"Master Harold and the Boys" takes the stage- despite the World Series!

For the past few weeks in a basement not far from the Wawa an usual scene has been taking place. A man in knee pads is scrubbing the floor while another is going through some dance steps and a younger fellow in a school uniform seems particularly agitated. In fact, these were three brilliant artists rehearsing for "Master Harold ...and the boys" which is opening tonight at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse for Cape May Stage. These sought after actors are continuing the tradition of bringing top tier talent to Cape May Stage in this award winning play! Each has distinguished resumes and joins us in our jewel of a theatre because of their commitment to their craft.

Tivo the World Series and skip the commercials to see a live performance where every second is engaging. This newest production is designed to get people talking. We have brought a director from England via Los Angeles to bring a special understanding to this piece. Marlena Lustik Steinberg, a former Broadway dancer, has been consulting with the dance aspects of the play. New lighting and set designers have been engaged to give this play a different look.

On Friday, November 13 PNC Arts Alive will sponsor a special ASL interpreted Performance for our hearing impaired community. "Master Harold...and the boys" by Athol Fugard first burst on the scene some twenty seven years ago and is considered by many to be one of the most important plays in the international canon of dramatic literature. Frank Rich said "we are left with the exultant hope that we may yet practice compassion without stumbling". That it is also funny and beautiful makes it a masterpiece!

Cape May Stage celebrates writers and the Second Stage will present a reading of a Robert Auletta's newest play called "Early On". Actors and directors on both coasts rush to do Robert Auletta's plays. Mr. Auletta is coming to Cape May with actors Ken Ryan and Rebecca Nelson. The three met while at Yale Drama School and all have had important careers in the world of entertainment. On Monday, November 9 at 8 PM the play will be read and discussed. Roy Steinberg will read the stage directions! These Second Stage events are sponsored by Chris and Dave Clemans.

“Master Harold...and the Boys” performances are Wednesdays through Sundays at 8pm from October 28 through November 28 on the Otto Haas Stage at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse, Cape May Stage. Tickets are $35 adults, $25 seniors, and $12.50 students. Call (609) 884-1341 for tickets and information or visit the theatre’s website, www.capemaystage.com. Audio enhancement and wheelchair accessible seating are available with advance notice by calling the box office at (609) 884-1341.

'Master Harold...and the Boys' opens next week with an incredible cast and production team! The Second Stage is hot again!

Athol Fugard is one of the world's most important dramatists and "MASTER HAROLD...and the boys" is widely considered his masterpiece. The play opens at Cape May Stage this Thursday and the opening night party will be at The Mad Batter. The entire opening night audience is invited to party with the cast and crew! Once again, Cape May Stage has assembled an astonishing cast from New York and Hollywood!
Gregg Daniel has been in just about every television show you can name as well as feature films and major theatre! Larry Hines played in Atlantic City with the Platters a short while ago but here has transformed himself into a shy South African waiter. Jared McGuire plays the title role with extraordinary emotional intensity. The director is Elizabeth Swain who comes to us from Great Britain via Los Angeles. A new set designer, Sarah Lambert, who trained at Yale Drama School and works in the most prestigious theatres in the nation has joined our team. Maria Shaplin was brought in to give a new look to the lighting plot. "MASTER HAROLD...and the boys" takes place in the 1950s in South Africa and tells the story of two waiters preparing for a dance competition. Their friendship with the boss's son goes through a major change and this funny, poignant and powerful play will lead to much discussion!

On Friday, November 13 a special American Sign Language performance of "MASTER HAROLD...and the boys" will be presented for the deaf community thanks to PNC Arts Alive. A special screening of the Academy Award-winning film "TSOTSI" will be presented on Monday, November 16 at 8 PM in a joint partnership with Cape May Film Society. "TSOTSI" is a film that was based on a novel by Athol Fugard who wrote "MASTER HAROLD...and the boys". The Artistic Director of Cape May Stage thought that viewing this film would give special insight into the world of South Africa under the system known as Apartheid.

An early reading of a play is a window into the development of the fully mounted production. "EARLY ON" is Robert Auletta's new play and it will be read on Monday, November 9 at 8PM with two wonderful actors from New York who have major credits in the entertainment industry. Robert Auletta is an Obie Award winning writer whose plays have been performed at the Kennedy Center and Yale Repertory Theatre.

New play readings, screenings of related films and special performances of our mainstage productions are all part of our Second Stage Series! There is always something happening at Cape May Stage!

"PROOF" shutters in only two weeks. "Master Harold" takes the stage! Micheal Fischetti appears for one night only!

There are only two more weeks to see what so many people are calling the best show EVER to be at Cape May Stage! "Proof" won the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for best play back in 2002 but this production brings new life to this script with an extraordinary cast in a gorgeous production. Bring a friend and turn a cold blustery October night into a special occasion of great theatre and drinks around the fireplace at one of our watering holes!

