The word 'monster' derives from the Latin monstrare: 'to show.' The monsters of folklore and fairytale

often represent some abstract idea that may otherwise be difficult to grasp. Monsters distill our fear

and loathing into a concrete form—they embody some aspect of our world or ourselves that otherwise

remains hidden, haunting the shadow of our psyche.

Our Rarer Monsters strives to create a theater dedicated to the exploration of these shadow-selves. We

approach humanity's great stories with a particular focus on the antagonist, the 'monster', the thing the

story seeks to show us.

We do not aim to make every play into some sort of black-and-white morality tale. Rather, we

recognize that, because they represent aspects of the actual world, most monsters are complex and

fascinating. In 'real life,' getting close enough to jealousy, ambition, vengeance, or tyranny to learn

about the hazards they pose could lead to personal disaster. The theater allows us to get to know these

dangers intimately, including the nuances and contradictions that undergird them, without our actual

lives on the line.

In this way, Our Rarer Monsters believes that the theater is uniquely suited to provide audiences young

and old the experience of living with our monsters, seeing them up close, and being moved by what

they reveal—to pity and fear, to laughter, to triumph at their defeat. But moved, above all, to grapple

with things that otherwise we cannot touch. We draw upon stories from around the world and across

history—folk tales, legends, myths, classics, and originals. We use whatever technique seems most

appropriate for the story at hand—puppets, masks, dance, song, improvised commedia dell'arte, or strict

iambic pentameter. The unifying element, the spark that brings our stories to life, is audience

imagination.

We invite you to come imagine with us. Let us show you a monster.