7 min read

A panoramic view of the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn, the largest high school auditorium in Maine. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

AUBURN — Edward Little High School’s new state-of-the-art auditorium has already hit the 10,000 spectators milestone since counting began last October, and school officials say the stage is now set for more to come.

As the largest high school auditorium in Maine, the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center boasts over 1,200 seats and the latest amenities, including climate-controlled seats, computerized stage controls and an elevator to the balcony.

“We’ve got a wheelchair lift and an elevator to the balcony, along with box seats that are more accommodating,” said Lilly Gardiner, the district’s events coordinator, who was hired in the summer of 2024 to oversee the fruition of the long-awaited project.

Beyond its size, the auditorium is outfitted with amenities backstage as well. “We’ve got state-of-the-art makeup rooms, AV (audiovisual) equipment — all automated,” Gardiner said. “Back in the day, you had to press a bunch of buttons and move a bunch of dials up and down. Now, you can program everything onto an iPad and control your lights from wherever.”

The old Edward Little High School’s auditorium was also the school’s gymnasium. Above, Principal Scott Annear gives closing remarks during the Top Ten Luncheon at the old school’s auditorium in May of 2023. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Gardiner said the new technology at the auditorium has been a training opportunity for the students. “We’ve been learning all the equipment this year, training and working with some students on AV to help them develop skills in the field,” she said. “We’ve got a massive projector that can project onto a mid-stage screen or be used for projection mapping, which creates immersive backdrops for performances.”

Advertisement
One of the dozens of pulleys that control curtains and backdrops back stage at the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Acoustically, the auditorium is designed to be flexible. “The acoustics are phenomenal. You don’t need to plug in (to the soundboard) at all here. You can just sit on the stage with your guitar or grand piano, and you’ll be heard all the way from the balcony,” Gardiner said.

The space is equipped with full soundproofing, allowing for simultaneous events in the school’s adjacent athletic facilities. “If there’s a basketball game going on right now, you wouldn’t hear it at all,” Gardiner said.

“All the seats come with climate control,” Gardiner said. “Oftentimes, large spaces like these can be drafty and cold, but here, the climate control panel under each seat makes sure guests stay comfortable throughout the event.”

The venue’s lighting and sound system alone cost approximately $1 million, according to Bill Buzza, the school’s band director.

The venue has a spacious lobby dubbed the “community entrance,” which is shared with the athletic facilities. Gardiner said this area includes private bathrooms, a box office, and concession stands.

“During events, the academic side of the school is completely separate from the technical and athletic sides,” she continued. “We use stanchions to block off areas, so there’s no crossover between school operations and public events.”

Advertisement
Auburn schools events coordinator Lilly Gardiner sits at the control booth at the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn. “The acoustics are phenomenal. You don’t need to plug in (to the soundboard) at all here. You can just sit on the stage with your guitar or grand piano, and you’ll be heard all the way from the balcony,” Gardiner said. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Not made to ‘sit and collect dust’

Although the new school opened in the fall of 2023, the auditorium did not see much use until about a year later after Gardiner was hired in the summer of 2024. So far, most of those 10,000 spectators since last October have been students, staff, parents and friends, attending mostly student events. But school officials say they feel like they’re now fully up to speed and can begin marketing the space to outside groups and event organizers.

The idea of using the enhanced auditorium space in the new school to draw paying events to the area was the topic of much discussion as the community weighed in on the new school’s design well before it opened for classes in 2023. The $4.8 million needed for the auditorium and its many amenities was approved by Auburn voters as part of a larger bond referendum in 2019, after community discussions and informational sessions.

The hope was to attract events that would help defer the price of the school, which cost about $126 million, with about $16 million of that paid by Auburn taxpayers.

Partnerships with organizations like Maine State Music Theatre, The Public Theatre, and the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra are underway to use the space. “Unlike most high school auditoriums, we don’t want this space to just sit and collect dust,” Gardiner emphasized. “I see it as a community center — a place to create art and host events.”

The dressing room at the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

“We’re really trying to keep the heartbeat alive here,” Gardiner said. “We’re very strict with our rules, our upkeep and our maintenance, and that’s all intentional based on feedback from other auditoriums across the state of Maine.”

A state-of-the-art sound board in the control booth at the auditorium. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

The venue has already hosted big events, including the District 2 Choral Festival in January, which drew capacity crowds.

Advertisement

“A lot of people from Falmouth, Yarmouth, and Portland walked in and were amazed by the space,” Buzza said. “It’s definitely going to put Auburn on the map in the arts world.”

The auditorium presents a financial opportunity for the school and local organizations. Gardiner explained that renting the space could be a lucrative fundraising tool.

“A sold-out show at $10 per ticket would generate $12,000 in revenue, while a $25 ticket price could bring in up to $30,000 per night,” she said.

The school has its own ticketing platform, Curate, which simplifies the process for renting organizations. “We’ve been working with Public Works to set up rental agreements and contracts so that the venue can be professionally rented when the school isn’t using it. If someone wants to rent the space, it’s available now,” Gardiner said.

Looking ahead, larger acts are on the horizon. “Maybe down the road, we’ll start promoting events ourselves,” Buzza said. “The challenge is that major performers often require a guaranteed payment upfront, and as a school, we don’t have the capital to take that kind of financial risk. If a show were snowed out, we’d be stuck with the bill.”

School Band Director Bill Buzza stands in front of the stage at the Don Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn. Buzza said the school could in the future promote events at the auditorium if certain challenges can be ironed out. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

‘An entirely different and more meaningful experience’

A poster advertising an upcoming performance hangs on a wall outside the auditorium. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

To make sure the auditorium remains in pristine condition for years to come, Gardiner is already working on a long-term maintenance fund. “Every one of the 1,200 seats has space for a $500 plaque that can be dedicated to a business or a loved one,” she said. “This is a great way to support our restoration fund, which will help us afford upkeep in the future, 10 to 20 years from now.”

Advertisement

The auditorium’s construction has been years in the making, with discussions dating back to 2009. In 2022, the Class of 1951 made one of the largest donations in school history — $400,000 — securing the naming rights to the space.

Now officially known as the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center after a beloved music teacher, the venue stands as a testament to both the community’s past and its vision for the future.

The center is “at the heart of our commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement,” Auburn school Superintendent Susan Dorris said in a statement last week.

She praised the center for not only being a tremendous venue for students and their events, but for becoming “a key destination for performances and events across the state, enriching Maine’s cultural landscape.”

Principal Val Ackley echoed the excitement surrounding the new space. “It truly is a phenomenal venue, long-awaited in this community,” she said. “We’ve enjoyed watching our students perform here, and it’s made a huge difference. Having school-wide assemblies in a venue like this, rather than in the gymnasium, creates an entirely different and more meaningful experience.”

More information about the venue, including a schedule of upcoming events, is available on the auditorium’s official website elhs.auburnschl.edu/donald_m__gay_performance_arts_center

A panoramic view of the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School in Auburn taken from the balcony. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Frida Zeinali is a staff reporter at the Sun Journal covering mostly local education in Lewiston and Auburn. A Youth Journalism International alum, she came to Maine by way of Marquette University where...

Join the Conversation

Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.