Mayo Street Arts

Don't sit in the balcony. The stage is block for those sitting in the second row at least for our show where the performers were on the floor and not the stage. The website should state this.

Have been impressed by many of the events they host!

We enjoyed our visit! I appreciated the clean air and neat bathroom also!

A magical space with such fun events and kind staff. I enjoyed my first crankey show here, very talented artists!

A magician space with extraordinary events. Top Hat Productions will transport you to another place and time with witty miniatures and David's superbly trained voice - a big opera in a small package. The staff are warm and fun.

A really great venue to see all types of art - saw a fantastic band called Primo Cubano and the venue was perfect!

I went here for a puppet show with my son. I was very impressed with the performance, layout of the seating, acoustics and sound quality and the "feel" of the building. I'll be checking their calendar and planning to attend more events here throughout the year.

Truly a gem! This community theatre strives to be a humble, welcoming and accessible space. The staff’s consideration for the many realities, cultures and histories of its local community is felt through its offerings and interactions with visitors. A great space for the discovery of different forms of artistic expression and collective healing.

What an amazing place. I've come here twice for the international open mics hosted by Jenny Van West and the Portland Culture Exchange, both of whom do amazing things in the Portland community. Portland is already a tiny, tiny place, but the people here make it feel even tinier. If there was ever any truer testament to inclusion and the celebration of diversity, this place is it. It's completely unpretentious and unassuming and the work they do with the local artists and people is just astounding. In just one moment you can be taken from the cold abyss into an embracing place where everyone truly comes together. I've learned so much by just being a part of this space for a few hours and it's really changed my perspective on alot of things. I would recommend anyone who is interested in the interwoven to check out their events. It's all amazing.

Mayo Street Arts is another one of those examples why Portland really is such an amazing community. Similar to other arts venues in town, it's a repurposed historic church that's now being used for a host of cool things: craft fairs, music series, puppet shows,(my personal favorite) The Dark Follies (Portland's vaudeville style variety show), and as a community space. (Although, I think Mayo Street Arts [the actual brick and mortar of it] secretly would like to host things like bean supper's and BINGO nights... I'm sure that Portland could bring the cool factor back for both and make them vibrant and welcoming social gatherings like they were 'lo those many, many moons ago, and not exorbitantly priced. Resurgam, guys! Let's do this!). My lone complaint with Mayo Street Arts is the claustrophobia factor I sometimes feel when I'm here. It just always seems like there's a million people at every event I attend here. And bumping into and tripping over people just makes me feel extremely anxious. I think my favorite thing about Mayo Street Arts is the book drop/exchange area outside - it looks like a large mailbox (in my head, I irrationally associate it with the Blue's Clues mailbox... though it looks nothing at all like that [maybe it's just because there's always something wonderful inside it?]), or maybe a breadbox; anyway, when you open it, there are a number of books for you to take. No gimmicks. It's like the "need a penny, take a penny" bowls. If you need a book... take a book. If you'd like to leave a book... well, then, leave a book. This is an actual, thing, by the way. My family - for as long as I can remember - have been leaving our read books all over the world (in Starbucks, in laundromats, on planes, etc). There were some serious gems in the Mayo Street Arts book box the last time I was there, too: a Stephen King, the entire Hunger Games series, the first two Harry Potters, a Kurt Vonnegut, and The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. If you're a reader, please consider passing along your unwanted books through this method!

Mayo Street Arts is a rehabbed church with seating capacity for about 80 people and a fine stage with full curtains, concession stand and lights. The facilities are amazing; the management and programming are lackluster and boring. I've been to at least six shows there, and every time the music is either inaudible or far too loud, and the lack of rehearsing on the part of the performers is painfully obvious. Whether this is because Mayo doesn't provide enough rehearsal time for artists, or is too lazy to pursue acts worthy of its space, I'm not sure. It may also be because no performer or performance group is unwise enough to accept Mayo Street's unprofessional and inconsistent terms. There are 3 ways you can get to play Mayo Street: 1. Pay them loads of money. If you and your band/group/cast are willing to fork over 300-400 dollars up front, then you can play at Mayo Street. 2. Alternatively, you may charge 10-15 dollars at the door and take their fee from your profits, provided you make enough. You'll be left with about 12 bucks to split between everyone after you're done paying them , or you could end up owing them money. 3. If you are one of the owner's "favorite" bands, local or otherwise, she will pay you to play there for her. You don't have to do anything -- just show up and receive your unfair treatment. Look, other venues do this all the time. But Mayo Street pretends to be a community resource, a grassroots nonprofit that supports independent, quirky acts. This is not what they are. Behind the scenes they are a one-woman show with no board of directors and unpaid student interns, squandering a very impressive space in Portland, Maine. They need to hire a real staff, stop being lazy and apply for real grants and develop a fundraising schedule so they can walk their talk and be a resource for local artists and musicians in Maine.