Deertrees Theatre - The Theatre

The Theatre

Designed in the Adirondack style by Harrison G. Wiseman and built by George Locke of Bridgton, the theatre was constructed of rose hemlock harvested on the property. The proscenium arch was made from whole tree trunks and the beams, doors, trim, and light fixtures were all handcarved. The building was designed so the entire auditorium with its pitched floor could be detached from the stage end and moved forward allowing an extra section with more seating inserted. It boasted a thirty-member orchestra pit, stage dimensions identical to the Metropolitan Opera House, and the best technical equipment of any theatre outside of New York. Two large barn doors located behind the stage could be opened for an authentic forest backdrop. Whether by chance or design, the theatre also had near perfect acoustics. More than sixty years after the theatre first opened, Christopher Hyde, classical music critic for the Maine Sunday Telegram, theorized that the tight sheathing of rough hemlock and pre-stressed posts and beams created the effect of a large stringed instrument able to transmit vibrations efficiently without echoes or reverberation.