Penobscot Theatre at 25

To understand what keeps a city from being just a collection of traffic lights and places to shop, look beyond the strip malls into what its residents volunteer to support. In Bangor, that often means the Penobscot Theatre Company, an unusually successful enterprise about to observe its 25th year.

Penobscot Theatre Company is not just the only professional acting group in the Bangor area; it is growing proof that hard work in the arts will be rewarded here. And it is more than that: As an introduction to the performing arts to thousands; an attraction to people wondering whether to relocate here; a vital part of a downtown that needs all the vitality it can get, the theater’s quarter century of operation is reason to celebrate.

The company, which began its life in the former function hall of the Unitarian Universalist church — purchased through community donations — has since expanded along the waterfront for its annual summer Shakespeare festival, now in its sixth season, and into the Bangor Opera House in 1997. The nonprofit does it on an annual budget of about $500,000, with most of that coming from donations and grants and 40 percent through ticket sales.

A region far larger than Bangor supports the theater, of course. It draws from throughout this half of the state in addition to attracting tourists passing through. Year after year, attendance at the theater has increased – the number of season subscribers alone has gone from 211 to 1,240 in the last six years. This support has been reciprocated by more than fine performances. For the last few years, for instance, theater members have gone into the schools — many of which have inadequate or no arts programs — and offered workshops. Last year it held 117 Shakespeare in the Schools programs, reaching 6,400 students. It’s a great way to introduce what is often challenging material, and has the additional benefit of letting young people know there is more to entertainment than videos and computer games.

Adults could learn something about that, too. The company makes it simple by opening its indoor shows at a special low rate; its Shakespeare festival has a family rate that is less expensive than going to the movies. Dress in all three locations is casual, and there often are tickets available for that night’s performance. It’s easy-access, no-snob theater at its best.

All of this leads to a company that grows stronger by the year and that, in turn, has more to offer the community, adding to the city’s connection to the arts also offered, for example, by the well-established Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the smaller Robinson Ballet Company. Together, they make the city something special. And members of The Penobscot Theatre should be proud of the contributions they have made to the region for the last 25 years.

Shakespeare on the River opens tonight for a four-week run of “Cymbeline,” “Henry IV, Part One,” and “The Compleat Wks of Wllm Skspre (Abridged).” For those who prefer to stay indoors, the theater at 183 Main St. currently offers the comic revue “Six Women with Brain Death or, Expiring Minds Want to Know” through Aug. 14.