In 1955, theater producer Steven Slane, bandleader Ruby Newman, and attorney C. Henry Glovsky founded the North Shore Music Theatre.

[3] After Route 128 was finished in the 1960s, permanent walls were constructed along with heating and air conditioning, and the capacity of the theater was increased from 1,000 to 1,750 and later 1,800 seats.

[4] The financial distress of the theatre was also attributed to a poor management decision, which canceled the extremely popular annual production of A Christmas Carol in favor of High School Musical 2.

Although more than $500,000 in pledges had been made since the theatre announced a turn-around strategy in mid April, not enough money was raised to save the season.

In November 2009, Bill Hanney, a Massachusetts investor and owner of Theatre-By-the-Sea and Entertainment Cinemas, a chain of 10 movie theaters in New England, looked to purchase the North Shore Music Theatre.

[12] The theatre continues to thrive and grow under owner Bill Hanney, annually producing a five-show subscription series and a unique popular production of A Christmas Carol.