REVOLUTION Comes to West Cape May Elementary School

Spies, intrigue, tea thrown overboard, and how General Washington spent the winter of 1778 - it's all part of "Revolution!," a compilation of nine short plays written by fifth and sixth graders under the guidance of their teacher, Ms. Calabro at West Cape May Elementary School, and Gayle Stahlhuth, artistic director of East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC). On Wednesday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m., the performance is open to the public, admission-free, at West Cape May Elementary School, 301 Moore Street, West Cape May.

This residency began mid-February when Stahlhuth was working in New York City. While teaching the American Revolution, Calabro began helping students write scripts, that she then e-mailed to Stahlhuth who made notes and suggestions, and e-mailed them back for further revisions. Stahlhuth begins working in the classroom on March 7, encouraging further rewrites while directing the scenes. Since the focus is on writing, and revisions could continue even a few hours before curtain, some actors may be holding scripts during the performance.

This is the tenth year ELTC has provided a theater residency to this school due to funding from New Jersey Theatre Alliances' (NJTA) "Stages Festival." NJTA is the statewide consortium of professional theaters in the Garden State, of which ELTC is a proud member.

"The "Stages Festival" offers dozens of performances, workshops, classes, and events at theaters, art centers, libraries, schools, senior centers, and other community venues throughout the state. The program was developed to encourage New Jersey's residents to attend their local professional theaters by making the experience affordable, accessible, and fun. Since its inception 20 years ago, the program has served over 190,000 people. To receive a full schedule of events, visit www.stagesfestival.org.

Founded in 1981, NJTA is the first statewide organization for professional, not-for-profit theater companies and is a leader in developing model programs that foster collaboration, cooperation, and audience development. The Alliance provides member theaters a wide range of supportive services and programs. For arts patrons, the Alliance provides accessibility services, discount ticketing through NJArtsTix, and various public programs including "The Stages Festival."

After ELTC's mainstage performances of "Detectives Holmes and Carter" on Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18 at 8:00 p.m. at The First Presbyterian Church of Cape May, 500 Hughes Street, the show goes to the Mahwah Public Library on March 19 for a 2:00 p.m. curtain. This performance at the library is free, also due to funding from "The Stages Festival," as are the performances of one of ELTC's popular touring shows, "Victorian Magic," starring Broadway veteran Robert Aberdeen. This will be seen at Cumberland County College on March 19, the Lacey Branch of the Ocean County Library on March 25, the Wyckoff Public Library on March 26, and the Tuckerton Library on March 27.

On Tuesday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m., a staged reading of an hour-long version of "A Year in the "Trenches" will be at The Bickford Theatre in Morristown, NJ, under the direction of artistic director, Eric Hafen. NJTA and the NJ Historical Commission asked Stahlhuth to oversee the creation of the script. James Rana wrote the play, with Stahlhuth as dramaturg, and she is directing the full production in Cape May in the fall. Another "Stages Festival"" event, admission is free. Other staged readings will be at the Toms River Public Library and Fort Dix.

Reservations for "Revolution!" are appreciated, and may be made by calling 609-884-5898, or e-mailing eastlynneco@aol.com. Although admission-free, paper items for the Food Closet are appreciated. To learn more about this and other ELTC events, go to www.eastlynnetheater.org.

"The Stages Festival" is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; and The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey. Additional program support has been provided by The Smart Family Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation, and PSEG Foundation.

Photo credit: Gayle Stahlhuth

To post a comment, you must register and login.