AUNT HATTIE’S HOUSE Written and Performed by Emma Palzere-Rae.  Spend a lovely evening with Harriet Beecher Stowe, who speaks of her life, her new home, and what propelled her to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

“Harriet is grandly portrayed by Emma Palzere-Rae." Ed Wismer, critic for Cape May Star and Wave

EMMA GOLDMAN: MY LIFE(Commissioned for and first performed for ELTC in 2010) Written and performed by NYC-based actress Lorna Lable, directed by Karen Case Cook. Wise and witty, Emma always spoke her mind, whether it was on women's rights or the widening gap between rich and poor. She was a fascinating woman in a fascinating time: America in the early 1900s, teeming with immigrants like herself, all longing for a better way of life. Lorna has performed Off-Broadway (Grandma's Funeral), in films (Keeping the Faith with Ben Stiller), and on TV (Third Watch). Directing is Karen Case Cook who has directed several shows for ELTC including The Guardsman and Alice on the Edge. (For Notes on Emma Goldman, see sidebar.) "You're witnessing one of the greatest activists in history answer questions from phantom colleagues sitting next to you.  She is a masterful speaker, answering questions with authority and ease.  She's passionate, insightful and from her answers, you soon realize she is eternally pulling for those who are lacking an advocate.  And that's what you learn to love about her." Tom Sims for Exit Zero (NJ) 

"Emma is superb.  When ELTC's artistic director Gayle Stahlhuth commissioned New York actress Lorna Lable to write and perform Emma Goldman: My Life, it was one of Stahlhuth's wisest decisions ever." Ed Wismer for Cape May Star and Wave  

CHRISTMAS STORIES, adapted and performed in storytelling fashion by Gayle Stahlhuth.  See one person bring 30 plus characters to life!  Her performances have become a Holiday Tradition in Cape May and on the road. Here are the show she's premiered:

      THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS based on the delightful novel by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote The Wizard of Oz. 

Chosen to be part of the American Masterpiece Series by the NJ State Council on the Arts when it premiered in Cape May as part of the 2010 Mainstage Production Season.

       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

       LOUISA MAY ALCOTT'S CHRISTMAS As Louisa, Gayle, performs the first two chapters of Little Women (the March Family Christmas), and the stories "How It All Happened" and "Tessa's Surprises."

"Stahlhuth is an absolute delight, bringing Christmas cheer to the audience as she switches from one characterization to the other." Cape May Gazette

EVE’S DIARY Adapted and performed by Gayle Stahlhuth, Eve's Diary recounts the adventures of Adam and Eve as written by Mark Twain. Life IS difficult to figure out without a dictionary!  Length can vary from 15 to 40 minutes.

“Diary abounds with wit and charm.” The Tribeca Trib (NYC)

FABULOUS FERBER Written and Performed by Gayle Stahlhuth.  It's 1938 and Edna Ferber's publisher has asked her to write an autobiography. As she recalls her life, from the balcony of her NYC apartment, she discovers, and so does the audience, that her life is well worth recording. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author (So Big) and Broadway playwright (The Royal Family and Dinner at Eight with George S. Kaufman, etc.), was also a journalist, short-story writer, and a member of the Algonquin Round Table. Newspapers hired her to cover Presidential Campaigns before women were allowed to vote. Jerome Kern adapted her novel Show Boat into the famous musical, and she numbered Helen Hayes, Katherine Hepburn, and Moss Hart among her friends. Originally commissioned by the Illinois and Missouri Humanities Councils for the Heartland Chautauqua Circuit, Stahlhuth was even asked to perform it as part of the Edna Ferber new-stamp issue ceremony at Appleton, WI. Length: 35 minutes to a full-two act.

“Fabulous Ferber fabulous!” Ed Wismer, Ocean City Sentinel (NJ)

THE GUARDSMAN IN A TRUNK Adapted by Mark Edward Lang and performed by Alison J. Murphy and Mark Edward Lang.  ELTC's popular romantic 2008 production, directed by Karen Case Cook, has been reduced from a cast of five, to a delightful - and "tourable" - cast of two! Franz Molnar's 1924 comedy, originally titled Playing with Fire, established Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne as Broadway stars. The location is Vienna, during the Belle Époque, the “beautiful years” before World War I, when love, not war, was in the air. Two actors have been married for six months, and everyone knows that the actress habitually changes men every twenty-six weeks. Thus, the actor is nervous, and goes to great lengths to discover whether or not she is faithful.

"A pleasant souffle of an evening in the theater!" Jacob Schaad, critic for Cape May Gazette

HELPFUL HINTS (Commissioned by and first performed for ELTC in 2008) Adapted/Performed by Susan Tischler, based on Putnam's Household Handboook (1916) written by Mae Savell Croy, and directed by Karen Case Cook.  Join Mrs. Croy as she instructs the busy housewife how to be efficient in the home so that more time can be spent at suffrage rallies. Many "helpful hints" are given - from cleaning the stove and your clothes with kerosene, to leaving babies outside when they cry because screaming (outside) is good for the lungs.  Also discussed are the sick room, architecture, invitations, the comfort of the gymnasium suit, and so much more! Mrs. Croy is joined on stage by Mr. Wilcox, a Stage Manager who tries to keep her topics on track.  Helpful Hints was a big hit at the First Annual National Red Hat Convention in 2010 in Cape May.

