The Monadnock Summer Lyceum welcomed their third speaker of the summer July 9, as Peterborough Players Artistic Director Tom Frey took to the stage to discuss the important role of live theater in American culture and how the art affects the audience’s emotions. 

Prior to starting his role as artistic director in 2021, Frey was a member of the Players’ acting company for 12 years. Throughout his career in theater, Frey has managed over 20 productions of the production “2 Pianos 4 Hands” and has performed the show over 600 times across the United States and Canada. 

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the complications it brought, Frey managed to direct numerous Players productions, including “Our Town,” “Cabaret,” “Circle Mirror Transformation” and “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline” and “Always … Patsy Cline.”

Frey began his speech by noting that this year, Peterborough Players celebrates its 90th anniversary. Commonly known as the “Long Arm of Peterborough,” Peterborough Players has been a staple in the community, bringing new seasons of productions to the region since 1933. 

For Frey and many other Players, the theater was both a humble beginning and a place they will always remember. 

“Artists refer to this place as magic and home. Wherever you go in the theater community, you come back to [Peterborough] to draw from the well,” said Frey.

Frey went on to describe the theater as more than just an entertainment space. It’s a place where people can come together, share stories and experience real connections with the actors. Essentially, Frey said the theater is an experience unlike anything else.

“I think of the theater as an empathy machine and empathy is taking on another person’s emotions in that moment. This is the rare connection the theater offers us time and time again. We learn to sit together in the dark so we can love each other in the light,” said Frey. 

Despite the theater’s significant role in American culture, Frey said live theaters nationwide are suffering greatly, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Netflix effect, which has caused consumers to favor more-convenient ways to stay entertained without leaving their homes. 

After his speech, Frey said he hopes the theater continues to stay resilient amid these changing times. 

“I would really like to see [Peterborough Players] become even more of a gathering place, a place for engagement and fun,” said Frey. 

On Sunday, July 16, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum will host guest speaker Matthew Boulton, who will speak about nature writing and walking. Doors to the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church open at 10 a.m.