The actors for "Master Harold ...and the boys have arrived in Cape May. The director, Elizabeth Swain arrived from London after spending time in LA and New York where she was teaching a series of workshops. She is staying in different housing than the actors becaause "it just wouldn't do to have them see me in my knickers in the middle of the night" as she put it! Gregg Daniel arrived at the Philadelphia airport from Los Angeles where he just finished shooting two different television shows. Google him and be astounded by his body of work in feature films and television. Gregg is also a screenwriter and director. Coincidentally he directed a play at the Fremont Theatre Center where James Reynolds ("I, Too, Am America") is the Artistic Director!

The Second Stage presents Michael Fischetti reading poetry about the ravages of war that leading poets and writers have hailed as "extraordinary". He comes to us from New York where this evening was a huge success. We lost a brave countryman from the Villas fighting in Afghanistan. This evening resonates for all of us as we honor our service men and women fighting for our country!

"Visiting Mr. Green" closes! Rehearsals begin for "Proof"!

Music is all over Cape May - in the bars and restaurants - and the schools and churches all over town. Two time Tony Award winner Michael Starobin has composed music especially for Cape May Stage's production of "Visiting Mr. Green". This is the last week to see this extraordinary production. Aside from the amazing music, many people have said this is the best production to have ever been on our stage. The actors are so believable that they don't appear to be acting. Great conversations about the play are happening all over town. The playwright came and said this was among his favorite productions of a play that has been performed all over the world. Don't miss it!

New music is being composed by Will Knapp for our newest production of "Proof". Roy Steinberg met with Will Knapp in the offices above Martini Beach to give direction about the tone of the music between the scenes. The cast just arrived and is settling into town as they rehearse and discover this newest play to be on our stage. "Proof" won the Pulitzer prize for drama and was made into a popular film. This production previews on September 30 and opens on October 1 with an after party at Carney's. Before "Mr. Green" closes, don't forget Thursday, September 24 is a pay-what-you-can-night sponsored by PNC Arts Alive.

Again, a cast of Broadway veterans appears on Cape May Stage. This is a play that is funny and dramatic. It deals with families and notions of what makes a person sane. The set is spectacular and the level of acting just keeps growing with every production.

Coming in October will be a lecture about leadership using the book "Shackleton's Way" as a jumping off point. Later in the month on October 19 a poetry reading will occur.

Stay tuned!

A look behind the scenes with the cast and crew of "Social Security"

A little miracle can be viewed at the corner of Lafayette Street and Bank Street in what used to be a church but now houses Cape May Stage. It is impossible for a small, non-profit theatre to have a Broadway calibre set on its stage. How that came to be is the story of how unique and extraordinary is the community of Cape May.

Like most small theatres, Cape May Stage had mostly used a bit of furniture or a fence to suggest the location for a play. "Social Security" required what is called a "box set" with real walls and doors and platforms. On Broadway, a producer would hire a director and set designer and they would consult with each other until a final plan was approved. Those plans would be sent to a shop where carpenters would build what was required and then scenic artists would paint what the carpenters had built. The set pieces would be trucked to the theatre and then stylists would do the final touches of curtains and pillows. The designer would have a crew of shoppers to find the correct furniture and the final bill could be more than a hundred thousand dollars.

There is no shop to build sets in Cape May and the budget for a the set is a tiny fraction of that aforementioned number. When Alicia Grasso mentioned that her friend's husband was a designer, Roy Steinberg called him and looked at his portfolio. It turned out that Robert Martin made a good deal of his income as an assistant to William Ivey Long, one of Broadway's most prolific costume designers but he loved designing sets. Many emails with sketches of possible sets followed. Robert found examples of 1980's furniture and sent color swatches and choices of floor coverings. After many consultations, the choices were finalized and that is where this story really gets interesting.

Nathan Ruffan is a student at Highpoint University in North Carolina who met Roy Steinberg when Roy participated in a symposium at the university. Nathan signed on as an intern and played Indian #2 opposite Shirley Stiles in "The Chronicles of Cape May". It turned out he is also a skilled carpenter. A garage on Lafayette Street served as a make-shift shop and Nathan worked for more than a month building platforms and stage flats (used for walls) as well as hanging doors on specially constructed door flats. Tools were borrowed from Mal Knapp and Tom Cutler. Nathan built a bar and coffee table and a modern side table. Dave Clemans offered his shop for furniture building. Heather Turner donated half of her garage and that became the painting shop so the walls were painted to Robert's specifications.

When "Say Goodnight Gracie" closed on a Saturday night a crew of volunteers appeared to take down that set and build the set for "Social Security". Dottie Knapp painted some of the artwork including the portrait of Sophie (played by Lynn Cohen). Don Schweikert contributed an abstract expressionist painting he had and Robert Martin painted another canvas in the style of the Russian Suprematist, Malevich. Fred Van Cott appeared like an angel in the night. He had not been involved with the theatre before but knew his way around power tools and stayed until early the next next morning building the set. Don Toal and Monte LoSosso and Hannah Schaeffer and Adele Marks and Dottie Knapp (along with her friend, Mary) worked all night - some slept in the theatre helping Nathan Ruffan and Martin realize their project.

The next morning Vickie Tryon added her expertise and reupholstered a chair and found matching curtains. She had previously transformed a worn, stained sofa into a cutting edge modern statement of design. Vickie had found most of the costumes with her expert eye for period and color detail. Some final choices were loaned by Victoria Clayton to give a sense of glamour!

