Press Release: History of Theater on Cape Cod with Sue Mellen

Cotuit Center for the Arts welcomes author Sue Mellen in a reading, discussion and presentation of her new book “A History of Theater on Cape Cod” Saturday, October 24, 2pm in the main theater.

Author and theater reviewer Sue Mellen lifts the curtain on the rich history of theater on Cape Cod, beginning—where it all began—in Provincetown. She paints a vivid picture of the early years of American drama on the culture-rich peninsula, bringing attendees into the world of Eugene O’Neill and the Provincetown Players, the Barnstormers and other early groups. Then, as she does in her book, A History of Theater on Cape Cod, she takes audiences on a tour of the Cape’s many-faceted theater history, giving theater-lovers an insider’s view of what has made Cape theater great.

About the Book, A History of Theater on Cape Cod

You might think that American drama was born in one of the theaters on Broadway. But, in fact, truly American theater was born on Cape Cod in 1916, when a group of artists and writers in Provincetown mounted a production of a one-act play, Bound East for Cardiff, by a little-known playwright, Eugene O’Neill. They staged the play in a makeshift theater on a wharf in what was then little more than a sleepy fishing village. From that artists’ colony—and others like it across the Cape and Islands—Cape theater culture grew into the constantly expanding theater universe it is today. The theatrical descendants of O’Neill and the Provincetown Players continue to present classical drama, contemporary hits and new, experimental works to audiences that have come to expect the best. In her tour of the theaters from Provincetown to Falmouth, author and entertainment columnist Sue Mellen reveals the rich past behind a unique cultural treasure.

Free Admission!

Reservations Required. Masks Required, Social Distancing Guidelines enforced.

Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28, Cotuit, MA 02635. For more information, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.

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What:

“A History of Theater on Cape Cod”

Where:

Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit, MA 02635

When:

October 24, 2pm

Admission:

FREE

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