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The 1932 Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor’s beloved Art Deco cultural landmark, has announced Courtney Sale as its new Executive Director beginning in February 2026. Sale will lead the revitalization efforts of the historic theatre focusing on programming multiple disciplines including music, theatre, film, dance, and lectures.
“To join the Criterion Theatre as Executive Director is a profound honor,” says Courtney Sale. “I am grateful to Harper House Music Foundation and Stephen and Allison Sullens for their visionary commitment to this beloved theatre. In an age of increasing isolation, our community arts spaces uniquely illuminate our shared humanity – a profound experience to which I have dedicated my entire career. I am excited to bring my experience to the Criterion and engage fully with the Mount Desert Island community to build an exciting future together.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working alongside Courtney at this juncture of the Criterion’s evolution,” says Allison Sullens. “Her experience and expertise in programming and development are incomparable. Her theater and production background is invaluable. She is the perfect person to take the Criterion into the future.”
Sale assumes the position of Executive Director at the 1932 Criterion Theatre following nearly six years as the Nancy L. Donahue Executive Artistic Director at Lowell, MA’s The Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT). In her role as both the executive and artistic leadership of MRT, Sale stewarded the company through Covid closure and led the theatre to recovery in a time when many performing arts organizations did not survive. Among other projects, Sale oversaw the creation of a new mission and strategic plan, growth of MRT’s endowment, installation of a new lighting/sound grid, launch of a new website, and more. Under Sale’s artistic leadership, the MRT produced over 25 productions, more than a dozen readings, placed seven commissions, and engaged scores of artists and artisans. Sale’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol played three seasons, and her recent directing project, Misery, was a critical and box office success.
Prior to joining MRT, Sale served as Artistic Director of Seattle Children’s Theatre, the nation’s leading generator of new work for family audiences and Associate Artistic Director at Indiana Repertory Theatre. An accomplished director with a strong interest in new plays, Sale has developed new work at New Plays for Young Audiences at NYU/Provincetown Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Dorset Theatre Festival, Denver Center, Contemporary American Theater Festival, The New Harmony Project, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and The Orchard Project. Awards and distinctions include Indianapolis Business Journal’s Forty Under Forty Designation and Cornish College’s Distinguished Alumni Award. A proud member of SDC and the National Theatre Conference, Sale holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts, and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin.
ABOUT THE 1932 CRITERION THEATRE:
The 1932 Criterion Theatre has been a vital artistic cornerstone of the Mount Desert Island community since first opening in 1932. One of only two remaining Art Deco theaters in the state of Maine, the Criterion is the only one to have maintained its original auditorium, including its iconic floating balcony. 2025 saw the Criterion renew its long-term commitment to MDI and the surrounding communities with the transfer of all assets to Harper House Music Foundation (HHMF), a non-profit public charity focused on supporting music communities and arts education. Founded by longtime Bar Harbor summer residents Stephen and Allison Sullens, HHMF pledged $1 million in operational, programming, and preservation support while also announcing plans to partner with local stakeholders to steward the Criterion’s future as a vibrant, community-centered performing arts venue. In addition, HHMF will seed the “HHMF Criterion Theatre Preservation Fund,” a donor-advised fund established with the Maine Community Foundation to accept donations to support the iconic venue and further its community and music initiatives.
This summer saw the reopening of the 1932 Criterion Theatre celebrated with a very special concert by veteran San Francisco Bay Area rock band The Mother Hips and GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Leslie Mendelson, followed by a diverse program of concerts and live performances from a wide-ranging array of internationally known musicians, comedians, and popular local artists including David Sedaris, local favorite comedian Bob Marley, The Mountain Goats, Craig Finn, Chris Thile, Asleep at the Wheel, Barrington Levy, Livingston Taylor, Steve Earle, and more. For upcoming shows and events, please visit www.criteriontheatre.org/events.
In addition, the Criterion will continue to screen an eclectic variety of classic and contemporary films. A complete schedule and showtimes can be found HERE.
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