The Theater at Monmouth will not take the stage at Cumston Hall this summer, as the organization which normally brings professional Shakespearean performances to central Maine has canceled its summer season citing financial reasons.

The theater’s board of trustees recently determined the Theater at Monmouth will not present a summer season in 2026, and said in a statement on its website that after a review of its finances, it is not in a position to mount productions this year.

The statement noted the board “will be evaluating the path forward, including different operational models for the Theater. We want to be candid that we are not able to make promises about the future at this time, but as we explore our options, we do so with the hope of inviting you all to once again gather in Monmouth.”

Dennis Price, caretaker and manager of Cumston Hall, the town-owned historic and architecturally unique building which hosts the theater in the building’s ornate opera hall, and also contains the town’s library, said in announcing the cancellation that he hoped it would give the theater time to raise additional funds, possibly in time for their holiday shows in November and December.

The Theater at Monmouth and Cumston Hall are separate entities. Since 1970, the Theater at Monmouth, a nonprofit that puts on professional plays, has rented the opera hall and office space at Cumston Hall.

Price said the cancellation is a huge blow to Cumston Hall, the town and state, but said they are confident they will be able to offer entertainment in Cumston Hall in one form or another this year. He said the theater will still host its Food Truck Fridays series and is actively looking to fill some of the gaps left by the absence of the theater’s usual shows.

“Since 1990, Cumston Hall has stood as an achievement of the artistic integrity and creativity that flows through central Maine,” Price said on social media. “We have no doubt that it will continue to lead us through this difficult time.”

The theater board’s statement on the cancellation said, like many small arts organizations, the Theater at Monmouth has faced rising production costs alongside revenue that has not kept pace. It said they’ve reached the point where producing their regular summer season as planned would put the institution itself at risk.

Ticket holders and subscribers, the statement notes, will be contacted directly in the coming weeks. And refunds will be available for all 2026 tickets and subscriptions.