For the second year in a row, The Public Theatre in Lewiston has been voted “Best Theatre in Maine” by readers of Down East Magazine in its annual readers’ poll.

“To be included in this list, selected by the readers of Down East or its editorial team, means that you are truly part of what makes Maine great,” said Down East editor-in-chief Kathleen Fleury. “Our readers and team take the task of selecting this annual ‘Best Of” list very seriously. It really is an honor.”

“Winning this award two years in a row is a great victory for us and for Lewiston-Auburn,” said Artistic Director Christopher Schario, who also acknowledged another Lewiston business, The Vault, on their award for “Best Wine Store.” “We’re located a few blocks away from each other on Lisbon Street in downtown Lewiston, and I think this award is indicative of the exciting and positive things happening in our community.”

Celebrating its 24th season, The Public Theatre is a professional Equity theatre dedicated to producing Broadway-quality theatre for the people of Maine at an affordable price. Featuring a top ticket price of only $20 and a youth ticket price of $5 for anyone age 18 and younger, the Theatre produces the most recent and exciting plays from Broadway and off-Broadway featuring professional actors from New York to Los Angeles.

The Public Theatre’s upcoming season will include the Maine premiere of the Tony Award-winning play “Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike”; Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Patrick Shanley’s latest Broadway hit, “Outside Mullingar”; A.R Gurney’s popular play “The Cocktail Hour,” featuring Ellen Crawford and Mike Genovese from NBC’s “E.R.”; and Neil Simon’s classic comedy “The Sunshine Boys.”

Special productions will include the Theatre’s acclaimed version of “A Christmas Carol” and Maine humorist Susan Poulin’s latest show, “I Married an Alien.” For more information on The Public Theatre, call 782-3200 or see www.thepublictheatre.org.

The full list of “Best of Maine” winners appears in the July issue of Down East Magazine.