MONMOUTH — Theater at Monmouth will celebrate wily, wicked and wonderful women through classic literature’s most fantastic females next summer. From fierce matriarchs, unfaithful wives and every Madonna in between, “Roar! The Year of the Woman” will spotlight the women who move mountains for their families, friends and most importantly, themselves. Taking on tyrants, freeloaders and faithless frauds, these femme fatales will fight for what they believe in, charting a course to a better world for their sisters and daughters.

The 2018 Summer Repertory includes Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” directed by Kristin Clippard, and “Richard III,” directed by Dawn McAndrews; Daniel Elihu Kramer’s “Pride@Prejudice,” directed by Janis Stevens; Matthew Barber’s “Enchanted April,” directed by Kate Bergstrom; and Frederick Knott’s “Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” directed by Sally Wood. The Family Show is “The True Story of Little Red,” adapted by Dawn McAndrews and directed by Tess Van Horn.

For the Fall Show, opening Sept. 14, TAM returns to Gilbert & Sullivan with “Pirates of Penzance,” directed by Adam P. Blais, music direction by Rebecca Caron. Since its founding in 1970, TAM has produced Shakespeare’s works and many other classics during the Summer Repertory Season and on tour throughout Maine.

“Not only are women featured center-stage,” says producing artistic director Dawn McAndrews, “but all the summer repertory directors, costume designers and set designers are women. When I began planning this season 18 months ago, I had no conception of just how relevant the theme of Season 49 would be.”

In addition to the plays programmed for the summer, TAM invites audiences to join for Classics in Context Discussions before each opening night in July for audiences to dialogue with artists and scholars about the cultural, social and historical background of the plays.

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.

“Pride@Prejudice,” June 23-Aug. 17, by Daniel Elihu Kramer, directed by Janis Stevens.

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall in love all over again in this romantic deconstruction of Austen’s beloved novel. Playfully reinvented with modern-day characters literally stepping off the page to blog, google and tweet, this homage to one of the world’s most popular love stories is delivered with humor, wit, and just a little sass.

“Twelfth Night,” July 5-Aug. 19, by William Shakespeare, directed by Kristin Clippard.

Orsino loves Olivia. Olivia loves Cesario. Cesario’s really a woman disguised as a man who’s fallen for her boss, Orsino. Love, and a little mischief, throws everyone for a loop in this comic jaunt of misdirected desire. Where music is the food of love, and nobody is quite what they seem, anything proves possible.

“Richard III,” July 12-Aug. 18, by William Shakespeare, directed by Dawn McAndrews.

Crowned by means of shameless seduction, lies, and bloodshed, Richard Plantagenet makes the happy earth his hell as he carves a bloody swath through all that stand in his way. Shakespeare’s “game of thrones” concludes the “War of the Roses” play cycle with one of literature’s most ruthless, remorseless and relentless characters.

“Enchanted April,” July 19-Aug. 16, by Matthew Barber, directed by Kate Bergstrom.

Feeling lost in the shadows of marriage and post-World War I society, two London housewives rent a villa in Italy for a ladies-only holiday, reluctantly recruiting a pair of difficult upper-class women to share the expense and experience. Under the Mediterranean sun, the women clash, bond, and bloom; ultimately finding their lost selves in the garden of earthly delights.

“Dial ‘M’ for Murder,” July 26-Aug. 17, by Frederick Knott, directed by Sally Wood.

Money. Marriage. Murder. A retired tennis pro plots the murder of his unfaithful wife — but when she turns the tables on her attempted assailant, she is convicted of murder. Can the police detective who brought her to trial now decipher the clues that will save her life? The play that inspired Hitchcock’s suspense classic weaves an ever-tightening web of danger and deception.

Family Show

Each summer, TAM presents a play for families adapted from classic literature. Due to the popularity of these productions, the Family Show now opens in late June and runs throughout the season.

“The True Story of Little Red,” June 30-Aug. 16, adapted by Dawn McAndrews, directed by Tess Van Horn.

Everyone knows the story of Little Red who set off through the woods to bring sick Grammy some bread. But what if Red wasn’t so sweet, and Grammy not helpless but strong, the Woodsman a bully, and the Wolf the top dog? So how does anyone know which version of the story is true? In the end, that decision is left to the audience.

Fall Show

TAM is pleased to announce that due to audience demand Gilbert & Sullivan returns for the Fall Show.

“Pirates of Penzance,” Sept. 13-23, by Gilbert & Sullivan, directed by Adam P. Blais, music director Rebecca Caron.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilarious farce is packed full of sentimental pirates, bumbling British Bobbies and improbable paradoxes. Join the band of swashbuckling buccaneers, Victorian maidens and the delightful “model of a modern Major-General” for a rollicking romp over the rocky coast of Cornwall.

All 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.

A TAM subscription offers savings and exclusive benefits like priority seating and ticket exchanges. Gold, Flex, General, Senior or Senior Plus Passes are available for purchase. Single tickets for the Summer Repertory and Fall Play are $34 for adults, $29 for senior citizens, and $20 for students 18 and under. Family Show tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children.

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

Under 30 Rush Tickets: For patrons under 30, twenty $10 Rush Tickets are available at each performance in the season. Sign up by contacting the Box Office, either by emailing boxoffice@theateratmonmouth.org or calling 207-933-999 the morning of the performance. Tickets can be picked up 30 minutes before curtain.

To reserve single tickets, subscriptions, or arrange group sales, visit www.theateratmonmouth.org or call the box office at 207-933-9999.

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