The World Premiere play, Class, by Charles Evered opens May 14!

The opening production of Cape May Stage previews on May 14th and promises to bring this already lauded company to new heights! Charles Evered has chosen Cape May Stage to mount the world premiere of "CLASS" over much larger and wealthier companies because of what he saw last season. There is a reason Cape May Stage was chosen the "Best Theatre in Cape May County" by capemay.com and "Cape May Magazine". This opening production is directed by Artistic Director Roy Steinberg and features two prominent actors from the world of feature films, Broadway and television. Heather Matarazzo has appeared in scores of feature films as well as television and Broadway. Thaao Penghlis was nominated for an Emmy for his work on "Days of Our Lives" and is well known for his film and television work.

The author will be at opening night on May 15th and will remain in Cape May so that he can be at the Second Stage Series opening program on Monday, May 17th. On that night, Cape May Stage will partner with the Cape May Film Society to screen Charles Evered's feature film "Adopt A Sailor" with Bebe Neuwirth and Peter Coyote. Charles Evered will join the producer of the film, Kim Waltrip to answer questions and talk about the making of the film. Last season we screened Athol Fugard's "Tsotsi" to gain more understanding of "Master Harold ...and the boys". This season we will get more insight into the work of Charles Evered by seeing his theatre and film work together!

Chris and Dave Clemans sponsor the Second Stage Series each year to enhance the cultural vibrancy of our town. Last season saw clowns, cabaret, magicians, poetry readings, film screenings and solo plays. This season will expand upon that strong foundation with a Broadway Series of Tony Award and Emmy Award winning artists. The Broadway Series is presented in July and August and offers a special subscription for patrons so that they get five shows for the price of four.

In May, we continue our regular Second Stage program with Emmy nominee Thaao Penghlis presenting "Journeys" which will give Cape May audiences a sneak peak into what will become a television series. Thaao Penghlis has voyaged to sacred sites all over the world and gained access to places not normally seen by tourists. This "Mission Impossible" star will lead you to destinations both physical and spiritual. It is an evening not to be missed. Tickets are $20 for a one time only opportunity on May 24th!

The Second Stage is off to a spectacular start. Come see a feature film with the director and producer describing the process of making it. Then see a live version of what will eventually be a television series with the creator and host of the show only a few feet from you at the glorious Robert Shackleton Playhouse! What a joyous place is Cape May!

Magic is in the Air at Cape May Stage this Holiday Season!

There is magic in Cape May! The glorious voices on the Robert Shackleton Stage combine with a chill outside to transform an ordinary night into a warm, holiday confection! The final performances of "An O. Henry Christmas" cap the most extraordinary season in memory. If you haven't experienced these funny and poignant musicals that celebrate faith, hope and charity, call now and make reservations. Watch your cares disappear as you escape into this world that O. Henry wrote about over a hundred years ago! Have a hot chocolate on your way to the theater!

This holiday season is the time to give subscriptions to Cape May Stage's 2010 season. This year, CMS is offering more options to fit your budget and your schedule. If you like opening nights there is a special subscription that will reserve your seats for every opening. Hurry to get your favorite seats now and then enjoy the parties and mingle with the cast and directors of each show. There are also special Saturday night subscriptions and bargain prices for shows on weeknights. Seniors get reduced price subscriptions too! Experience the magic of live theater all year long.

The real magic (is magic real?) happens on December 30 at 8 PM and December 31 at 2 PM when Michael Russell Walsh and Johnny Mass perform their spellbinding "Intimate Evening of Grand Parlor Magic". Come to our beautiful theater and be transported on a magical journey reminiscent of the golden era of magic when conjurors entertained high society in parlor rooms fit for kings. These artists will mystify you with their stunning stage show. Magic goes back to ancient China and India. There is mention of magic in the bible. Philosophers have discussed reality and magic from the earliest days to the present. What a way to start the New Years festivities! What you see...may not be. Have another drink and figure out how they do these mind boggling tricks!

The Second Stage is proud to have these great performers as the final act of the season. You can make reservations before all the tickets.....disappear!!

"A O Henry Christmas" takes the stage December 3! Cape May Stage offers a musical event to warm you up for the holidays!