This rag tag team of volunteers became a family and built what was impossible. The community of Cape May created a set that is extraordinary in every sense of the word. Perhaps most extraordinary is the spirit and desire to help that exists in this town!

Actors Arrive from NYC, CT, DC, & PA to start rehearsals for Andrew Bergman's "Social Security"

The cast for "Social Security" converged on Cape May amidst considerable drama! Neal Lerner boarded a bus in Manhattan bound for Atlantic City and found himself in the emergency room after a truck hit his bus. After being checked out for a few bumps and bruises he was given a clean bill of health and brought to Cape May for some dinner and a good night's sleep. Lynn and Ron Cohen were coming from the O'Neill Playwright's Center in Connecticut and had to find their way in a rental car to the Atlantic City airport where they were met by Roy Steinberg and driven to their new housing. For Manhattanites more use to taxis than driving they were much relieved to be at their final destination. Andy Prosky had just flown back from San Diego where he was performing and Suzanne O'Donnell just finished a show at the Folger in Washington, D.C. Grace Gonglewski put her daughter to bed and drove late at night from Philadelphia.

The next morning they all met in the glorious home of Victoria Clayton and Rick White for a read through of the play. They were presented with a model of the set by Robert Martin, the designer and shown costumes by Vickie Tryon, the costume designer. After croissants and coffee there was a discussion about the style of the play and the time period. This is a large cast (six characters) for Cape May Stage and logistics about dressing rooms and getting table and mirrors became very important!

Across town in a garage on Lafayette Street a one-man construction team named Nathan Ruffan was building a bar and modern furniture for the show. He had already completed platforms and stage flats to resemble the walls of a modern chic apartment circa 1986. He soon transported those set pieces to the theatre so the actors could rehearse with them. This is the most elaborate set in the history of Cape May Stage. In addition to raising the bar with the talent coming to perform here, Cape May Stage has raised the bar on all production elements.

The first day of rehearsal the first act was blocked. The second day was devoted to act II. The actors were finding the best movement patterns for their characters as the director guided them to make the story clear and point out nuances for them to explore. A photo call was scheduled early in the process before the set was up so arrangements needed to be made to find a location. The costumes were not finalized but nothing could wait so costumes were approximated and the location stood in for the set. That is life in the theatre! Each day the rehearsals get more specific as more elements get added until that opening night on Thursday, July 23! The party is being planned and the seats are selling fast. If it is anything like "Say Goodnight Gracie" there is never an empty seat in the house so order them now. This show is bound to be a sell-out hit!!

George Burns shares the stage this week with Pupphitz and Mimes---It's Vaudeville at its finest!

After a week of sold-out performances with standing ovations, "Say Goodnight Gracie" begins another week of keeping audiences convulsed with laughter even as they wipe their eyes from the beautiful love story that is being told. As Joel Rooks emerges in his costume and make-up from the fog that begins the show, there is an audible gasp as the audience sees George Burns before their eyes.


This is hardly the first time Mr. Rooks has played the role. He understudied and played Burns on Broadway and has been performing it all over the country. The difference this time is that Cape May Stage is not part of a national tour but the production has been re-directed to fit in our space. Since we don't have a formal proscenium arch, we decided to use footlights for the vaudeville sections rather than what are called "chaser lights" that blink on and off around the arch. Rehearsals were spent working out wind patterns for the fog and how and when to use that famous cigar. Even though Mr. Rooks has played the role many times, each new production is an opportunity to discover something new. We identified moments that we wanted to heighten and examined possible new readings of certain lines. The Broadway producer of "Say Goodnight Gracie" is William Franzblau and we have been in close contact with him. He generously allowed us to buy the rights and archival footage because he knew that the show would have "artistic integrity" with Joel Rooks in the role.

I first worked with Joel Rooks some twenty five years ago when we both were part of Circle Repertory Company. I directed Joel in a host of new plays that were performed in the "lab". Circle Rep had some of the finest actors, directors, playwrights and designers working in New York in the nineteen seventies and eighties. The theatre eventually closed but artistic relationships continued. I later directed Joel in "The Learned Ladies" by Moliere and he was hilarious as a pompous poet. After that, I was directing a new play off Broadway called "Second Summer" with Joan Copeland. Joel Rooks brought the house down in his comic role. Once I knew I was coming to Cape May Stage, I knew I wanted Joel Rooks to be part of my season!

July 4 week-end is a particularly busy time at Cape May Stage. "Go North Penguin" is a puppet show from the reknowned puppet company called pupphitz. They will be performing at 11 am on July 5 at the Robert Shackleton Theatre on Bank and Lafayette Streets. This is the story of a penguin looking for his home. Since he lives at the South Pole, the only way to go is north! We thought Cape May is the perfect place for a show about going north since we are at Exit Zero of the Garden State Parkway!!

"7 (X 1) Samurai" is the story of "Seven Samurai" performed by a world-class mime and clown. You'll not want to miss David Gaines in this award winning show. It is perfect for families and is much anticipated this season! Call 609 -884-1341 or go on line at www.capemaystage.com for tickets!