For over fifty years, The Rangeley Friends of the Performing Arts (RFA) has been fulfilling our Mission of “Bringing the ARTS to Life!” by presenting a broad array of high quality arts programs. Mixing local artists with professionals from outside the area inspires our youth, families, seniors and visitors to learn, to create, and to appreciate the Arts.  After years of renting available venues, we now have a home, the RFA Lakeside Theater, in the heart of downtown! Click HERE to see our “About the RFA” video.

The RFA is in its 55th year of growth with a positive bottom line.

The RFA provides direct benefits to all 200 youth in the Rangeley Region, through:

  • Sponsoring school trips to venues like the Portland Symphony and Portland Museum of Art
  • Presenting a college scholarship to a graduating senior
  • 2 weeks of Summer Drama Camp
  • Dance lesson scholarships
  • Musical Instrument Instruction Scholarships
  • Providing space for dance lessons and annual dance recitals
  • Annually sponsoring a professional actors Artist-in Residence at the school
  • Providing technical assistance for school productions: their annual Musical, Poetry Out Loud, Night on Broadway, Talent Show and other events.
  • Providing production assistance and production training for school productions
  • Our Annual Community Musical Production, which usually involves as many students as adults
  • CASA, our FREE Creative After School Arts program for students in 5th-9th grade.

The RFA benefits the local community by:

  • Sponsoring the Rangeley Community Chorus
  • Providing live entertainment, both musical and dramatic, as well as a creative outlet for local performers
  • Bringing in a variety of professional arts events yearly: Classical, Ragtime, Celtic—music of all sorts, Art Shows, Photography exhibits…
  • Making available for rent the only fully-functioning auditorium space within a 45 mile radius
  • Bringing First-Run Movies as well as classic and Indie and other film events to the area year-round
  • Providing the Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery – a professional space for local and regional artists to exhibit their work to the public in rotating exhibits year-round
  • Buying locally whenever possible/using local contractors

We earned a 2021 Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. Learn more about our organization’s impact through our #Nonprofit Profile HERE. For our complete Annual Report, please click HERE.

The Rangeley Friends of the Arts does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all our event participants, volunteers, and staff.