Theater at Monmouth to Present THE MAKING OF A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, 8/7

The British Invasion continues at Theater at Monmouth with Mark S. Cartier's presentation The Making of a Hard Day's Night on Thursday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. Join TAM favorite, Mark S. Cartier, as he covers a ten-month period in the history of the most influential band in the rock era: The Beatles. Developed as a final piece of component of the trilogy which includes The Beatlemania Years: 1962-1966 and Beatles: The Studio Years 1967-1970 produced at TAM in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The Making of a Hard Day's Night starts in late 1963, as Beatlemania blossomed in Britain. United Artists offered the Beatles the chance to star in their own rock 'n' roll film. Mark S. Cartier traces how the group conquered America, unleashed the British Invasion, hosted their own television special, and launched their first world tour-all while simultaneously helping to create what Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice calls "the Citizen Kane of juke box movies."

In his 18th season at TAM, Mark S. Cartier was only nine when the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. "I had never been interested in the music my parents listened to, or even the rock and roll that teenagers were following, but something about these guys and their sound grabbed me," he said. "I became a lifelong fan."

Looking for something to occupy his time between acting gigs, his wife Jane recommended he do something with his love of the Fab Four and his sizeable collection of memorabilia. This resulted in the first two presentation covering the two halves of the band's recording career-The Beatlemania Years 1962-1966 and The Studio Years 1967-1970-Cartier brought these to libraries throughout southeastern Massachusetts; they were so successful that they were put in the season at TAM for the past two years. Producing Artistic Director Dawn McAndrews asked Cartier to think about a third to complete the trilogy as part of this year's British Invasion season. "It made perfect sense to concentrate on the film that legitimized them for many adults and critics in the summer of 1964," Cartier said. This year also marks the film's 50th anniversary, and a restoration of the film has been released worldwide.

Ticket prices for The Making of A Hard Day's Night are $25. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For calendar and reservations, please contact the TAM Box Office at 207.933.9999 or visit www.theateratmonmouth.org.