A Message from the Board of Theater at Monmouth

To our audiences, artists, and friends across Maine and beyond,

The Theater at Monmouth has been a beloved Shakespearean theater delighting audiences in Maine for over 50 years. That’s why our Board of Trustees is committed to working tirelessly to raise the funds needed to bring TAM back for a 2027 season.

The Theater at Monmouth needs your support now more than ever. 

Every dollar counts. TAM is truly a community theater, a theater that is funded by its patrons giving what they can to ensure that the tradition of high quality Shakespearean theater continues in Maine. The Theater at Monmouth has always been made possible by you. By all of us.

As a Board of Trustees, we are committed to increasing our oversight over both fundraising and the theater-going experience at TAM. We will be hiring a new Producing Artistic Director, and we have welcomed three additional Trustees to help bring us a new season. Returning board member Robin Struck returns to TAM bringing 38 years of experience. Ben Lund, longtime patron, sponsor and former board member, returned to the Board in July. Kelly Caiazzo, a longtime patron with a volunteer background in development and board governance, joins TAM for the first time.

This is not the first time the Theater at Monmouth has faced challenges. Tight finances are a hallmark of many excellent theaters who wish to bring incredible shows to the public without charging too much for tickets and losing patrons, and while producing quality shows and taking care of the people who produce them. TAM sent out a letter in 1988 informing patrons that they needed to raise $35,000 by February 1st in order to have a future. In 1996, the theater’s Trustees sent a letter reminding patrons that ticket prices only covered 50% of production costs, and that their donations were very much a “To Be or Not to Be” situation for the theater.

Rather than finding these patterns disheartening, they give us hope. They remind us that the generosity, good faith, and love of theater demonstrated by TAM’s supporters in 1988 and 1996 gave us over 30 years of plays. We hope to honor what they have given us by ensuring that the Theater at Monmouth continues for as many more seasons. Please help us by making a donation today. We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that TAM has a 2027 and beyond, and plan to communicate more with our patrons and donors in the coming months.

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We express many thanks for all the ticket holders who chose to donate their tickets from the 2026 Season to the theater. 

 

 

Member of the Shakespeare Theater Association