Working on plays in the classroom reinforces reading and use of language, self-assurance, cooperation, and social skills. Since ELTC’s mission embraces American history and literature, the company brings its unique perspective into the classroom, further supporting Core Curriculum Standards in Visual and Performing Arts, Language Arts Literacy, and Social Studies. After only six days of working with Gayle Stahlhuth, who also wrote the script, fifth- and sixth-grade students at West Cape May Elementary School performed Henry Sawyer and the Civil War, about Cape May's own Civil War hero, who also built The Chalfonte Hotel. An enthusiastic audience attended the free evening performance on March 27, 2009, and the students did a great job! (Most of the cast is pictured left.) Tom Sims, Executive Director of the Cape May NJ State Film Festival and members of The Young Filmmakers Program created a terrific documentary! To see the documentary on YouTube, CLICK HERE.

The Historic Jackson Street Neighborhood Association Scholarship Fund

Started in the fall of 2006 with a $5,000 donation from HJSNA, in honor of Bob and Toni Green, who first owned The Puffin Bed and Breakfast on Jackson Street, ELTC's recipients have been: 2007: Caitlin Wallace; 2008: Erin Callahan; 2009: Bobby LeMaire;

2010: Tiffany-Leigh Moskow; and 2011: Grace Wright.

Intern Program:
Students ages 14-21 learn about what it takes to keep a theater going, occasionally perform in productions, and may be considered for the Historic Jackson Street Neighborhood Association Scholarship Fund.

SIXTH ANNUAL STUDENT THEATER WORKSHOP: SUMMER 2012! The last five workshop productions, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Princess, Hans Brinker, Connecticut Yankees in Queen Guenever's Court, and Little Women were performed by students in front of enthusiastic, standing-room only audiences! This year, 12 students, ages 11-18, will once more have the opportunity to work with ELTC's Artistic Director, Gayle Stahlhuth, and other theater professionals, on a production, with props and costumes, presented free for the audience on July 2.  This year, it's Storybook Theater: An Evening of Fables.  Focus will be on creating tight ensemble pieces based on "The Bremen Town Musicians," "The Fisherman and His Wife," and "The Three Travelers." Workshop dates are June 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, and 29 from 12:30-3:30, and July 2 from 2:30-5:30, with a final performance on the evening of the 2th. Limited to 12 students only. Fee: $200.00 per student. Location is the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street. Contact the theater for more details and to receive a Workshop Form. Workshop forms may also be retrieved by Clicking Here. Students participating in ELTC's workshop of Hans Brinker A letter from Joanne Klineburger to East Lynne Theater Company: "My daughter Anna had always wanted to try theater, and when your company started a summer workshop for students, she was thrilled. At first, she just wanted to work behind the scenes, but once she got there, and with the encouragement of Gayle and Lee, she jumped right in and did 5 different parts. She gained a great deal of confidence in being on stage. It was the highlight of her summer and she can't wait until next year."

Grade School through High School (Third-Twelfth Grades)

Residencies are tailored to the needs of the teachers, curriculum, and/or the community, and may be part of the regular classroom experience or after school. Length of residencies are 1-30 days with 5-10 days being the most requested. The artists-in-residence are creative and, given appropriate time for preparation, are capable of creating a residency with specific goals and needs. They are also accustomed to working with special populations. Examples include:

• Writing scenes based on historic events and people, such as: The Middle Ages (including a Medieval Pageant), Revolutionary War, Civil War, The Progressive Era, and Famous American Women. These scripts may be taken to full production with students performing what they have written.
• Creating plays based on site specific/oral histories, such as: The Ghosts of Bingham Canyon: now deserted, Bingham Canyon was once a thriving town near Salt Lake City, and The Lifeboat Project: the African-American and Caucasian experience in Cape May, NJ. Scripts may be taken to full production with students performing what they have written.
• Adapting famous stories for the stage, such as: Edgar Allan Poe and O. Henry. The scripts may be taken to full production with students performing their work.
• Writing plays based on personal experience and/or the imagination. The scripts may be taken to full production with students performing their plays.
• A hands-on approach to Shakespeare: moving from page to the stage. Experience with the following scripts for students: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.
• Acting exercises: vocal and body warm-ups, improvisations, and theater games.
• Rehearsal and performance of already-written scripts. Examples: Aesop’s Fables, Robin Hood, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Example of a Residency Meeting the Core Curriculum Content Standards

Students participating in ELTC's workshop in Whitesboro, NJ, sponsored by Target

A 10-day residency developed between the PTA President, fifth grade teachers, and the artist-in-residence titled The Civil War: A Students’ Perspective, entailed the students creating and performing scenes from the Civil War. The Social Studies core curriculum content standards for New Jersey 6.3, 6.4 and 6.6 in which students are to acquire an historical understanding of political, economic and diplomatic ideas and social values that helped shape the United States, were met. This residency also directly supported the core curriculum content standards for the Language Arts Literacy 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, and the Visual and Performing Arts 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.6.

