Monmouth, Maine – Theater at Monmouth continues their long-standing legacy of being the Shakespearean Theater of Maine and celebrates an incredible 56th year of producing classic theatre with their From the Desk of… Season. The plays of the season include two of Shakespeare’s great works; one more commonly known with many adaptations, and the other a little less known and not as widely produced. The others will include fun and exciting spins of two profound literary authors: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jane Austen. From the mistaken identity in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to the duplicitousness in Cymbeline; TAM’s 2025 From the Desk of... Season includes oodles of comedy, silly young lovers, and cross-gartered servants. The madness continues in Kate Hamill’s remake of the Holmes and Watson partnership in Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B and the fresh take on Jane Austen’s works in The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged, Theater at Monmouth has brought together a bevy of intrigue and hijinx to tickle your funny bone all the way to your car. And for the Fall Show, TAM presents The Rewards of Being Frank by Alice Scovell, a sequel to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

“It’s been TAM’s mission to foster a more diverse, more inclusive, more welcoming environment for audiences and artists alike,” says producing artistic director Dawn McAndrews, “to educate young minds, engage patrons with new and differing points of view, and to program seasons that represent a range of perspectives, beliefs, and circumstances.”

Season Co-Sponsor: Main Street Psychotherapy
Acting Company Co-Sponsor: Kennebec Savings Bank
Media Sponsor: Turner Publishing Inc.

WHAT CRITICS AND AUDIENCES SAY ABOUT THEATER AT MONMOUTH

On TAM’s 2022 production of Lysistrata: “Engaging music and dance numbers considerably enriched the opening night mood in the ornate theater. A Michael Jackson-style funky backbeat inspired the young cast members to show their best moves while adding a line or two in familiar-sounding vocal accents to meet the director’s stated goal of making this production [of Lysistrata] “accessible to our audience but also faithful to the spirit of ancient Greek theater.”–Steve Feeney, Portland Press Herald

“It is important for venerable institutions (in a remote state like Maine) to dare. Kudos to TAM for daring.” –Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold, Broadway World

“Local gem! This is our third year having seasons tickets and each year, the plays are better. This season for us ended with Hamlet and a NY production could not have been more moving or entertaining. I have never had tears in my eyes when Hamlet dies! Fantastic plays are produced in this gem of a building set in rural Maine. A treat for everyone! –sbasgall, Bath, ME. Tripadvisor review

“Great summer theater. Not much going on in the evenings in south central Maine in July but the Theater at Monmouth is a special treat. We have been coming up to Wayne, Maine for the last 7 years and each year we see 2 plays at TAM. Some are Shakespeare, some are comedy and some are drama but the acting is always excellent (very enthusiastic) and we really enjoy coming here. Highly recommend TAM if you are looking for an evening event--good for adults and families.”–maplest151, Brooklyn, NY, Tripadvisor review

SUMMER REPERTORY SEASON

Performances take place in Cumston Hall, a 250-seat Victorian opera house designed by Harry Cochrane. Since its founding TAM has rehearsed and performed in rotating repertory, inviting audiences to see the actors in different roles in different shows in one weekend. Each of this season’s five productions features artists “From Away” and “Made in Maine” both newcomers and TAM favorites.

Twelfth Night | July 10 – August 24

By William Shakespeare | directed by Zane Alcorn | Sponsored by David & Christine Heckman

After surviving a shipwreck, twins Sebastian and Viola have been separated and think the other to be dead. Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario and goes into service for Duke Orsino. Orsino loves Olivia, who falls in love with Cesario (who is really Viola), and Viola falls in love with Orsino (who thinks she is a man named Cesario). Then Sebastian arrives, causing a flood of mischief and mistaken identities in this joyful romp where music be the fruit of love.

"It is susceptible to make someone laugh by mockeries, but to put a smile on someone’s face with the wittiest remarks is quite a difficult task. Shakespeare has had the gut of it. Twelfth Night, although along with its multiple plot twists and turns, still capable to bring humor in predicaments.” – Fatima Masaud, Google Review