The final production of the 2009 season opens tonight and the entire audience is invited to party with the actors and crew after the performance at the Brown Room in Congress Hall Hotel! "An O. Henry Christmas" features a cast from New York and Hollywood with voices that will delight every audience member. This is the perfect cap to a season that had all of Cape May talking about the new quality of productions at Cape May Stage.

The actors from "Master Harold... and the Boys" have returned to their homes. Gregg Daniel is shooting Allan Ball's "New Blood" for HBO while rehearsing "Fences" for South Coast Repertory in California. Larry Hines has been offered a two year job in "The Rat Pack" in Las Vegas but is deciding whether he wants to be available to do more great work like he did here at Cape May Stage. Jared McGuire is juggling multiple offers back in New York.

Meanwhile, "An O. Henry Christmas" is performing at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse Thursdays thru Sundays at 8PM and with matinees at 3PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Jason Ostrowski played on Broadway in "Company" and Bev Appleton just completed a feature film with Cloris Leachman. Tara Brown comes to us from Los Angeles after working in Disney musicals and Courtnay Griswold just played Maria in "The Sound of Music". Artistic Director, Roy Steinberg spotted Tara Brown a year ago in Los Angeles singing in "A Christmas Carol" that was transported to Chicago. He knew that "An O. Henry Christmas" was planned to close this season and offered her a role after that performance! Our season started with a musical play in "Souvenir" and ends with "An O. Henry Christmas". We have had all sorts of plays this season from comedies like "Social Security" to dramas like "Proof" and now we end with a family oriented musical that will warm your hearts as we enter the holiday season. Director Chuck Hudson has a long list of opera and musical theatre credits from across the country and Music Director Eric Walton is a well regarded New York Music Director. Cape May Stage continues to bring in top artists both on and back stage.

As a final treat, we will be producing the spellbinding "Intimate Evening of Grand Parlour Magic" with Michael Russell Walsh and Johnny Mass. They will mystify your mind with their unique blend of sleight-of-hand magic and comedy! They will perform on the evening of Wednesday, December 30 at 8PM and the afternoon of December 31 at 2PM. Come be astonished by magic and then charmed by "An O. Henry Christmas". The Second Stage offers this final magic act on the last day of our season as a theatrical treat to greet the new year!

Last Chance for "Master Harold...and the Boys" Before We Usher in Our Holiday Show!

On Saturday, November 28 the last performance of "Master Harold...and the boys" will grace our stage. Immediately following that performance a whirlwind of activity sweeps through Cape May Stage as that set is taken down and the actors pack up their dressing rooms and the floor gets painted to get ready for "An O. Henry Christmas" which opens on December 3! If you have not seen "Master Harold...and the boys" yet, get on the phone and call 884-1341 to make a reservation. These amazing actors will be traveling back to New York and Hollywood. Gregg Daniel immediately goes into rehearsal for August Wilson's "Fences" at the South Coast Repertory in California. Now his bio will include all those feature films and television shows and major Shakespearean roles AND playing Sam in "Master Harold..and the boys" at Cape May Stage!

Seniors have a special night on Friday, November 27 to see this extraordinary production! These nights often sell fast so book your tickets as soon as possible.

If you hear beautiful voices coming out of the Shackleton Theatre in the middle of the afternoon, you are overhearing the rehearsals for "An O. Henry Christmas" which previews on December 2 and opens the following night. Those attending opening night are in for a double treat. Once again, actors from Broadway and Hollywood are performing at Cape May Stage. Jason Ostrowski appeared on Broadway in the recent revival of "Company". Bev Appleton just finished shooting a feature film with Cloris Leachman. Courtnay Griswold starred as Maria in "The Sound of Music" and Tara Brown comes to us from LA after working for Disney! The musical director and stage director are both from New York! Chuck Hudson is our director and he has a long list of opera and musical credits. The extra treat on opening night is that our audiences are always invited to the opening night party to mingle with the cast and crew.

The big news is that overwhelming demand has caused us to schedule two matinees during the week! Every Saturday and every Sunday at 3 PM will have a matinee followed by an evening performance. What a marvelous way to celebrate the holidays! At the very end of the month the Second Stage Series wants to create some magic as we go off to 2010 so we have a Victorian Magic Show in our parlour on December 30 and a matinee on December 31. New Year's Eve will be our last performance of "An O. Henry Christmas". A bit of magic and gorgeous voices is the perfect way to usher in the new year!

"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!