Acadia Community Theater, or ACT, seeks to enrich the lives of individuals, families and the community by encouraging growth and expression in theater arts and by providing live performances on and around Mount Desert Island.

In 1994 a group of teachers formed the “After School Players” to stage shows for and including children in the Mount Desert Island, Maine area. This group was subsequently renamed the Union 98 Teachers’ Theater. According to an e-mail from Debbie Mountford, that first group included Mark Puglisi, Maryann Van Dorn, Debbie Mountford (nee Hacket), Paul Winkler, Paula Richardson-Gannon “and whoever else we could nab!”

In 2000, the group formed the non-profit corporation Acadia Community Theater and shortly thereafter was recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 charitable organization. The activities of Acadia Community Theater are overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors.