the Rep sets its sights on Mill Pond

The Mill Pond Center for the Arts in Durham closed in 2008 amid a spate of closures of performing arts venues across the Seacoast. Last year also saw the demise of The Bell Center in Dover, The Stone Church in Newmarket and Ioka theater in Exeter.

But fresh hope is emerging this spring. New tenants have leased The Stone Church with plans for a restaurant and music venue, and a potential buyer is campaigning to rescue the Ioka. More recently, the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth has announced plans to purchase the Mill Pond Center and put it back to use.

Crippled by unforeseen winter expenses associated with heating and snow removal, Mill Pond went on sale in August 2008. The property on Route 108, including an old house and barn, is now owned by Federal Savings Bank, which has listed it on the market at $650,000. That’s far less than the $1 million-plus the former nonprofit owners paid in 2007, and the Rep’s board of trustees sees a unique chance to grow.

“This opportunity presented the board and staff with a chance to expand the programs that are best supported for the organization,” said interim managing director Stefany Shaheen. “It’s not often that a property like the Mill Pond Center becomes available.”

The purchase is still contingent on a number of factors, including the sale of one of the Rep’s two properties in Kittery, Maine, as well as due diligence with the town of Durham and other financing matters.

The Rep put its building on State Road on the market a few weeks ago. That facility, located across the street from Golden Harvest Produce, is used for housing actors and site construction. The company will retain its other Kittery property on Walker Street, which is used primarily for rehearsals. But both properties have long since reached their capacity. “There really just wasn’t a lot of opportunity to expand,” Shaheen said.

The house at Mill Pond, a restored tavern, has five sizeable bedrooms that could be used to house actors. The adjacent barn includes a dance studio, rehearsal space and a small theater, as well as several accessory apartments that could potentially generate rental revenue.

“We intend to house our actors, to construct our sets and to expand programming, particularly in the area of youth, so adding summer camps, adding youth workshops and other educational outreach activities,” Shaheen said.

The property would also house the Rep’s youth-run BlackBox Theater Productions, and the company anticipates using the barn for play and poetry readings, slams and other youth productions.

“We’re just beginning to work with the town to determine what approvals we would require and what the capacity is,” Shaheen said. “It really does present an opportunity to have another venue where we can perform.”

Although the barn’s roof is in need of repair, the house is ready to be occupied, and the Rep plans to make few alterations to the property. As soon as the deal is done, Shaheen said, the company can begin moving in. Meanwhile, the Rep’s main theater on Bow Street in downtown Portsmouth is gearing up for its next production, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!,” which opens June 12. 

Ultimately, Shaheen hopes reviving the Mill Pond Center will prove beneficial not only to the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, but to area residents who lost a major theater resource when The Bell Center closed in March 2008. Shaheen believes the Route 108 corridor leading from Newmarket to Durham can become a local hub of artistic activity.