“I’m kind of an old shoe at this point, I don’t know that anyone would be interested.”

This was Cathy Sherrill’s response to a request for an interview. Sherrill is the executive director of the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor. The average tenure of a nonprofit executive director is 3.5 to 4 years (compasspoint.org.) So when Sherrill likens herself to an old shoe, it is an extra-wide measure of her success in leading the OH. Sherrill has been blazing a trail for the OH for almost 11 years. Under her leadership, today the OH is self-supporting, and financially solvent. The historic building is sound and safe. The OH has a strong volunteer base, a loyal audience base, and it has become a highly desirable performance venue for artists from all over the world. According to the music industry executives she interacts with, The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor is one of the top two desirable venues in Maine for musicians. The OH story is nothing short of a miracle for a seasonal peninsula town.

Sherrill’s passion for historic preservation brought her through the doors of the OH for the first time. In 2006, when the board of directors was attempting to save the former Knights of Pythias building, Sherrill took a very big step up to the plate and volunteered to help. They agreed that using the space as a performance venue was the path most likely to help them achieve their goal.

With a background in, and love for, performance production, Sherrill was everything the board needed from a volunteer. Working largely alone, and in a very short amount of time, she produced a fundraiser that brought the legendary musician Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits to the OH for a benefit concert. That was the night she knew that the goal to preserve the building, and contribute to the cultural enrichment of the region, was well on its way.

Sherrill’s day-to-day duties aren’t much different from they were when she was a volunteer.

“The strongest skill set for my job is being able to juggle seven balls all at once.” Before the lights go up for a live performance, there are hours and hours of planning,” she said. “It is a fluid process that requires the ability to go with the flow. Much like a live performance, the process is vulnerable to any number of things that can take an unexpected turn.

The idea phase is first. Sherrill works with the Planning Committee on selecting future performances. The next step involves connecting with booking agents and negotiating contracts. There are times the process happens smoothly and quickly. At other times, the process can take two to four years. Contract negotiation is followed by the execution phase. Securing needed equipment, ensuring technical operations are in working order, arranging lodging and dining for performers, making sure the concessions are stocked, restrooms cleaned, and volunteers are scheduled.

Sherrill does this year round for 85 to 90 performances per year. “The reward comes after a performance ends and the audience has been transformed by the experience.”

Her favorite event is the annual Gingerbread Spectacular and Dough Ball. She describes it as magical event that is of the community, and for the community. One year, a little boy walked into the room and when he saw all the trees, lights and gingerbread houses, he turned to his mother and said, “Mom! This is better than New York!”

“It was at that moment that I was reminded that we (the OH and the region) are better than almost any place in the world,” Sherrill said. Those are the moments when she is certain that the OH is being true to its mission. “This place is still here, and it’s better than it was.” Not bad, for an old shoe.