PORTLAND
MAYO STREET ARTS
Updated
This week at Mayo Street Arts: Fri 10/16 — Tophat Productions' Phantom of the Opera. Upcoming: Fri 10/23 — Traditional Arts Performance Showcase, Fri 10/23 — Balla Kouyaté: Malian Djeli and Balafon Player, Fri 10/30 — Heck House's Super Spooky Haunted House: Lost in the Woods Edition.
ABOUT
Mayo Street Arts is a community arts center located at 10 Mayo Street in Portland's East Bayside neighborhood. The venue occupies a former Danish Lutheran church (St. Ansgar's, built in 1890) and operates as a theater, concert venue, art gallery, and meeting space. It seats 110 people and is known for its natural acoustics.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Programming focuses on puppetry, folk music, and dance, with a varied lineup that includes live music, theater, and visual arts. The venue provides affordable artist studios, rehearsal space, and a teaching platform for visual and performing artists of multicultural backgrounds. Events serve the surrounding community including nearby public housing.
HISTORY
Mayo Street Arts was founded in 2009 by Blainor McGough and Brian Arlet. The organization first leased the building from Roxanne Quimby's charitable foundation, then purchased it in 2013 with a donation from the Brooks Family Foundation. Ian Bannon succeeded McGough as executive director in 2020.