The Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn expects to make a profit in its second full year of operation.

Opened late in 2024, a couple of months after the new high school opened, the performing arts center is the largest high school auditorium in Maine, boasting more than 1,200 seats.

Lilly Gardiner, managing director of the center, gave a presentation to the Auburn School Committee on Wednesday, updating the board on finances and some maintenance issues.

Gardiner said the break-even point was about $40,000 for the center, but the anticipated sale figures will grow to more than $50,000.

A total of 26,000 people have attended a show there.

Lilly said 93.3% of the performers who booked shows this year have expressed the desire to return next year, including Maine State Music Theatre, which recently concluded three concert performances.

“We were very excited,” Gardiner said. “It went very well. We had three wonderful weekends with visitors to the PAC in the community increasing week by week. They have announced that they would like to come back here next year, and have dates on hold.”

Several shows are on the docket between now and the end of December, including performances of “The Little Mermaid,” “A Nutcracker Christmas,” Edward Little and Auburn Middle School winter concerts and the Auburn Community Band holiday concert.

Maintenance issues have cropped up since the center opened, including repainting the stage.

“We needed to find a professional group to look at it because it needs to go beyond what was specced,” Assistant Superintendent Scott Annear said. “We have examined that and the amount of usage to uncover what we need to be doing to have ongoing maintenance to preserve it and put the right finishing coat on it.”

Another issue, Gardiner said, is the power outages in the area.

“Every single time that it happens, the tech doesn’t reset properly, it blows fuses. So we need to have UPS power installed,” Gardiner said.

UPS refers to an uninterrupted power supply.

The annual inspection of the rigging is scheduled for later this month.

The center’s total maintenance budget is $7,000.

Next year’s bookings, so far, are with Maine’s Got Talent, the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, the Maine Dance Company and One Beat Dance, which is a national touring group.

Committee member Pat Gautier wondered who was responsible for advertising beyond what the center lists on its website.

“Some of the learning that we are experiencing and taking place is how much are we advertising when we’re the host, and how much is the entity who is renting, that drives that bus,” Annear said. ” Where does that fit and who has that responsibility for that advertising.”