"A stand-up comedy routine circa 1916!" Jacob Schaad, critic for Cape May Gazette

LIZZIE BORDEN LIVE (Commissioned by and first performed for ELTC in 2007) Written and performed by Jill Dalton, directed by Jack McCullough, with original music by Emmy winning-composer 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 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

NOT ABOVE A WHISPER Written by Gayle Stahlhuth, this two-person show 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

PAUL ROBESON THROUGH HIS WORDS AND MUSIC Written by Gayle Stahlhuth Performed by Derrick McQueen. Paul Robeson Through His Words and Music is an interweaving of two dozen songs that were sung by Robeson, with a narrative of his life as an actor, singer, activist, and humanitarian.

(For Notes on Paul Robes, see sidebar.)

"Thank you for sharing your special talents at the Puffin Cultural Forum. Your presence here has helped to deepen our experience of the arts and culture, reflecting the premise of the Foundation's motto: continuing the dialogue between art and the lives of ordinary people." Perry Rosenstein, President, The Puffin Foundation "Paul Robeson Through His Words and Music was one of our most well attended presentations. Derrick did a wonderful job narrating Robeson's life and singing his songs. The presentation provides a nice balance between Robeson's personal life and his importance in history." Carol Campell, Friends of Fanwood Memorial Library, NJ as reported in The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

"Superb performance! The history of Robeson flowed seamlessly into singing that delighted all who attended. The applause afterwards went on so long that Mr. McQueen had to deliver an encore! What a treat! Every one of the attendees came up to me later, grateful that I had booked the show. Mr. McQueen and Technical Director Mr. O'Connor were wonderful to work with. Thank you East Lynne Theater Company for making the night a success!" Jennifer Rees Schulze, Westfield Memorial Library.

SHERLOCK HOLMES ADVENTURES in the style of the original 1930’s NBC radio series, with live sound effects and commercials, these shows are being requested to “go on the road.” Adventures that have been offered are The Copper Beeches, The Speckled Band, The Blue Carbuncle, and The Norwood Builder.  Beginning in November 2013, offering Sherlock Holmes Adventure of the Copper Beeches and Nick Carter and the Strange Dr. Devolo in the same night!

“This excellent group brings Holmes to life!” Ocean City Sentinel (NJ)

"This is live theater done right!" Sherry Hoffman, New Jersey LifeStyle Magazine

SOMEONE MUST WASH THE DISHES Written by Marie Jenney Howe   Performed by Michele LaRue   It was originally published by the National American Woman Suffrage Association (precursor of the League of Women Voters.) “Woman suffrage is the reform against nature,” declares Howe’s unlikely, but irresistibly likeable, heroine.  Howe, a pro-suffragist, wrote her Anti-Suffrage Monologue in 1912—eight years before women at last won the vote. Her fictional speaker is a charming, guileless enthusiast who sincerely believes that her efforts as a “womanly woman” will keep the Home intact—and save the Nation from anarchy. “Ladies, get what you want. Pound pillows. Make a scene. Make home a hell on earth—but do it in a womanly way! That is so much more dignified and refined than walking up to a ballot box and dropping in a piece of paper!”

"Michele LaRue is all innocence when stating that if women were awarded suffrage,they'd have no impact on the vote, anyway." The Newark Star-Ledger (NJ)

TALES OF THE VICTORIANS, American short-story classics read by members of the company, have pleased audiences on the porches of B&Bs in Cape May, in schools, museums, theaters, and parlors, entertaining all ages.

“The Bret Harte story was one more warmth-producing Yule log on the holiday fire.” Cape May Star and Wave

VICTORIAN MAGIC is a tour de force for actor/magician Robert Aberdeen, who delights audiences of all ages with his sleight-of-hand. Performances include selections from The Oldest Illusion in the History of Magic: "The Cups and Balls" and The Second Oldest Illusion: "The Mystery of the Silver Rings."

“Aberdeen shines . . he has stage charisma that establishes a rapport with the audience." Cape May Gazette

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER Directed and adapted by Warren Kliewer and performed by Michele LaRue. The Yellow Wallpaper is Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s chilling indictment of 19th- century medicine. And one of the finest horror stories ever penned. Gilman’s story has been applauded by feminists since its publication in 1891. A three-month-long idyll in the country, the detailed attentions of a loving husband—and a room hung with yellow wallpaper—propel a spirited new mother to the brink of madness. The Yellow Wallpaper continues to chill today’s readers, dazzling feminists and historians, mystery- and horror-story enthusiasts alike, with its wit, suspense, and superlative style.

"I want to commend The East Lynne Theater Company, and particularly Michele LaRue, on the stunning performance." Martha C. Allen, Project Director, NJ Committee for the Humanities