Center Theatre executive director wants to see ‘the place busy all the time’

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — For Angela Bonacasa, the Center Theatre is a perfect fit for her talents.
    “I’ve been involved with theater on many levels and also worked for non-profit organizations for more than 13 years,” Bonacasa said. “So now I have a chance to work in both fields.”

    Bonacasa took over as executive director of Center Theatre in June 2012 after serving as the business operations manager and previous secretary of the National Society of American Fight Directors. “One aspect about theater is that everything is happening right in front of you,” she explained. “Stage combat is a perfect example. It’s instantaneous. There are no retakes.”
    Bonacasa has taught theatrical combat in universities and private institutions across the country, including the University of Maine and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she also served for five years as coordinator for the National Stage Combat Workshop.
    She has also directed productions of major plays including “The Odd Couple,” “The Mousetrap,” “Harvey” and “Steel Magnolias,” among others.
    “I don’t have much time for directing nowadays, but I did direct ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ and ‘Some Enchanted Evening — The Songs of Rogers and Hammerstein’ since I’ve been here,” Bonacasa said.
    Since 2009, she has also been a dressage student at Isaac Royal Farm in Dover-Foxcroft, where she choreographs sword fights for their Equestrian Theatre.
    Bonacasa is upbeat about the future of Center Theatre, the non-profit, multimedia venue in downtown Dover-Foxcroft that hosts everything from public forums to movies and stage plays.
    “Fundraising is always a challenge,” she acknowledges. “When you’re dealing with the arts, there can be a lack of tangibles.” But she noted that theater studies “are a huge help in other careers, especially when you’re dealing with the public.”
    Nevertheless, Maine’s often brutal weather also has an effect on a theater. “When you’re down to a quarter-tank of fuel in February, it’s tough to convince people to spend money on movie tickets,” she said.
    One of the aspects Bonacasa likes about Center Theatre is the family involvement. “Very often, we have parents and their children volunteering,” she noted. “The people who work behind the scenes in our productions are just as important as those on stage.”
    In addition to plays and movies, Center Theatre is used by other nonprofits in the area including Pine Tree Hospice, the Charlotte White Center and Mayo Regional Hospital.
    The Maine Whoopie Pie Festival was founded in 2008 by the Center Theatre as a celebration of the uniquely Maine dessert and it’s grown from a small local event drawing several hundred people to a massive celebration drawing people from all corners of the state.
    Where would she like to see Centre Theatre five years from now?
    “I’d like to see us have 1,000 members,” she replied. “I’d like to see the place busy all the time. And we’re getting there.”
    For a complete schedule of Centre Theatre events, visit www.centertheatre.org or find them on Facebook.