December 16, 2023

Cape May resident Christina Clemans presented a check to the East Lynne Theater Company on Friday, launching a $1.2 million capital campaign to establish a new playhouse in the Allen AME Church, with a target opening of June 2025.

The playhouse will be named The Clemans Theater at Allen AME Church.

Dave Clemans, the late husband of Christina, supported the arts and historic preservation in Cape May, the theater said in a news release. A longstanding member of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, his last major contribution to the community before his death in August 2022 was helping to save the historic church from demolition following a near-devastating fire.

“It’s an incredible gift from an incredible couple,” said East Lynne President Susan Tischler. “Dave and Chris have been so supportive of the arts over the years, and we at East Lynne couldn’t be prouder to have the Clemans name on our new playhouse.”

The donation, according to Christina Clemans, “is an appropriate way to honor Dave’s legacy. The arts and historic preservation meant everything to him. He was instrumental in helping to save the Allen church building from demolition, so I can’t think of a better way to mark his contribution to this community.”

The church, built circa 1870, was badly damaged in 2018 after a fire started by electrical wires that were downed after being snagged by a truck. It has remained empty since, and replacing it with a parking lot was among the options discussed for the city-owned property.  The Historic Preservation Committee lobbied for the building’s preservation. Under an agreement with the city, East Lynne will lease the building for 25 years, with an option to renew for an additional 25.  Although it will no longer be used as a church, the building will remain available for public use outside of East Lynne’s season, which typically runs from June through December.

The theater company, which has been operating since 1980, currently stages its shows in the First Presbyterian Church on Hughes Street.  “The church has been a wonderful partner for the company,” said Tischler, “but having our own space will be a game-changer. No longer will we have to dismantle the stage each Saturday night in time for Sunday services and work around events such as funerals and weddings. It will also give us the opportunity to employ more creativity with our set design and offer a wider range of plays.”

The renovation of the building will further enhance an area of Cape May’s historic district that had been in disrepair. The Franklin Street School, which once operated as an elementary school for African American children, is being converted into a public library. It sits adjacent to the recently completed firehouse on a block that also includes the home of the Greater Cape May Historical Society and the Harriet Tubman Museum.

The Clemanses long played a role in the city’s development. When they arrived in Cape May from Westfield, Union County, in the mid-1980s, they restored their 1867 home, believed to be the oldest in the county. They also renovated two historic whaling cottages on Batts Lane, on the northern tip of the island. The couple later bequeathed those cottages to Cape May MAC. In 2004, Clemans agreed to spearhead a $1.4 million transformation of the former Cape Island Presbyterian Church into Cape May Stage’s Robert Shackleton Playhouse.

The couple also played a large part in the creation of the Exit Zero Jazz Festival, making contributions that helped the festival book acts such as Wynton Marsalis. More recently, they gave their support to the Tubman museum and Cape May Point Science Center.
“Dave would be so proud and excited to see what’s in store for the Allen AME church,” said Christina Clemans. “I can’t think of a more fitting tribute to an amazing man.”