Zane Alcorn (He/Him) is a Theater and Opera stage director who has worked across the country with highlights including The Adventures of Pinocchio (Director; Boulder Opera Company), the world premiere of Benny & Joon (Assistant Director; The Old Globe), Kiss Me, Kate (Assistant Director; Central City Opera), THIRST & FOG (Director / Producer; Theaterlab NYC), Fire In Chains (Director / Producer; San Diego Fringe Festival), The Government Inspector (2nd AD; Red Bull Theater), the staging premiere of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio (Stage Directing Intern; Cincinnati Opera), The Magic Flute (Assistant Stage Director; Opera Orlando) and many more. In addition, he has over ten years of experience in Stage Management, Casting, Dramaturgy, and Producing. Zane was previously the Equity Assistant Stage Manager for Theater at Monmouth during their 2022 Season. Zane is an alumni of the San Diego State University BA Theater program. WEBSITE: zanealcorn.weebly.com

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B | July 17 – August 22

by Kate Hamill | Directed by Dawn McAndrews | Sponsored by Robert & Cynthia McGuire

An Irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick. It’s a Modern-day Baker Street where the manic, razor-sharp genius Holmes, and recuperating American divorcée Watson, tumble from caper to caper. But when the quasi-dysfunctional, female Odd-Couple, mystery solving duo come face to face with a villain who has all the answers and is always one step ahead, uproarious adventure, high-stake hijinks, and non-stop laughter are imminent.

“Witty & relevant. Hamill pays homage to Doyle’s mysteries while using a feminist lens to tackle contemporary issues of gender, revenge ****, the dark web economy, and the pandemic’s toll—and she does so with incredible care and wit. Sharp, playful, and moves at a rapid-fire pace… hilarious.”
—Portland Monthly

Dawn McAndrews (She/Her) has worked at theatres across the country including Shakespeare Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, Portland Stage Company, and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. Directing credits: The Pajama Game and Love’s Labour’s Lost (UMO); Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Colby); The Language Archive (Public Theatre); As You Like It, Eurydice, Sofonisba (World Premiere), Sense & Sensibility, Richard III, The Winter’s Tale, Peter & the Starcatcher, The Mousetrap, Of Thee I Sing (TAM); The Glass Menagerie, Holiday, and Three Days of Rain (1st Stage); Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice (The Orange Girls), Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Antigone (St. Louis University), adapting and directing A Christmas Carol (Portland Stage) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Southwest Shakespeare Company).

The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged | July 24 - August 23
by Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast, & Meghan Winch
Directed by Adam P. Blais

A funny, fast-paced frolic through the masterpieces of Jane Austen. Three actors take on all of Austen’s beloved heroines, friends, and love interests – and her incisive social satire – in just 80 minutes. But when they lose a cast member, the two remaining Janeites must teach an understudy about her work. It is a truth universally acknowledged that an audience in possession of high spirits must be in want of a ticket to this big-hearted comedy that will delight Austen fans and newcomers alike.

“An affectionate tribute to the author whose characters live indelibly in the minds of readers all over the world… The show’s real charm lies in its delicate negotiation between homage and parody.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

Adam P. Blais (He/Him) is a Maine based Director, Choreographer, Stage Manager and Educator. Previously at Theater at Monmouth: 15 productions including Always…Patsy Cline, Souvenir, Cox and Box, The Story of My Life, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Daddy Long Legs, and Murder For Two. Additional credits include work with The Public Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, The University of Maine, Waterville Opera House, and others. Adam holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Maine, and a M.A. in Leadership Studies from the University of Southern Maine, and serves as the Production Manager/Artistic Associate at The Public Theatre and the Drama Director at Mt. Ararat High School. Proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. adampblais.weebly.com

Cymbeline | July 31 - August 23
by William Shakespeare | directed by Kristin Clippard | Sponsored by David Harbour
Princess Imogen has defied her father, Cymbeline, King of Britain, by marrying the commoner and orphan Posthumus rather than the Queen’s doltish son from her previous marriage, Cloten. Determined to control his daughter, Cymbeline exiles Posthumus, who travels to Rome. There the villainous Iachimo scorns Posthumus’s confidence in his wife’s virtue, boasting that he could seduce her. Irritated by his arrogance, Posthumus wagers his ring on Imogen’s faithfulness. In Britain, Iachimo hides himself in her bedroom and emerges at night to observe intimate details of her body and to steal her bracelet. These seeming proofs of infidelity send Posthumus into a jealous rage, and he orders his servant Pisanio to kill Imogen.

