Sights Unseen: Into the spaces at The Public Theater

The second floor of The Public Theater in Lewiston houses what you would normally associate with the workings of a professional theater.

Costumes and props from every era are organized into a little over 6,000 square feet.

“We save everything, because you never know,” said Christopher Schario, Artistic Director for the theater. “We have this plastic peacock, bought for $2 at a garage sale, that has ended up in two different shows!”

Budgets for a show can range from anytwhere between $1,200 to $2,000, depending on the size of the show and the complexity of the set.

But, a lot of that cost can be deferred by finding items in storage.

Still, as soon as the theater can raise more money, a portion of their storage will be transformed into dressing rooms and the light decks in the theater will be raised.

“We’ve already raised and spent a million and a half on renovations,” stated Schario.

Last Chirtmas, they moved into a new office space on the second floor, and a section of storage was rehabbed.

And there are still even bigger plans for the backstage area, where they hope to move the shop and lighting storage area into a large area currently not being used.