MIO’s Creative Ensemble is preparing for two November performances of the original play “Broken Clock” in Lewiston and Portland. The Creative Ensemble is a group of staff and Lewiston community artists using theater to explore themes connected to our identities, life experiences, and the world in which we exist together. Check out the official webpage for the Broken Clock Tour for more information about the ensemble and the performance. 

Learn more about our October Open Mic Night, our community landing pad project, and meet our new board members!

We are kicking off our Fall season of play creation, performances, community events, and open mics. We know that difficult experiences and questions will emerge and we are excited to use art and theater to be in deeper dialogue and relationship in the midst of challenge and crisis. Check out what we are up to!

Maine Inside Out is kicking off our Fall season with a free performance at Celebration Barn in South Paris, Maine on Friday, September 6 at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm).

July is a month for gratitude, reflection, and rest at Maine Inside Out. We are celebrating the incredible people who make this work possible: the MIO team, our partners, our supporters, and our entire community - you! What an incredible first 6 months of the year. Thank you for being a part of MIO’s vision to build connection and leadership across boundaries, identities, and generations. 

MIO’s Juneteenth Festival “The City That Carries Us: Pain, Streets and Heartbeats” was a beautiful celebration of community, love, and joy.

Join us on June 19 for “The City That Carries Us: Pain, Streets, and Heartbeats” a Juneteenth festival in Lewiston featuring public art, community parade, performances, and a block party. Maine Inside Out is honored to host this free event in partnership with the City of Lewiston with incredible community partners and local artists. 

Maine Inside Out’s performance season is in full swing!

“Streets & Heartbeats” is the first event in our Spring festival series “The City That Carries Us: Pain, Streets, and Heartbeats! The festival honors community, joy, and grief through public art events and performances culminating with a parade and block party on Juneteenth. 

Please join us for “Life Lost in the Streets” an original performance created and performed by currently incarcerated artists. The performance will be followed by a dialogue with the play creators and a dinner reception. 

Spring is here and MIO’s creative process is in full swing. These are the moments when groups of artists and collaborators turn to face each other in deep connection and trust for one another and for the creative process that is unfolding between them. Soon these circles will open up into performances, street parades, and block parties. You are invited to join us in these magical, live moments when performers and audience members meet as co-creators of an encounter that can only happen once.

Since February, two groups of 7th grade artists at King Middle School have been collaborating to create two new performances. Join us for the original play premieres on May 13 and May 15 at 5pm at King Middle School 92 Deering Avenue in Portland! 

Co-Executive Director Announcement; “Pieces of Hope” Open Mic Night; “The City That Carries Us: Pain, Streets, and Heartbeats”; The Parable Path; and Mountain View Theater Project News

Maine Inside Out would not be possible without the support, care, and partnership of our community. We are grateful for all the ways you’ve shown up to engage with our workshops and performances, partner on projects, and support our work. 

Join us for our last open mic night of 2023! This event will be a place to say farewell to Bruce & Margot, MIO’s Co-Executive Directors.

Our film features our work this past year with artists at Lewiston Middle School, King Middle School in Portland, and Mountain View Correctional Facility; the most recent Mountain View performance & our October Open Mic Night

Our work facilitated by MIO’s talented theater team is made possible by our supporters (like you!) who are building a world of courage, trust, and connection that attends to the systemic roots of harm. In this time of immense grief here in Lewiston and beyond, MIO’s approach shifts power and inspires new perspectives, creating openings for change and healing. Our model is built on supporting system-impacted leaders and artists with peer support, leadership development, and mutual aid. 

The end of 2023 marks our last day as Co-Executive Directors at MIO. It has been a beautiful journey in our shared role, learning and growing over the past 3 years together. Bruce will leave the role after 8 years at MIO - 3 years in the Co-Executive Director role and 5 years on the MIO board - and Margot will leave the role with 15 years at MIO as co-founder and in various staff roles over the years and most recently 3 years as the Co-Executive Director, alongside Bruce. We thrived as a leadership team and are now leaving the role to the next team of leaders. 

We are here and have been on the ground with our MIO community and Lewiston friends, family, and partners today, supporting each other as we continue to receive news and updates as the tragedies continue to unfold