been working alongside Kathi Wall for the past seven months, so she is up to speed on all the innerworkings of the Colonial Theater, and has been able to hit the ground running for us already. Cathy’s recent graduation from the Kennebec Leadership Institute has given her terrific access to the greater Kennebec Valley community and will be very valuable to us as we continue to move this project forward.” said Andrew Silsby, Board Chair of the Augusta Colonial Theater.
Milojevic-Kaey joined the Augusta Colonial Theater in May 2023 as the Executive Assistant. In this position, she was instrumental in launching the theater’s quarterly newsletter and organizing events and fundraising efforts.
Prior to this position, Milojevic-Kaey worked in education for over 25 years.
Wall, who retired from her position as the Executive Director earlier this month, was voted in as a member of the Board of Directors and will continue to serve as an integral piece of the restoration of the theater.
“We are thankful for Kathi Wall’s efforts over the years and very pleased that she will continue to provide advice and counsel by joining the Board of Directors,” said Silsby.
“There is a developing arts and cultural corridor that stretches from Gardiner to Waterville. I want Augusta to be a central part of that corridor and I am willing to continue to work hard toward that end,” said Wall.
Do you have memories of the Colonial back in the 60’s, 50’s or earlier?
Do you have old Colonial photos. ticket stubs or other memorabilia?
Would you be willing to share your story on (or off) camera?
We’re documenting the special role the historic Colonial Theater played in Augusta’s history and we want to hear YOUR story. Our goal is to compile a short film and a number of short videos to document community memories – YOUR memories.
Won’t you please be part of the story, to document this piece of history?
Use your phone camera to scan the QR code embedded in the image or click on this link to fill out the interest form:
We also have returnable postcards at various businesses along Water Street.
If you’d like more information, please e-mail info@augustacolonialtheater.com and we’ll e-mail back or call if you leave your number.
There is no deadline at this time, per se, as we will schedule filming based on the responses we receive. We do, however, anticipate doing some filming in the Fall of 2023 and Spring of 2024.
Thank you so much for your interest in this exciting project.
The recentAugusta Colonial Theater‘s Silent Movie Festival was featured in the July-August 2023 issue of Kennebec Current, a publication of the Kennebec Historical Society – click the link HEREto read the full article on pages 8-9.
Thank you so much Kennebec Historical Society for highlighting this labor of love brought to us by local film restoration aficionado Ed Lorusso of Belgrade. The Augusta Colonial Theater was honored to partner with Lorusso to bring these important time capsules from Maine’s history back into the historic venue where many originally premiered!
Both the Kennebec Journal and Sun Journal featured the Colonial Theater’s upcoming Silent Movie Festival. See the June 11, 2023 Kennebec Journal link below to read the article in its entirety, see photos, and even a short movie clip.
An advertising card for the June 16 and 17 Silent Film Festival displayed in front of the Colonial Theater on Water Street in Augusta where the movies will be shown. Steve Collins/Sun Journal
AUGUSTA — In the early days of movies, when the spotlight had not yet firmly focused on Hollywood, film crews sometimes settled in unlikely places to make moving pictures.
They made cowboy flicks in Philadelphia, dramas in Ithaca, New York, and “north woods” stories in Maine.
Eleven black-and-white movies shot in the Pine Tree State between 1910 and 1925 will be featured at the Silent Film Festival next weekend at the historic Colonial Theater in Augusta.
Six of them were made nearby, featuring scenes in Augusta, the Belgrade Lakes, the Kennebec River and nearby forests. One even cast former Gov. Percival Baxter in a bit part after he grew curious watching some moviemaking taking place next door to the Blaine House.
“I tried to do as many Maine-oriented films as possible,” said festival organizer Edward Lorusso of Belgrade, a film historian, writer, producer and composer who gathered the movies for the festival.
The Augusta area films “are coming back to the theater where they probably made their debut,” Lorusso said.
To continue reading the article in its entirety, see photos, and even a short movie clip, see the June 11, 2023 Kennebec Journal’s link below:
Between 1919 and 1921, Augusta saw a flurry of filmmaking thanks to a former cowboy star and a writer from Vassalboro.
Edgar Jones had spent a good portion of the early 1910s as a Western star for the Lubin Manufacturing Company, a movie studio in Philadelphia that closed down in 1916. Jones eventually came to Augusta to form his own movie studio and brought with him a stock company of actors and a movie crew. By 1919 he started to churn out the 2-reelers (which ran 20-30 minutes) he called “North Woods” stories. For most of the close to 40 films, Jones starred in as well as directed and produced them.
He eventually brought in Holman Day to write and adapt his popular Maine stories for the movies. Eventually Day ousted Jones from the company with the backing of local businessmen and took over production, changing the company’s name from Edgar Jones Productions to Holman Day Productions. Jones and most of his company left Maine, but Day was not a businessman and ran the company into bankruptcy within a year.
Six films from this period are known to survive … four from Jones and two from Day … and they are remarkable. Along with highlighting Augusta, Belgrade, local lakes and forests, and the Kennebec River, these films have solid stories, good acting, and surprisingly good production values. The films take full advantage of the area’s natural scenic beauty as well as all four seasons.
Of the actors who appear in the surviving movies, film buffs will likely be familiar with Evelyn Brent and Mary Astor, but others like Huntley Gordon, Ben Hendricks, Bradley Barker, and Carlton Brickert continued their careers well into the talkie era. Even the forgotten Edna May Sperl had a career beyond Maine.
VISIT OUR EVENTS PAGE TO LEARN MORE AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS.
ACT presents The Quest: A true story of abandonment, neglect, restoration and triumph.
The Augusta Colonial Theater Board of Directors released its second Annual Report to the community, recapping the progress made toward restoration, the work of committees, support from donors, and financial overview. Read the report here.
After Securing Funding for Renovations as Part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill
Augusta, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, visited the Augusta Colonial Theater to see the plans for renovations and expansions made possible by the $1.5 million grant she secured in December as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. The theater, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, had previously been closed and vacant since 1969, falling into disrepair for several decades until it was saved from demolition.
The grant is allowing for the renovation of the 1,000-seat theater, making it wheelchair accessible, and the construction of an attached 2-level auxiliary building that contains expanded restrooms, adequate water supply systems, additional HVAC systems, a 200-seat multipurpose community theater, and space for classrooms and galleries. On the top floor, overlooking the Kennebec River, there will be an income-producing restaurant to provide self-sufficiency.
“Cultural institutions are part of the fabric of communities and enrich the lives of Mainers,” Senator Collins said. “Securing this grant has made it possible for the Colonial Theater to reestablish itself as a lively cultural center in the heart of Augusta for generations to come.”
The theater is set to become a vibrant hub for arts and culture in Augusta, offering an array of exciting events such as live performances, concerts, lectures, international streaming performances, and serving as the new home of the Kennebec Performing Arts (formerly the Augusta Symphony Orchestra). In addition, plans are underway to expand the existing Youth Theater and introduce a Senior Theater, both of which would make use of the newly expanded rehearsal and performance spaces.
Exterior restoration continues with “crowning glory”
March 1, 2021
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 the
Augusta Colonial Theater in Spring 2021.
None of this would be possible without the skilled supervision of Gary Peachey, owner of Peachey Builders in Augusta. We are so grateful to everyone involved in the on-going story of the resurrection of the Augusta Colonial Theater.
A portion of the funds to complete this project were raised by the State Lunch Sweetheart Dinner fundraiser held on February 14, 2021.
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.
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 better arts and cultural center for the capital area.
Not only will the audience be thrilled by mind reading and illusions by the performer, they will also get a glimpse into the theater’s future. The show’s title, Lifting the Curtain, signifies a new beginning and the theater’s rebirth into an arts and cultural center.
“We are thrilled to open the theater’s doors and welcome the community back for the first performance in over 50 years,” stated Kathi Wall, Executive Director of the Augusta Colonial Theater. “This is a step into the theater’s next chapter and a look at the capital area’s future with an arts and cultural center. Our community can look forward to more and more performances, live music, movies, and so much more in the very near future.”
Every ticket purchased for this amazing show brings the theater one step closer in creating a live performing arts venue for the enjoyment of all. To purchase tickets, visit givebutter.com/kaxell. A limited number of tickets will be sold at the door, so be sure to get yours early.
Augusta Colonial Theater
The Augusta Colonial Theater (ACT) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore and operate the historic Colonial Theater for the artistic, educational, and charitable benefit of the community. To date, ACT has invested $1.5 million into the restoration of the theater, which has been raised through grants, fundraising events, and corporate and individual donations. For more information, visit colonialtheater.org.
Between 1919 and 1921, Augusta saw a flurry of filmmaking thanks to a former cowboy star and a writer from Vassalboro.
