MONMOUTH — Theater at Monmouth presents the Maine Premiere of Tira Palmquist’s “Age of Bees,” an eerily prescient drama written in 2008 about a world-wide pandemic and its aftermath on people, the planet, and, most importantly, the bees. Mel finds safe haven on an isolated farm, tending to the last blooming apple orchards as primary pollinator. Enter Jonathan, an independent field researcher collecting samples of plants to start anew. Mel sees possibility and purpose in Jonathan, and in Mel, Jonathan discovers a secret that could save the world.

Palmquist’s coming-of-age drama, imagines a world where environmental disaster, and a rapidly spreading plague, has reduced civilization and decimated hope. Still a group of orphaned and abandoned girls find shelter and possibility in the rebirth of an apple orchard. The key to saving humanity is just a drop of blood away starting Thursday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. through Thursday, Aug. 19 including matinee and evening performances on both weekdays and weekends.

Director Eddie DeHais asks, “What do we do in the wake of a global pandemic? This is not just a question we are all wrestling with in this moment, but one that is alive in ‘Age of Bees’ by Tira Palmquist. A global pandemic has devastated the human race and ten years later there are only small pockets of survivors barely scraping by. On an apple orchard in Ohio, we meet two young women, Mel and Deborah, struggling with the painful transition from childhood to adulthood when all the rules have changed. ‘Age of Bees’ shows us a world that has spiraled much further down the well than our own, and provides a blueprint of how to not just survive but a way to find hope in building anew.

Playwright, Tira Palmquist, is known for plays that merge the personal, the political, and the poetic. Her most produced play, “Two Degrees,” premiered at the Denver Center, and was subsequently produced by Tesseract Theater in St. Louis and Prime Productions at the Guthrie (among others). Her play “The Way North” was a finalist for the O’Neill, an Honorable Mention for the 2019 Kilroy’s List, and was featured in the 2019 Ashland New Plays Festival.

“Age of Bees” features Charence Higgins as Sarah, Amber McNew as Mel, Michael Rosas as Jonathan, and Tori Thompson as Deborah. Directed by Eddie DeHais; Set design by German Cardenas-Alaminos, Costume Design by Elizabeth Rocha, Lighting Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal, Properties and Scenic Art by Emma Kielty, Stage Management by Kailey Pelletier, and Sound Design by Rew Tippin.

Performance Calendar: OPENING 7/22 at 7:30 p.m.; additional performance dates 7/23, 7/31, 8/4, 8/10, 8/14, 8/15, 8/19 at 7:30 p.m., 8/18 at 1:00 p.m.

Engagement Programs

Post-Performance Discussions. For 2021 Post-Performance Discussions will be pre-recorded and audiences will be able to stream the content before or after their selected dates. Discussions with the cast and creative team will cover the critical historical, artistic, and cultural perspectives of the worlds of each individual play.

Tickets, Subscriptions, and Ways to Save. A TAM subscription offers the greatest 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 Plays are $36 for adults, $31 for senior citizens, and $22 for students (18 and under). Family Show tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for children. Due to limited capacity this year, individual tickets must be bought at a minimum of two tickets.

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

Individual Day-Of Tickets: To help with capacity limits, Theater at Monmouth is restricting the purchase of one individual ticket to day of show. Please call the Box Office at 207.933.9999 to purchase these tickets.

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 three-month Summer Repertory Season entertaining audiences from 36 states and through Education Tours annually reaching more than 15,000 students statewide.