Cape May, NJ | East Lynne Theater Company
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  • MAINSTAGE SEASON
    • SHERLOCK HOLMES ADVENTURE OF THE NORWOOD BUILDER
    • PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
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      • Reviews for Christmas Shows
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    • Tales of the Victorians
    • Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides
    • Friday Silent Films
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    • Bringing History to Life with A YEAR IN THE TRENCHES
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  • PAST PRODUCTIONS
    • ELTC American Classic Timeline
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    • Season Posters
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    • Premieres and New Works
    • A Few of the Actors, Directors, Designers and Playwrights
  • News
    • COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ELTC
    • NJ Honors East Lynne Theater Company
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STILL AVAILABLE TO WATCH AFTER AUGUST 21: NOT ABOVE A WHISPER, Click Here.
To see other videos on ELTC's YouTube Channel: Click Here 

The script was commissioned by The Smithsonian Institution and premiered at The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.  in 1983, with Gayle Stahlhuth and Lee O'Connor performing.  During the next four years, they toured NOT ABOVE A WHISPER to mental health organizations throughout the country.   
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   ​In 1841, while teaching a Sunday school class at the East Cambridge House of Correction in Massachusetts, Dorothea Lynde Dix observed that not only were mentally ill incarcerated with the criminals, but that they were mistreated. She then then traveled for two years throughout Massachusetts, documenting the horrendous treatment of the indigent mentally ill in institutions and private homes where people were paid by the state to take care of them. In January 1843, she submitted her report to the Massachusetts Legislature. 

PictureGayle Stahlhuth and Lee O'Connor during rehearsal of "Not Above a Whisper"
The play takes place in the State Legislature's building in Boston, down the hall from where the Legislature actually meets.  Dorothea Lynde Dix awaits the outcome of the bill she has proposed to help the indigent mentally ill.  A lawyer, Charles Dearing, opposed to her findings, joins her.  It's Saturday afternoon, February 25, 1843.  ​

As we celebrate the certification of the 19th Amendment, 100 years ago, on August 26, 1920, it is important to note how women had to make their voices heard in government, prior to when they were allowed to vote.  Dix spent two years documenting treatment of the mentally ill just in Massachusetts, however, it was Dr. Howe, who read her findings before the State Legislature.  No woman, at that time, was allowed to deliver such requests in person.  Dix traveled to every state to compile evidence about the horrific conditions for the mentally ill, and in every state, she had to find a man to speak for her in State Legislatures.  Fortunately, there were men like Dr. Howe, who believed in her cause.  In 1843, he married Julia Ward, who later wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."      ​
​

BIOS
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LEE O'CONNOR portrayed Holmes in ELTC’s William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes, and has portrayed Holmes in most of ELTC's NBC radio-style adventures. He also appeared in ELTC’s The Leach Diaries, The Dictator, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Dick Spindler’s Family Christmas, the staged readings of Henry Sawyer and the Civil War and Our American Cousin, and is a storyteller for ELTC’s “Tales of the Victorians.” Other performing work includes The Odd Couple in Saigon while serving in Vietnam, and traveling throughout the country with his wife, Gayle Stahlhuth, in a two-hander written by Stahlhuth, Not Above A Whisper. Commissioned by The Smithsonian, it is about Dorothea Lynde Dix, who fought for the rights of the indigent mentally ill. Aside from being ELTC’s Technical Director since 1999, he has worked at a variety of regional theaters, and his work in NYC includes Radio City Music Hall, Irish Rep, Primary Stages, and special events for Dancers Over 40. Member AEA.

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GAYLE STAHLHUTH  has performed off-Broadway (Manhattan Theatre Club, etc.), in national tours (Cabaret, Fiddler, etc.), regional theater (Gateway Playhouse in Long Island, etc.), television, and radio. Other work involves directing cabaret shows in NYC, starting a dinner theater in Billings, MT, and creating a Medieval Festival at The Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore. A Year in the Trenches (2017), marked her 100th production for ELTC since becoming artistic director in 1999. As a playwright, her adaptations for ELTC include Tales by Twain, that also ran at Surflight Theatre; Spoon River, based on the famous Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, The Ransom of Red Chief based on O.Henry's classic tale, and two radio-style scripts: The Adventure of the Norwood Builder and The Adventure of the Red-Headed League. .She’s been awarded commissions from The National Portrait Gallery, the Missouri and Illinois Humanities Councils, and grants from the NJ Humanities Council, the NYS Council on the Arts, and the Mid-Atlantic Foundation for the Arts. For several years, she was a judge for the Emmy Awards in the field of broadcast news. In 2016, she was honored for her work in theater by The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW). Member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA, Dramatists Guild, and NAPW.  

