‘As Maine Grows’ Performance aims to entertain, spark discussion

AUBURN – Many Mainers may remember “Taxing Maine,” the award-winning play about the history of state taxes that toured 34 Maine sites, including the Auburn Public Library, in 2006. Now, The Theater at Monmouth’s David Greenham and Dennis Price are back, this time to tackle the many issues facing our state as we move into the future.
Their new production, “As Maine Grows,” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 8, at the Auburn Public Library.
Using historical characters, humor, little-known facts, thought-provoking stories and current material gathered from the general public, the play explores the issues of growth and development in Maine. The show will encourage the audience to consider how history, customs and attitudes influence the way we think about change and growth in our state, and about individual preferences in relation to the common good.
Following each performance, actors will engage the audience in a discussion of ideas raised in the play
“We modern Mainers like to think that we’re the first ones who have tried looking ahead to envision the future of Maine. In fact, Mainers have been passionately arguing about these issues of growth and development for about 400 years,” said Greenham. “‘As Maine Grows’ will share some of the great stories of the past in the context of our present challenges. Can all that history be fun? You betcha!”
The play and the discussion will last one hour. The program is appropriate for teenagers and adults. The Maine Humanities Council is offering this program to interested communities all over Maine at no charge. For more information, call the library at 333-6640, extension 2023.