From Theater at Monmouth

MONMOUTH – The Theater at Monmouth will present the show Aesop’s Guide to Friendship, from June through August, both inside and outside Cumston Hall on Main Street.

The theater invites parents to bring their young adventurers to CAMP AESOP this summer where they’ll use their imaginations to explore important lessons of perseverance and kindness in TAM’s Family Show production of Aesop’s Guide to Friendship, by Dawn McAndrews, based on the beloved fables.

Join the theater starting Saturday, June 19 at 1 p.m., and enjoy shows through Thursday, Aug. 13, with matinee performances on both weekdays and weekends.

Aesop’s Guide to Friendship explores age-old stereotypes to help young and old alike focus on ways to be better friends, neighbors, and citizens. TAM’s adaptation, full of song and play, explores behaviors that are helpful or harmful to friendships and communities.

Director Ian Kramer said, “Over the course of time, these stories have been shared by many cultures in different languages all over the world. They are universal stories. And that is a beauty of storytelling: you can tell or perform the same stories countless different ways, but their main values are always present. I think Aesop was a man ahead of his time. He knew that personifying animals was one of the best ways to reach his fellow human, to remind us we are all not so different. And perhaps that’s why we still tell these fables: to teach and learn what it means to be human.”

Playwright and Producing Artistic Director Dawn McAndrews said the impetus for writing Aesop’s Guide to Friendship was, “Every year, we survey teachers to see what books or classic literature they would like TAM to bring to life for their students. A few years ago, they almost unanimously told us they used the fables of Aesop to explore making good choices. The fables lend themselves to broad interpretations, so I brought my experience as a camp counselor at a YMCA Camp and my 10 years as a Girl Scout and these modern takes on the fables are the result.”

Aesop’s Guide to Friendship features Sarah Goldman on Team Trickster; Michael Rosas on Team Predator; Reece Santos on Team Peacemaker; and Tori Thompson on Team Prey. Set Design by Stacey Koloski, Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha, Lighting Design by Steph Bottum, Prop Design by Emma Kielty, and Sound Design by Rew Tippin.

Performance Calendar: OPENING 6/19 at 1 p.m.; additional performance dates 6/26, 7/3, 7/10, 7/24, 8/3, 8/7, 8/10, 8/13 at 1 p.m.

For calendar and reservations, please contact the TAM Box Office at 207.933.9999 or visit www.theateratmonmouth.org.

Theater at Monmouth, founded in 1970, was named the Shakespearean Theater of Maine by the State Legislature in 1975. The theatre’s mission is to present innovative approaches to Shakespeare and other classic plays through professional productions that enrich the lives of people throughout Maine.

Since its founding, TAM has produced expertly crafted, engaging productions in its four-month Summer Repertory Season entertaining audiences from 36 states and through Education Tours annually reaching more than 15,000 students statewide.