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​Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802-1887) was born in Hampden, Maine.  It is believed that both of her parents suffered from alcoholism, but whatever the reason, it was not a happy home, and when she was 12, Dix moved to Boston to live with her grandmother.  By age 14, she was teaching, and by 19, she had opened her own school for girls in Boston. Due to ill-health, on a doctor’s recommendation, she moved to England for two years in the mid-1830’s.  
     ​In 1841, she was hired to teach a Sunday school class at the East Cambridge House of Correction in Massachusetts. It was here where she first observed the inhumane treatment of the mentally ill who were incarcerated with criminals. Dix then traveled for two years throughout the state, documenting the horrendous treatment of the indigent mentally ill in various situations. In January 1843, she submitted her report to the Massachusetts legislature.  She did not get everything she’d asked for, but a bill was passed to enlarge the Worcester Insane Asylum, due to her efforts.  She then began to travel throughout the country, documenting other wrongs done to the mentally ill, and submitted more findings to other legislatures.  Due to her work, fifteen states and Canada passed bills for better treatment and the creation of hospitals just for the mentally ill. In all, she was responsible for the building of 32 institutions in the United States alone.  While in Europe in 1854 - 1856, she convinced Pope Pius IX to visit mental institutions, and he saw to it that changes were made based on her recommendations.  One of her constant demands was the hiring of well-trained, compassionate personnel.
​     During the Civil War, she was the Superintendent of Army Nurses for the Union Army, headquartered in Washington D.C.  She was very particular who she hired, and was a tough taskmaster, pushing women nurses particularly to be as best as they could be.  After the war, she continued to advocate for formal training and more opportunities for women nurses. 

East Lynne Theater Company
A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization

Mail: P.O. Box 121
Cape May, NJ 08204

Performance Venue:
Cape May Presbyterian Church
500 Hughes St. Cape May, NJ
Phone: 609-884-5898 

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ELTC employs members of Actors' Equity Association, the union for professional actors.


ELTC's programs are made possible in part through funding from The NJ State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of The National Endowment for the Arts, The NJ Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism, the generosity of our Season Partners, and the generosity of many patrons. 
Thank you to our Season Partners Curran Wealth Management, 
The Washington Inn, and ​La Mer Beachfront Inn
Thank you to our Show Partners: "Cape May Star & Wave" Just for Laughs, and Fins Bar and Grille
​Thank you to our Associate Partner: Collier's Liquor Store 
Thank you to our Advertising Sponsors: Exit Zero and The Coast 


ELTC is a proud member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the South Jersey Cultural Alliance and ArtPride, 3 Chambers of Commerce, and www.njsouthernshore.com
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Location and Virtual Tour
    • Staff and Board Members
    • Getting Involved
    • Supporters of ELTC
    • Policies including ADA and DEIJ >
      • ADA Information
      • Non-Discrimination Policy
      • Sexual Harassment Policy
      • Whistleblower Protection
      • Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ)
  • MAINSTAGE SEASON
    • SHERLOCK HOLMES ADVENTURE OF THE NORWOOD BUILDER
    • PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
    • POE BY CANDLELIGHT
    • TALES OF THE VICTORIANS - Live and Virtual
    • CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FROM THE PAST >
      • Reviews for Christmas Shows
  • Tickets
    • Season Tickets and Gift Certificates
    • Dinner/Accomodation Packages & Savings
  • Other Events
    • Tales of the Victorians
    • Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides
    • Friday Silent Films
  • Education
    • Student Summer Workshop
    • Letter to Support "Bring the kids!"
    • Bringing History to Life with A YEAR IN THE TRENCHES
    • School Residencies
    • Productions
    • Teaching Artists
  • PAST PRODUCTIONS
    • ELTC American Classic Timeline
    • Recent Reviews & Articles
    • Productions 2016 -2022
    • Season Posters
    • American Classics
    • Premieres and New Works
    • A Few of the Actors, Directors, Designers and Playwrights
  • News
    • COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ELTC
    • NJ Honors East Lynne Theater Company
  • SUPPORT US
    • Volunteer
    • Business Sponsorships