Jump to content

Greenwood Garden Playhouse

Coordinates: 43°39′14″N 70°11′57″W / 43.65385°N 70.19916°W / 43.65385; -70.19916
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greenwood Garden Playhouse
Greenwood Garden Playhouse is located in the United States
Greenwood Garden Playhouse
Greenwood Garden Playhouse is located in Maine
Greenwood Garden Playhouse
Location Peaks Island, Maine, U.S.
Opening date1884
Signature attractionsOpen-air roller skating rink
Theater
Coordinates43°39′14″N 70°11′57″W / 43.65385°N 70.19916°W / 43.65385; -70.19916

Greenwood Garden Playhouse was a theater on Peaks Island, Maine, United States. Completed in 1884, as an open-air roller skating rink, it was converted to a theater in 1898.[1][2] It became a dance hall prior to its closure in 1957 as a summer stock theater.[3][4] Jean Stapleton's first professional appearance in the summer of 1941 was in a production at the playhouse.[5] Martin Landau also made his professional stage debut in a 1951 production of Detective Story at Greenwood Garden, where for several seasons he was a resident cast member.[6]

Its grounds featured a carousel, a Ferris wheel and a wooden observation tower, which people paid to be able to view Mount Washington,[7] the highest mountain in the Northeastern United States.

The playhouse was located on Garden Place, just off Island Avenue, near the southwestern tip of the island.

In 2021, the garden was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Greenwood Garden Theater, Peaks Island, 1985". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  2. ^ Batson, George (1948-07-01). ""Ramshackle Inn," Presented by Greenwood Garden Playhouse". Theatrical Programs.
  3. ^ "Greater Portland Landmarks - Peaks Island Amusement District". Greater Portland Landmarks. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  4. ^ a b "Archive of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places in Maine | Maine Historic Preservation Commission". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  5. ^ "Jean Stapleton". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  6. ^ Gates, Anita (2017-07-16). "Martin Landau, Actor Who Won an Oscar for 'Ed Wood,' Dies at 89". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  7. ^ MacIsaac, Kimberly E. (2004). The Casco Bay Islands: 1850-2000. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-3640-8.