Press

WATERVILLE, Maine—In 1902, the city of Waterville, recognizing the value of the arts and the need for a community gathering space, first opened the doors to the Waterville Opera House. Over the years, much has changed in Waterville, but the Opera House has remained a cultural anchor point. Visitors today enjoy a unique historic grandeur…

Every year, the Waterville Opera House (WOH) stages four community theatrical productions, each a labor of love. Dozens of hands, hearts, and minds touch each show, bringing to life beloved musicals like White Christmas and Matilda, gripping mysteries and thrillers like Murder on the Orient Express and Deathtrap, and slapstick romps like Clue and The…

WATERVILLE, Maine—The 29th Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) closed Sunday, July 19, in Waterville, Maine with the annual presentation of the juried Tourmaline Prizes, recognizing the best Maine-made feature-length and short film productions of the year. The jury this year selected Arabella Oz’s feature film Mallory’s Ghost and the short drama Cloudbound Eagle, directed by…

WATERVILLE, Maine—The Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) returns to Waterville, Maine, for its 29th annual edition July 10–19, 2026. This year presents the most diverse MIFF program to date, with 44 countries represented in the 112-film lineup. Guests from across the globe will make their way to Waterville and—amid this international program—enjoy the very best…

WATERVILLE, Maine—The Waterville Opera House and Waterville Creates are excited to announce the return of Waterville Rocks, a free, outdoor summer concert series held annually at Head of Falls Park in Waterville, Maine. Waterville Rocks kicks off with The Shizzle with Adam Babcock July 10, coinciding with the opening night of the Maine International Film…

Every day, the Maine Film Center concessions sells coffee brewed from beans roasted by Mbingo Mountain Coffee in Waterville. Mbingo founder Churchill Elangwe-Preston grew up in a coffee community in Cameroon before moving to Maine and opening his business, so he is uniquely poised to appreciate all the nuances of the coffee trade, from bean…

WATERVILLE, MAINE—The Maine Film Center has confirmed the full program for the 29th edition of the Maine International Film Festival, held in Waterville, Maine July 10–19, 2026. In what festival director Mike Perreault describes as the “broadest MIFF program yet,” this year’s festival will screen 112 movies, including new American indie, classic rediscoveries, international premieres…

WATERVILLE, Maine—The Maine Film Center is pleased to announce three MIFF Achievement Award honorees for the 29th edition of the Maine International Film Festival, July 10–19, 2026. This year will celebrate the work of producer Christine Vachon, writer/director Alan Rudolph, and producer and longtime festival supporter Mike Kaplan. The annual MIFF Achievement Awards honor those…

WATERVILLE, Maine—Festival passes and packages are now available for preorder at miff.org for the 29th Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), which will return to Waterville, Maine, this summer, July 10–19, 2026. Two tiers of passes are available to patrons. The Full Festival Pass gives patrons the perfect opportunity to customize their MIFF experience with priority…

WATERVILLE, Maine—Ticonic Gallery, part of Waterville Creates, is once again partnering with Colby Arts to celebrate Youth Art Month (YAM) with a multi-site exhibition at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center (93 Main Street, Waterville) and Greene Block + Studios (18 Main Street, Waterville). The program exhibits artwork by more than 300 K–12 students from…

Waterville, Maine—The Waterville Opera House (WOH), part of Waterville Creates, claimed 13 awards at this year’s Broadway World Maine awards, which recognize the best professional and nonprofessional theatrical productions in the state. In addition to winning the Favorite Local Theatre award for the second year running, WOH’s spring 2025 production of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the…

WATERVILLE, MAINE—In less than four years, arts nonprofit Waterville Creates has provided in excess of $250,000-worth of free arts experiences for children and teens through its Youth Arts Access Fund, or YAAF. Anyone aged 18 or under can activate YAAF to cover some or all of the price of admission to any of Waterville Creates’…