Elderhostels, Adult Education and Classes with Special Needs
Company members can conduct workshops for Elderhostels and have participated in Elderhostels in Wildwood and Cape May, NJ and Emma Willard School for Girls in Troy, NY. Topics include Acting, Playwriting, Shakespeare, American Victorian Literature, and Plays of the 1950s. Members of ELTC are also accustomed to teaching those with special needs i.e., the Blind Center of the Jersey Cape and the LEAD Program, both with members who are partially or totally blind.

Letter to ELTC from Donna Groome, Social Worker, Cape May County Board of Social Services:
"Thank you for working with the Blind Center of the Jersey Cape. The participants are very pleased
with the services that you are providing to them."

ADA Info (Americans with Disabilities Act)

Members of the Board of The East Lynne Theater Company believe that anyone who would like to attend an East Lynne production, or anyone who would like to work for or volunteer their time to the company, should be able to do so. The company is in residence at The First Presbyterian Church of Cape May for its summer/fall production season. If anyone needs special accommodations, please call 609-884-5898 at least two weeks prior to the scheduled event so that members of the company can work to meet your needs.

PROGRAMS

• Discount tickets are available to people with disabilities and their accompanying support companions.
• Playbills are available in large print format at all times. Upon request, brochures, newsletters, and flyers can be created in large print, and are either hand delivered, mailed, or e-mailed to patrons. If requested, every effort will be made to have this information available on audio-tapes and delivered to the patron in a timely fashion.
• Copies of scripts are available in large print format and, in some instances, available by way of attachments to e-mail.
• Sign language interpreted performances are offered at select performances throughout the season, usually one performance per production.
• Sensory seminars are offered upon request and require usually at least eight hours notice. The patron is asked to be at the theatre an hour-and-a-half before the play begins.
• There is accessible seating for service animals.
• An infrared audio amplification system is installed and receivers are available at the box office.

FACILITY ACCESSIBILITY

• Parking and Drop Off Areas: There are two spaces, marked with the International Symbol of Accessibility, both van accessible, and paved. There is an accessible drop off/passenger loading area in front of the entrance.
• Wheelchair Lift and Parking Lot Entrance: There is a wheelchair lift near the parking lot, fully-operatable by one in the chair, able to take the person up to the second floor where the performance space is located, or to remain on the first floor. This entrance faces the parking lot.
• Street Entrance: The cement sidewalk to the main entrance meets the minimum requirements for accessibility, but the entrance has a non- accessible threshold. The doorway itself meets the minimum width requirements for accessibility and leads into a small landing below minimum requirements for accessibility. From this landing are two small stairways with railings: one leading down to the restrooms and another leading to the vestibule, which serves as the theater’s lobby, box office area, and concession. There is an electric chair lift with a seat belt in the stairway leading to the vestibule. There is always a front of house staff person present to assist people, including those in wheelchairs, into the main entrance. This staff person is also able to assist the patron into the chair lift and knows how this lift operates. A staff person is always available to assist people with walking and visual difficulties up and down both sets of stairs.
• Lobby Area: Box Office and Concessions: The lobby is also the vestibule of the church, and is accessible. There are no phones in the vestibule. The box office manager has a cell phone for anyone who requests the use of a phone. The box office phone is in ELTC’s office, which is not in the church. There is no TTY telephone, but staff members who answer the phone are aware of the relay service that can be reached by dialing 711. The water fountains are on the lower level. Front of house staff give cups of water to those who have walking difficulties. Bottled water is also available in the lobby area.
• The Sanctuary (ELTC’s performance space): The vestibule and doorway leading into the sanctuary meet the minimum requirements for accessibility. The stationary pews are not accessible and comfortable seating capacity is 150. The two main aisles are wide enough for wheelchair accessibility, and up to 10 wheelchairs can be accommodated.
• Restrooms: There is an accessible restroom on the same level as the sanctuary.
• Technical Facilities: Stage Area and Dressing Rooms: The entrance to the lounge and dressing room areas, as well as these areas, are accessible. The route from the lounge area to the stage is not wheelchair accessible from backstage. With the use of a portable ramp at the front of the stage area, a performer in a wheelchair can have access.