Monomoy Theatre Weekend kicks off exciting season

Alumni are invited to the 43rd Monomoy Theatre Weekend June 23 through 25 to celebrate the start of the Ohio University Players' eight-play performance season with the production of the musical "Damn Yankees."

Every year, Monomoy Theatre in Chatham, Mass., becomes a summer home to about 20 undergraduate and graduate thespians who make up Ohio University Players. At Monomoy - one of the country's few remaining university-run seasonal theaters - students gain professional experience in acting, directing, set design, technical work and box office management.

Bob Axline, BSCOM '57, and his wife, Jean, host Monomoy Theatre Weekend each year at their Northboro, Mass., home. Sixty to 100 alumni attend the weekend activities.

"We've done this for about 25 years, and we really enjoy it," says Bob Axline, an Ohio University Foundation trustee. "It's incredible what these students do. They're studying one play, rehearsing another play and giving a play, all at the same time."

Weekend activities include a welcome reception June 23; an outdoor reception, dinner and show June 24; and a farewell brunch June 25. The cost of the weekend activities is $55 a person for those who have paid dues to the Massachusetts Chapter Serving New England and $60 a person for others. To reserve tickets, call Jean Axline at 1-800-742-2273.

Alumni traveling to Cape Cod during the summer can get tickets for other Monomoy performances by contacting the Axlines. Here's the summer performance schedule: "Damn Yankees," June 20 through July 1; "The Glass Menagerie," July 4 through 8; "Lend Me a Tenor," July 11 through 15; "The Corn is Green," July 18 through 22; "Once in a Lifetime," Aug. 1 through 5; "Beauty Queen of Leenane," Aug. 8 through 12; "Arsenic and Old Lace," Aug. 15 through 19; "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Aug. 22 through 26.