Ray Dumont Named New Executive Director at The Public Theatre in Lewiston

The Board of Directors of The Public Theatre recently announced that the Theatre's longtime, beloved Executive/Co-Artistic Director Christopher Schario would be retiring in 2024. In a message sent to the Theatre's patrons, donors, corporate sponsors and friends, the Board celebrated and thanked Schario for his incredible tenure – 30 years of artistic excellence and commitment to the Lewiston Auburn community. Many celebrations of Schario are to come in 2024. He is currently helping to facilitate the transition to new executive leadership.

Lewiston native Ray Dumont will be stepping into Schario's shoes as Executive Director, and artistic continuity will be maintained as current Co-Artistic Director Janet Mitchko assumes the role as the sole Artistic Director for the Theatre.

“I am overjoyed to be coming back to my hometown as Executive Director of The Public Theatre. I grew up in Lewiston and was educated in Lewiston Schools. It's a tremendous privilege to come back and to be able to give back to this wonderful community,” said Dumont who has been working in professional theatre for 30 years. “Christopher has really set a high standard here at the Public, and I know I'll rely on his valuable experience as we transition into this new leadership model.”

A graduate of Boston University School of Management, Dumont holds degrees in finance and marketing. Throughout his decades in theatre, he has been a performer, educator, director, choreographer, and administrator. He enjoyed more than 20 seasons at Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, including four years as Managing Director.  Dumont has worked in theatres all over the country as well as local organizations like The Ogunquit Playhouse, The Huntington Theatre Co., The Children's Theatre of Maine, Mad Horse Theatre, and the aforementioned Maine State Music Theatre. He is a well-known and well-loved member of Maine's theatre community and a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.

In his role as Executive Director of The Public Theatre, Dumont will provide vision and leadership to the Theatre's small but mighty full-time staff of five, managing finances and fundraising, marketing, audience development, and supporting the artistic vision and standards for excellence.

Outgoing Executive/Artistic Director happily welcomes Ray Dumont in his new role as Executive Director of The Public Theatre. Schario says, “I believe that the new partnership of Janet Mitchko as Artistic Director and Ray Dumont as Executive Director will lead the theatre into a stronger and more sustainable future. Janet's role as Artistic Director will guarantee that the theatre's high artistic standards will be maintained and even surpassed. Ray's years of experience in every area of the business will be a priceless asset as the theatre re-structures for the future.”

In 1991, The Public Theatre began its first season producing two plays in a borrowed space at the Auburn Mall. Skeptics throughout the state, influenced by their outdated conceptions of Lewiston/Auburn, scoffed at the idea of a professional theatre succeeding in a former mill town.

The Public Theatre moved into the historic Ritz movie house in Lewiston in 1992, and on Friday, October 9, the theatre opened its production of Moliere's Scapin! to a sold-out audience.  In 1993, the organization signed a contract with Actor's Equity Association, the union of professional actors, and became one of only five Equity theatres in the state. Equity membership allows The Public Theatre to hire the very best actors across the nation. Actors appearing at the theatre have ranged from regulars on the television show E.R. to accomplished performers from Broadway and feature films.  Today, The Public Theatre is one of the most remarkable success stories in the state of Maine and a cornerstone in the cultural life of Lewiston/Auburn. Each season The Public Theatre produces six to eight productions, playing to an audience of over 17,000 people.

Christopher became Executive/Co-Artistic Director of The Public Theatre in 1993, only two years after the Theatre first opened. He was instrumental in contracting with Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors, and, at the time, The Public Theatre became one of only five Equity theatres in the state and the only professional theatre in the Lewiston Auburn area. In collaboration with Co-Artistic Director Janet Mitchko, Christopher has directed and produced more than 150 plays; he has given his hilarious and heartfelt pre-show speech thousands of times to consistent laughs and cheers; he has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, spoken at countless business and community events, been interviewed on the radio and TV (again and again and again), and stewarded the Theatre's student matinee and educational programming. Christopher's passion for making the Theatre an integral part of the lifeblood of our community was (and still is) as strong as his artistic talent for directing and producing wonderful works of art.