“Cymbeline is full of marvels and immortal poetry (including a "dirge" that is one of the finest lyrics in the English language) and it is graced with a heroine--Imogen--who is as admirable, lovable and brave as any the poet has created.” - Goodreads

Kristin Clippard is delighted to return to TAM after having directed Twelfth Night in 2018. Selected credits include: Ugly Lies the Bone, A Night in November, Dear Jack, Dear Louise (Florida Studio Theatre), The Luckiest People, A Christmas Carol (Orlando Shakespeare Theater), As You Like It, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Richmond Shakespeare Festival), Macbeth (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company), Twelfth Night (Island Shakespeare), Native Gardens, What the Constitution Means to Me, Morning After Grace (The Hippodrome Theatre), Silent Sky, The Roommate (American Stage), Alabaster (Capital Stage), The Agitators (freeFall Theatre), The People Downstairs (Stageworks). Kristin holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Iowa, and a BFA in Acting from Wright State University. She is an associate member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association, Theatre Communications Group, and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. She sits on the Board of Directors for The National New Play Network.

FALL SHOW

The Rewards of Being Frank | September 18 – 28
by Alice Scovell | Directed by Dawn McAndrews

A rollicking sequel to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Seven years have passed since the marriages of Algy and Cecily and Ernest and Gwendolen. As the couples, aided by the widowed Lady Bracknell, search for an at-home tutor, they encounter Frank, and suddenly the seven-year-itch needs scratching. Be prepared for a fresh round of mistaken identity, monetary mischief, and battles over cucumber sandwiches. You are cordially invited to this new tour-de-FARCE, where you’ll learn “It’s Important to be Earnest, but more rewarding to be Frank.”

“The Rewards of Being Frank is silly, charming, and full of laughs as it exceeds expectations of a sequel. It captures many of the same qualities of the original Earnest.” – League of Cincinnati Theatres

MONMOUTH, MAINE

Monmouth is located just off Route 202 in the Winthrop Lakes Region of central Maine. By car, the Theater is 20 minutes from Augusta, 20 minutes from Lewiston, 45 minutes from the Mid-Coast region, 45 minutes from Portland, and 90 minutes from Bangor. Monmouth and neighboring towns Winthrop, Hallowell, Augusta, and Lewiston offer a variety of attractions suitable for the whole family, including the Monmouth Museum, Cobbossee Colony Golf Course, Mount Pisgah Hiking Trail, Children’s Discovery Museum, Maine State Museum, Viles Arboretum, Bates College Museum of Art, Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary, and more. These areas also offer a myriad of dining options including The Sedgley Place, DaVinci’s Eatery, Fish Bones Grille, Gritty McDuff’s Brewpub & Restaurant, The Liberal Cup, and Slates Restaurant. Visitors can enjoy a stay in Monmouth at one of the several bed and breakfasts or nearby hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, and Senator Inn & Spa.

CUMSTON HALL

Performances take place in historic Cumston Hall, which towers dramatically over Monmouth's Main Street. While Dr. Charles M. Cumston donated the funds for the building to the Town of Monmouth in 1899, it has always been a gift shared with the community at large. A registered National Historic Building since 1976, the building's architecture is a mix of Romanesque-style asymmetrical columns and towers and varying external textures of the Queen Anne period. The 250-seat opera hall features elaborate plaster carvings, and a fresco mural ceiling.

SUBSCRIPTIONS, SINGLE TICKETS, AND GROUP SALES

A TAM subscription offers savings and exclusive benefits like priority seating and ticket exchanges. Gold, Flex, General, or Senior Passes are available for purchase, so whether you want a ticket for each show or five tickets to one show, there’s an option for you. Single tickets for the Summer Repertory and Fall Show are $43 for adults, $38 for senior citizens, and $28 for students (18 and under). Prices shown are inclusive of a $3 per ticket fee.

Opening Nights are Educator Nights. Educators receive 20% off tickets with a photo ID at the Box Office.

Under 30 Rush Tickets: For patrons under 30, $18 Rush Tickets are available at each performance for up to twenty patrons (price shown is inclusive of $3 per ticket fee). Sign up by contacting the Box Office, either by emailing [email protected] or calling 207.933.9999 the morning of the performance you’d like to attend. Requests made before the day of the performance will not be processed. Tickets can be picked up 30 minutes before curtain.

Monmouth Nights: The first performance for each show is Monmouth Night! Residents of the Town of Monmouth can get $18 tickets (Price shown is inclusive of $3 per ticket fee, Proof of Residency may be required). For Monmouth Night tickets, call the Box Office at 207.933.9999.

To reserve tickets, subscriptions, or arrange group sales, please visit www.theateratmonmouth.org or call the Box Office at 207.933.9999.

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