This was my third visit to Hackmatack and the ambiance still remains a deciding factor to visit. I saw Barefoot in the Park, and Once in the past. This year, we saw Singing in the Rain. Unfortunately this production was confusing and the actors were not as good as the past two productions. I was confused because the set did not change and it was a living room. Did the female lead dream the experience? Was she watching a movie? Was it time travel? It is often good when a director puts their own spin on a production but, not great when it interferes with the understanding of the play! Perhaps I am gauche but honestly, I felt the confusion created by the staging interfered with my enjoyment of the play. Just stick to the classic, that is why it is a classic! I still love this barn theatre! I love the atmosphere, the eagerness of the performers and just the whole venue in general.

Hackmatack is the 8th summer theatre I have visited in my quest to attend as many summer stock theatres in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut as possible this year. If one were to look for a definition of summer theatre in a barn Hackmatack is it! This place is magical ! The only thing missing was Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney ( Summer Stock cira 1940). It's a barn, a genuine barn with the names of the stalls for the cows still prensent on the walls!! You could bring a picnic and visit the farm animals before hand if you wanted to!!The owner/farmer( Connor Guptill) did the pre-show summary and had his little girl (7ish) handing out programs. He mentioned that he was not as dressed up for the occasion because afterward he it was piglet pick up day at the pen out back and he needed to hand out piglets!!! At intermission people all went to the refreshment stand to get some blueberry pie made by Connor Guptill's mother!! While I did not go for any I saw the lucky ones eating theirs and heard many sadly lamenting that they ran out. I heard Connor tell someone his mother made more for the later performance and he did not dare break into those!! Can this be anymore of an authentic experience? No way! Not to mentiton the program had an ad asking people in the area if they could provide lodging for the performers! Hackmatack is owned by the Guptill family and the theatre has been there for 50 years!! We saw Barefoot in the Park. The cast was great. At first I was confused with the choice of actor to play Paul Bratter because his physical appearance did not align with previous actors playing the role (Robert Redford ) primarily it was a little distracting. However, he was great as Paul and to be honest by the end of the performance, I realized he was perfect because he was the physical illustration of the complete opposite of the personalites of Paul and Carrie (who was extremely petit)! I don't know if this was deliberate or just luck but it works! The rest of the cast was great too! Their performance was natrual and not stilted. As we were leaving, Mr. Guptill greated all the guests and thanked them for coming. I was thinking about his daughter and if she would ever realize how truly fantastic a childhood he was giving her as well as passing down a family legacy of both hard work and the joy of providing the community with this quintessentially American theatre experience! In my opinion, this type of theatre experince needs to be supported and preserved. No divas, no politcal garbage just pure wholesome entertainment presented in a gorgeous setting!Note: If you go in summer a paper fan would be a great help because the barn does get hot (Yes even more authentic) and a small pillow because the chairs are hard.

Excellent summer theater venue in southern Maine. Good production and performance and wonderful environment. Will definitely be back for next summer’s performances.

Always a fun time to see local theater in an open barn (even when we are sweating in 95 degrees, or freezing in 58 degrees!). Living 10 minutes away, I have seen several shows at Hackmatack, including Les Mis, Tick Tick Boom, and Little Women. If you have extra time it's nice to wander the beautiful grounds and visit the animals. The concessions have some upscale offerings like homemade blueberry pie and ice cream from Rococo (the goat cheese blackberry Chambord was excellent!).

I grew up in Berwick seeing shows here, so hackmatack was the place that instilled a love of live theater. I am so happy it is back up and running. Yes, the theater is rustic, which is part of the charm. The level of talent always impresses. This is a gem! If you are in the area, go...20 minutes from Wells. Easier to get to than fighting route 1 traffic to the Ogunquit Playhouse.