“All the world’s a stage” is a saying Ruth and John Gelsinger take seriously, especially when it comes to their own home. Musicians by training – Ruth plays piano, John is a baritone – the couple is putting the finishing touches on a performance stage right in their backyard. When the doors open in June, the Northport Music Theater on Route 1 in Northport will be the newest addition to the midcoast area’s performing arts venues.

The building is not new – it’s a renovated industrial repair shop – but the musicals will be contemporary. The Gelsingers, both of whom have performed and directed locally, intend to use their 3,000-square-foot, 136-seat space to attract musical theater fans and to employ actors, singers, musicians, designers and other theater workers.

As members of the art scene in Maine, the Gelsingers, both of whom are in their 50s, know about the challenges of working as artists in a rural state. John managed a boatyard for many years while singing on the side. Ruth teaches piano during the school year. Together, they have remodeled and managed other properties in Belfast.

This newest venture is both a dream and a retirement plan.

“We want the theater to be entertainment for the community, but my true goal is provide work for artists,” said Ruth. “I was underutilized by my community in terms of available pay, instruments and facilities. But this is how an artist works in Maine. I didn’t want to leave the area. I loved where I lived. So we made it work.”

They hope to make it work again by mounting pocket musicals that are popular at off-Broadway houses and at fringe festivals rather than the traditional, big-cast shows such as “Oklahoma!” or “South Pacific” that are the bedrock of community theaters and Broadway stages. By keeping the programming, cast and crew minimal, the Gelsingers hope to build a unique niche for themselves in the summer performance scene while doing the work they love.

“They are really capitalizing on the groundwork the Belfast Maskers and I and others have done. There’s a talent pool here, and audiences are hungry for quality,” said Robert Hitt, an actor and the former artistic director of nearby Belfast Maskers, a community theater. “I think it’s a great fit for the area. They have a great location. And the building is small, but they don’t need it to be big. It’s better to have a full theater of 100 than a larger theater with nobody there.”

Hitt, who was a consultant on the structural design of the building, said the reach of Northport Music Theater may go beyond local attendance. Because the shows will take place in the summer (at least for now – the Gelsingers hope someday to expand to a winter season) the theater is likely to attract additional vacation crowds from throughout the coastal region.

After researching theaters and interviewing artistic directors throughout the state, Ruth developed a rigorous business plan that won the confidence of the bank for equity loans. Her vintage piano and their properties are all on the line. Unlike most community theaters, the Gelsingers’ company, which is a for-profit operation, has salaries for performers and creative teams built into its mission. Per show, workers will earn between $500 and $2,000 depending on their position, and each production will have a budget of approximately $15,000. Tickets will cost $20 and $25, with special packages for subscriptions.

The theater is designed with a proscenium thrust stage, flanked on three sides with vintage theater seats donated from a film house in Amherst, Mass. Next month, the Gelsingers will hold an invitation-only party to unveil the refurbished space to their friends, neighbors and a handful of volunteers who have helped with the launching efforts.

The first season kicks off in June with “Musical of Musicals: The Musical,” a satire on the genre. Two other shows – “Golf: The Musical” and “Six Women with Brain Death, or Expiring Minds Want to Know” – are revues that have won over audiences for both humor and cleverness. Throughout the season, which runs from June to August, the Gelsingers will feature actors in only 11 roles, eight of which have already been cast.

“This is a chance to do it my way, to do it our way,” said John. “We’ve worked in community theater a lot. I’m still involved in it, and I think it holds a great place. What I want to bring is a level of performance you don’t see in community theater in this area. I want to play all the notes and hear all the dimensions.”

Although the Gelsingers openly call the venture a retirement plan, it is also a bold adventure for the couple, who are additionally are caring for John’s elderly parents in an apartment attached to their home. The convenience of working at home is vital to their family obligations.

“I didn’t realize this theater was down the road in my life,” said Ruth. “But it occurred as a natural outgrowth of my life’s work. That’s Maine. That’s the way we do it in Maine. We mix it up. It’s crazy. But it’s everything.”