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LIZZIE BORDEN LIVE (Commissioned by and first performed for ELTC in 2007) Written and performed by Jill Dalton, directed by Jack McCullough, original music by Larry Hochman Jill Dalton brings the legend to life in this provocative play that has audiences rethinking the sensational murders of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Borden on Aug. 4, 1892. The only one tried for the murders was Andrew's daughter, Lizzie, who maintained her innocence and was acquitted. To this day, the case is considered unsolved, although many do believe that "Lizzie Borden took an ax and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41." Did she do it or not? You decide. "Dalton enacts a Lizzie such as never before seen. Her accomplishment may be far the most accurate, the most thoroughly researched, and the most brilliantly complex Lizzie created for dramatic purposes. It is an accomplishment not only of theater and performance, but of Lizzie Borden scholarship: a tale woven with historical accuracy and intelligent speculation, one that does not try to solve the murders, but to puzzle out the mystery inside the woman herself." Richard Behrens, Critic for The Hatchet, Quarterly for The Lizzie Borden Society "I heartily recommend LIZZIE BORDEN LIVE. It's unlikely you will arrive at any conclusions, but you'll have spent a short spell with a complex and most interesting Lizzie, in the person of Jill Dalton...Dalton is nothing less than superb in her depiction, alternating between sweet, innocent, witty, and savagely murderous." Ed Wismer, Critic for The Cape May Star and Wave
LOU: The Remarkable Miss Alcott Written and Performed by Gayle Stahlhuth It is the fall of 1871 in Louisa May Alcott’s Boston apartment. As she reads her mail and packs for a trip to Europe, Louisa talks to the audience about her life as a philosopher’s daughter, Civil War nurse, and writer of short stories and novels, including Little Women. The script is taken from the letters, diaries, and stories of the famous author. Length can be 35 minutes to a full-two act. "Last night's performance of Lou was like an evening with an old friend . . . The portrayal moved the audience from laughter to tears." The Riverton Ranger (WY) "Stahlhuth is renowned for bringing characters to vivid life." Cape May Star and Wave (NJ)
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT'S CHRISTMAS Written and Performed by Gayle Stahlhuth As Louisa, Gayle, in storytelling fashion, performs the first two chapters of Little Women (the March Family Christmas), and the stories "How It All Happened" and "Tessa's Surprises": 25 characters in all- in 60 Minutes! "Stahlhuth is an absolute delight, bringing Christmas cheer to the audience as she switches from one characterization to the other." Jacob Schaad, critic for The Cape May Gazette
NOT ABOVE A WHISPER tells of Dorothea Dix’s struggles as she sought protection for the indigent mentally ill in the 1800s. "Anyone who thinks about the relationship between taxation and social responsibility would have much to learn from NOT ABOVE A WHISPER." Ken Yellis, Curator of Education, The National Portrait Gallery
O. HENRY'S CHRISTMAS STORIES Written and Performed by Gayle Stahlhuth In storytelling fashion, Gayle brings three O. Henry stories to life: "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking," Christmas by Inunction," and "The Gift of the Magi," portraying thirty-plus roles. "Her performance is one of the highlights of the 2008 theater season in Cape May." -Cape May Gazette
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