The Schoolhouse Arts Center is talking with Westbrook officials about relocating to a new home in the city.

The Schoolhouse Arts Center, currently located at the former Standish High School at 16 Richville Road, plans a move to a newly built location in downtown Westbrook. Contributed / Town of Standish

The nonprofit performing arts center has been headquartered since 1988 in the Lakes Region at the former Standish High School at 16 Richville Road.

“We are actively looking for the perfect location to build our new home,” said Kristofer Kauf, center arts director. “With a new building, we can truly serve our mission and expand.”

Westbrook Mayor David Morse said the center is working with city staff to find a permanent  location in the city’s downtown.

“Their values of community programming and excellence in entertainment align well with our mission of growing cultural amenities in Westbrook,” Morse said.

They are committed to constructing a permanent headquarters, Morse said.

The center plans to build a facility with a main stage for up to 250 people and a studio theater for 80 to 100 people. “In addition to those two performance spaces, we will have rehearsal studios, classrooms and meeting space,” said Kauff, a 25-year veteran with director experience in New York City and off-Broadway.

The center stages several major productions each year such as “Fiddler on the Roof;” Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Seussical the Musical.” The theater’s website said summer musical performances attract hundreds of people.

It also has active programs for youth with weekly summer camps and theater productions.

Kauff expects the center would remain in its Standish location for at least another year. The wooden school was built in 1920, according to Standish property records.

“We are looking to sell the space, hoping that someone can take it over and create new memories in this building,” Kauff said.

Morse said the center wants to be part of Westbrook’s growing cultural scene. A new venue, Morse said, will offer opportunities for theater, film festivals, and concerts that will attract patrons to the city’s downtown and support local businesses.

Downtown Westbrook offers Schoolhouse Art Center patrons  free parking in the city’s new garage and a choice of dining in several restaurants.

“I’m very excited about their plans to come to Westbrook,” Morse said.

The center’s president of the board of directors, Greg Pomeroy, in a message posted on its website thanked the town of Standish, loyal patrons, donors, artists and volunteers.

“We’re deeply grateful for the warm welcome from (Westbrook) city officials and the community,” Pomeroy said in the posting.

Schoolhouse Arts Center can be reached at 642-3743 or emailing: info@schoolhousearts.org.