Lakewood Theater

What do Humphrey Bogart, William Shatner, and Betty White have in common? They all performed in summer shows at the Lakewood Theater.

Oldest in the Country? Sure.

Nestled in the tall pines on the shore of Lake Wesserunsett in Madison, you’ll find America’s oldest summer theater. Well, it seems a few places claim to be the oldest theater, but we’ll just give it to Lakewood. Because it’s Maine.

The Lakewood Theater began operation in 1899 and put on its first show, “The Private Secretary,” in 1901. It had its “heydey” from the 20’s up until World War 2. By the time the 1970s disco-ed into our lives, Lakewood was essentially shut down and the buildings were in rough shape. But it was reborn in the mid 80s and continues to put on productions today.

What You’ll See

The Lakewood Theater is part of a small lakeside community. The theater is inside the main building, which is a 3 story white wooden building. The front of the building features tall columns and a porch off the 3rd story (not sure if you can get out on it). Across from the theater is the Lakewood Restaurant which looks similar to the theater. To the left of the main theater is the former “Shanty” which is an octagonal building. It used to function as the post office and a place to grab a cold drink and a sandwich with open walk-up windows for service.

When you drive into Lakewood, you pass neglected tennis courts and a number of bungalows that were part of the resort and are now privately owned. Additional camps and houses are packed in on some small, bumpy roads. The theater and restaurant are a stone’s throw from the lake.

Spiritualism

Lakewood didn’t start out as a summer theater colony. It was originally part of a Spiritualist Camp. In 1979, the owner of the land, Joseph Hayden, set aside some of his land for use by the Madison Spiritualist Association. In fact, the Madison Spiritualist Camp still exists in Lakewood. They built a sanctuary in the building which eventually became the theater building.

Skating in the Sanctuary

Supposedly, in 1884, the Spiritualist’s sanctuary was converted into a skating rink. The owner put new floors down – not clear if it was ever used. I wish I could find pictures.

Amusement Park and The Trolley Connection

Then in 1895, the Lakewood Grove Amusement Park and Resort opened on the site. The area was purchased by the Somerset Traction Company of nearby Skowhegan.

The company built a 16 mile trolley line connecting Anson to the West with Lake Wesserunsett then South to Skowhegan. At the time, there was a bit of a trolley boom in Maine and trolley developers built a number of destination resorts, amusement parks, and attractions to attract tourists – and the best way to get to these spots was on their trolleys. Remember, cars weren’t a thing yet. So just like the Casco Castle in Freeport, Lakewood Grove was built solely to lure folks into riding trolleys out to the lake for day trips. You can read all about the trolley boom over here.

As part of the park, the sanctuary/skating rink was converted into a theater.

Lakewood Grove must not have been very successful because only a couple of years later, it seems like the amusement park had fizzled and the theater became the primary attraction.

The Theater Takes Off

In 1901, Bangor native (and Bowdoin grad) Herbert L. Swett took over as the manager of the Lakewood Theater. He set out to make it a first class summer theater and certainly succeeded. By the 1920s, it was a major “tryout” spot for Broadway plays and actors. It became known as “Broadway in Maine” and had a resident cast who lived at Lakewood and performed all summer long.

Summer Colony

While building I up the quality of the theater productions, Mr. Swett also started advertising “bungalows with baths” to attract guests and theater goers to stay overnight. He added tennis courts, docks and water sports, and it became a stop for the steam-powered passenger boats that travelled the lake. A summer resort colony was born.

Performances

From the 1920s through World War 2, the Lakewood Theater thrived. It attracted some of both Broadway and Hollywood’s best talent. It also became a place where producers could “try out” plays with top talent but low risk to see if it was fit for Broadway. In fact, in 1939, a play called “Life with Father” debuted at Lakewood. It went on to become the longest running non-musical in Broadway history with 3,224 performances over 401 weeks. That record stood until 1972.

“Now let it be known, they do things well at Lakewood. No shoddy stock productions clutter the stage in the costly birch grove; no half-hearted, uninspired attempts to do something quickly and cheaply. The Lakewood Players have pride in their work.” – Boston Evening American, 1928

Cast Format

Up until 1961, Lakewood had a resident company that lived and performed all of the summer productions. That changed in 1961 (following the trend) to having a different cast for each production. Once the format changed, some very well-known performers graced the stage, not having to commit to a mosquito-filled summer at the lake.

Theater goers travelled to this remote spot to see their favorite movie and TV stars on a small stage and weren’t disappointed.

Who is Who

A few of the more recognizable names to have graced the Lakewood stage over the years:

• Humphrey Bogart
• Bette Davis
• John Travolta
• Betty White
• Vincent Price
• Ethel Barrymore
• Mickey Rooney
• Rudy Vallee (Westbrook’s own)
• Jessica Tandy
• Hume Cronyn
• Lillian Gish
• Groucho Marx
• William Shatner
• Carol Channing
• Phyllis Diller
• Lloyd Bridges
• Jeff Bridges
• Abe Vigoda
• Gloria Swanson
• Brian Dennehy
• Tom Poston

Change

In 1970, the Swett family sold the theater and there were a number of owners who continued the productions. But none of them were able to reach the earlier level of success and it sounds like performances ceased and the buildings started falling apart. I’m sure that fast cars and good highways that gave access to productions in Boston and New York didn’t help.

Rebirth

In 1985, a community theater group called the Cornville Players agreed to put on 3 plays over a six week period. This led to the formation of a non-profit group and slowly but surely, the theater started breathing again.

Today

Now every summer, the Lakewood Theater puts on a series of plays – typically 9 productions a summer. You can see a list of their past productions here. I’m sure it’s a labor of love, because maintaining those old buildings can’t be easy. If you get a chance, get some tickets and go see a show. It certainly harkens back to a different time and you can still feel a different rhythm in the little village.