Love, Loss, And Power Incite Civil Unrest In Shakepeare's ANTONY + CLEOPATRA At Theater At Monmouth

Theater at Monmouth opens Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra as part of the It's Greek (and Roman) to ME! Season. Antony + Cleopatra, one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, weaves a web of the spell-binding relationship between the Queen of Egypt, and her Roman lover, Antony, one of the Triumvirate of Roman rulers that vie for Cleopatra's Country and attention.

Reason and judgement prove no match for the tsunami of mutual passion engulfing Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Surrendering everything to their desires, they open the floodgates to a civil conflict that will shake the very foundations of their world. Shakespeare's dark and intimate portrait of this storied affair features some of the most transcendent poetry on love and loss in the cannon. Surrender to desire Thursday July 7th at 7:30 p.m. through Saturday, August 20th including matinee and evening performances on both weekdays and weekends.

Traditionally the play has been portrayed through a Roman lens and looks down on the Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, but director Charlene V. Smith challenges, "By calling Antony + Cleopatra a Roman play, we are priming ourselves to interpret the play through the eyes of the victors...How would our perceptions change if we looked at this play through an Egyptian lens, rather than a Roman lens? Rather than judging Egypt through Rome's eyes, we might see it as a site of joy and of rest, qualities that should be celebrated rather than shamed. Rather than seeing her [Cleopatra] as Antony's downfall, we might see the tragedy of these two deeply passionate lovers on equal footing being torn apart by world politics."

Antony + Cleopatra features Erin Amlicke as Agrippa/ Soothsayer, A.J. Baldwin* as Charmian, Trezure Coles as Cleopatra, Joseph Dolan as Proculeius, Rebecca Ho as Eros, Michael Liebhauser as Antony, Amber McNew* as Enobarbus, Caitlin Ort as Pompey/ Octavia, Roberto Perez* as Thidias/ Clown, Jamie Saunders as Ventidius/ Menas, Tennah Sillah as Iras, Ray K. Soeun as Octavius/ Alexas, and Michael Dix Thomas* as Lepidus/ Scarus. Directed by Charlene V. Smith; Set Design by German Cardenas Alaminos, Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha, Lighting Design by Jen Fok, and Sound Design by Simon Marland. Stage Management by Ingrid Pierson*. Assistant Stage Management by Zane Alcorn* and Hailey Glick.

*Members of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Performance Calendar: PREVIEW 7/7 at 7:30 p.m.; OPENING 7/8 at 7:30 p.m.; additional performance dates 7/16, 7/20, 8/4, 8/12, 8/20 at 7:30 p.m., 7/24 at 7:00 p.m., 7/31, 8/4, at 1:00 p.m.

Post-Performance Discussions. Join us on selected weekend evening performances for Post-Performance Discussions with the cast and creative team. Discuss the critical historical, artistic, and cultural perspectives of the worlds of each individual play. Post-Performance Discussions will take place on the following dates: Saturday July 9, following the performance of Lysistrata, Sunday July 24, following the performance of Antony+Cleopatra, Sunday July 31, following the performance of Comedy of Errors, Sunday, August 7, following the performance of Amphitryon, Sunday August 14, following the performance of Eurydice.

Tickets, Subscriptions, and Ways to Save. 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 Play are $37 for adults, $32 for senior citizens, and $23 for students (18 and under). Family Show tickets are $18 for adults, $13 for children.

Opening Nights are Educator Nights. Educators receive 20% off the general ticket price with a valid photo ID at the Box Office.

Under 30 Rush Tickets. For patrons under 30, $10 Rush Tickets are available for up to 20 audience members at each performance in the season excluding the Family Show and Special Events. Contact the Box Office by email boxoffice@theateratmonmouth.org or by calling 207.933.9999 after 10 a.m. on the day of the show. Requests made before the Box Office is open will not be processed.

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

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