New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Classic American Tales offers a free playwriting workshop in Cape May Court House

originally published: 05/24/2024

Gayle Stahlhuth, photo by Katrina Ferguson

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, Classic American Theater (CAT) is offering a Playwriting Workshop for free at The Cape May Court House Public Library (30 Mechanic Street) in Cape May Court House, NJ.  The workshop, for ages 17 on up, is geared for those who have written plays, as well as those who have always wanted to try their hand at it.  The workshop runs from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.

By exploring characters, relationships, and situations, a story is born, but through a play, the action is driven by dialogue.  Professional playwright, founder and artistic director of CAT, Gayle Stahlhuth guides participants in getting dialogue going through thinking of different times, locations, characters, events, and simple writing exercises to trigger the imagination. Participants may bring several copies of a 5-minute typed selection from one of their plays they would like to share with the group. If participants would like Stahlhuth to look at their five-minute pieces ahead of time, they may e-mail them to classicamericantales@aol.com.

As a playwright, Stahlhuth has received commissions from The Smithsonian Institution, Theatreworks/USA and the Illinois, and Missouri Humanities Councils, and grants from The New Jersey Humanities Council and the Puffin Foundation. Her plays have been performed at such places as the NYC International Fringe Festival, The Samuel French One-Act Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, Arvada Center in Denver, Pennsylvania Stage Company, the Phoenix Theater in Indianapolis, and East Lynne Theater Company in Cape May, where she was the producing artistic director from 1999 through 2022. She has taught playwriting to a variety of ages throughout the country at theaters, universities, libraries, public schools, and conferences. She was a popular workshop leader at the now-disbanded North Wildwood Beach Writers' Conference and created an annual two-day playwriting get-away at The Henry Sawyer Inn in Cape May, which is now a private home.  She has also worked as a “book doctor” for Off Broadway and regional productions. In 2019, she was a speaker at a symposium in NYC, sponsored by the nonprofit Dancers Over 40. Her topic here was how to create, perform, and market one-person shows. Aside from shows with a variety of cast sizes, she has written several one-person shows that were produced in NYC and toured the country.

For information and reservations for the Playwrighting Workshop, call the library at 609-463-6350 or click here. Advance registration is greatly appreciated. 

From June 20 through October, CAT's "Classic Tales" return to The Dormer House in Cape May. Visit ClassicAmericanTales.org to learn more about CAT, e-mail ClassicAmericanTales@aol.com, or call 609-884-5898. CAT intends to tell America’s stories "one tale at a time."




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Stargazer

Stargazer Performing Arts presents Inaugural Jersey Shore Young Playwrights Festival

(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Stargazer Performing Arts will present the inaugural Jersey Shore Young Playwrights Festival on Friday, June 20, 2025 at the Duncan Smith Theater in Holmdel. This is a brand-new celebration of emerging talent from teen writers across Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May counties. The festival will showcase original plays written by students ages 13 to 18, brought to life in a staged reading by local actors and directed by Stargazer's co-director, Jim DeVivo.



Luna

Luna Stage presents a new solo adaptation of "The Ground on Which We Stand (abridged)"

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage presents a new solo adaptation of The Ground on Which We Stand (abridged) from June 5-21, 2025. The play was inspired by the history and legacy of The James Howe House, the first home owned by a formerly enslaved person in Montclair. The project was conceived and is directed by Ari Laura Keith.



Studio

Studio Players presents "The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon"

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Studio Players presents The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon by Don Zolidis across three weekends from June 6-21, 2025. Over two hundred Fairytales in two hours... what could go wrong?



Sussex

Sussex County Resident's Original Play Selected to Be Performed at New York Theater Festival's "SummerFest 2025"

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Sparta resident Allison Ognibene, and lead faculty of Theater at Sussex County Community College (SCCC) has written an original play called "Mile 59" that will be featured in the renowned New York Theater Festival, "NY Summerfest" in June 2025 at the Hudson Guild Theater.



Prospect

Prospect Musicals presents "The Oscar Micheaux Project"

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Prospect Musicals presents eight developmental performances of The Oscar Micheaux Project, a new jazz musical between June 13–21, 2025 as the part of the company’s residency at Baruch Performing Arts Center (55 Lexington Avenue).



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Play

Play Festival Reading Series: "Lia Del Mar"

Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: theatre


 

Best

Best of the Eagles

Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: theatre


 

Hedwig

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Bell Theater
101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733
category: theatre


 

Play

Play Festival Reading Series: "Mala Aria"

Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 3:00pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: theatre


 

Hedwig

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Bell Theater
101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733
category: theatre


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info