Theater at Monmouth's Shakespeare in Maine to Tour HENRY V

William Shakespeare's dynamic and relentless history, Henry V, is TAM's Shakespeare in Maine Communities offering for 2015. Henry V will tour for three weeks to schools and community centers across the state and run for one weekend only in Cumston Hall October 16-18. This production is supported in part by the Maine Arts Commission and The Betterment Fund.

Theater at Monmouth has provided literature-based education programs in schools and community centers since the Theater's founding. Since 2005, TAM has taken the Bard on the road with Shakespeare in Maine Communities- featuring 60 to 90-minute adaptations of Shakespeare with five to eight actors. The target grade levels for this tour are middle and high schools; previous tours have reached more than 6,000 students annually. For more information about TAM's Education Tours visit www.theateratmonmouth.org/education-tours

A young king makes a rash decision to go to war. Against overwhelming odds, Henry V leads the country to victory, conquering France and winning the hand of the heir to the throne. But there's a terrible cost in human life and ruthless acts of moral ambiguity. In this propulsive, provocative production, Shakespeare's rousing history culminates Henry's complicated three-play journey from disaffected prince to legendary king.

Director Bill Van Horn, Theater at Monmouth company member since 2001, has directed and acted in numerous productions since then. A relocated New Yorker now living in Philadelphia, Bill frequently acts, directs, and writes for the acclaimed Walnut Street Theater. A successful playwright, screenwriter and librettist, Bill's script and narration for the award-winning documentary Workshop for Peace appeared on PBS stations throughout the country and is seen by thousands of visitors each day at the United Nations. For Henry V Bill looked to a theme prominent in young adult fiction-dystopian worlds in conflict. "We want to demonstrate that Shakespeare's war play still has lessons to teach us today. The story of a ragged band of kindred souls united in a cause, opposed by an overwhelming and powerful enemy, is ubiquitous. This plot-whether it be Harry Potter and his friends opposing "he who must not be named," Frodo and his companions battling Sauron; or Katniss Everdeen defying the Capitol-has the shape and depth that energizes and engages young readers. It is the plot of William Shakespeare's Henry V."

Henry V features Hannah Daly as Boy/ Alice/ Westmoreland, Ian Kramer as Dauphin/ Jonathan/ Bardolph, Connor McAndrews as Montjoy/ Pistol/ Canterbury, Erica Murphy as King Henry V, Kathleen Nation as Exeter/ Isabel/ Nym, and Amanda Robinson as Fluellen/ King of France. Fight choreography by Leighton Samuels, Set design by Stacey Koloski, costume design by Elizabeth Rocha, and lighting design by Jim Alexander.

Performance Calendar: Shakespeare in Maine Communities will tour Henry V to schools and performing arts centers October 9-30. Public performances at Cumston Hall in Monmouth: October 16 & 17, 7:30 pm; October 17 & 18, 2:00 pm; Ticket prices: $20-25. For tickets or booking information call 207.933.9999 or visit theateratmonmouth.org.

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