(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- On Friday, July 17 at 8:30p.m., there will be an American Sign Language Interpretation of  "Mr. Lincoln" produced by the award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company.

     Since the early 1990’s, ELTC has offered regularly scheduled ASL performances, as well as ASL performances when requested and ELTC is given appropriate notice. The theatrical ASL interpreters are Kathy Filippo and Gina Lanza, who have performed many times for ELTC. The process involves them seeing the production at least once, plus going over the script several times to figure out who will interpret which roles, and in many cases, come up with signage for unusual names and words. 

     On Good Friday, April 14,1865, when the President and Mrs. Lincoln were watching “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre, John Wilkes Booth entered the President’s box. In Herbert Mitgang’s play, “Mr. Lincoln,” the President’s life flashes before him, from his early days as a flatboatman on the Mississippi River to his final night at the theater, as Booth fires his weapon. Most of the monologue for this compelling play is taken directly from Lincoln’s own writings and speeches.

     “Mr. Lincoln” marks the seventh ELTC production for Tom Byrn. Recent performances include ELTC’s  “Within the Law,” “One Slight Hitch” at Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott, NY and  “Circle Mirror Transformation” at The REP Stage located near Washington D.C. He has acted at various theaters in the Philadelphia area, including People's Light & Theatre, Interact, Lantern, and Act II Playhouse. Tom is an Associate Member of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, in Bloomsburg, PA, where he spent eleven years as a full-time Ensemble Member, acting, directing, writing, and teaching. He is co-editor of “Letters to the Editor,” published by Simon & Schuster, and a member of the Lincoln Center Director's Lab. Having performed “The Santaland Diaries” by David Sedaris, and two of his own solo works, he is not a stranger to one-person shows. This December, he will be teaching theater to students in an after-school program in Istanbul.

    Herbert Mitgang (1920-2013) wrote two books on the 16th President before he wrote the play, “Mr. Lincoln.”  It ran on Broadway in 1980, was performed at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C., and at theaters in Canada, England and Australia, before it launched “Hallmark Hall of Fame” on PBS. 

     Helping to create the “Lincoln Look” is hair and make-up designer Dave Bova.  His Broadway credits include “Wicked,” “Memphis,” and “Spamalot.” Marion Brady, whose costumes for ELTC’s production of “It Pays to Advertise” were on display in December, 2013 at Drumthwacket, the New Jersey’s Governor’s mansion near Princeton, created the costume.

     Gayle Stahlhuth, who directed “Mr. Lincoln,” has served as the company’s artistic director since 1999, and first began performing for ELTC shortly after Warren Kliewer founded the company in 1980, 35 years ago.

     “Mr. Lincoln” runs through July 25, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 p.m., at the historic First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, where the company is in residence. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for seniors (62 and over), and $15 for full-time students, those in the military and veterans.  Ages 12 and under are free.  For reservations and information, call 609-884-5898, e-mail eastlynneco@aol.com, or go to the website, www.eastlynnetheater.org.

Tom Byrn as the 16th President in East Lynne Theater Company’s production of “Mr. Lincoln.” Photo credit: Gayle Stahlhuth