(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- On Tuesday, June 21 at 7:00pm, Cape May Stage, in partnership with East Lynne Theater, will host a staged reading of Indecent, a 2015 play by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Paula Vogel. The reading will be held at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse, located at 405 Lafayette Street in Cape May, NJ. This event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted at the door, with part of the proceeds going to Gay Men’s Health Crisis, a healthcare non-profit.
Indecent recounts the true story of 1923 Broadway play, God of Vengeance, in which the cast and producer were arrested and convicted on the grounds of obscenity—due to the fact that the play included a lesbian storyline. Indecent tracks the dramatic history of playwright Sholem Asch along with his cast and crew of God of Vengeance, as the troupe faces persecution. “Indecent is important because it highlights the fact that a handful of government officials had the ability to close God of Vengeance based on their ideas of what is immoral,” commented Gayle Stahlhuth, the Producing Artistic Director of East Lynne Theater Company. “It’s a beautiful play.” In 2017, Indecent won two Tony Awards, along with other accolades, and is celebrated alongside God of Vengeance as a germinal work of LGBT+ theater.
Producing Artistic Director of Cape May Stage, Roy Steinberg, commented: “Community coming together to hear a play reading is at the center of what theater is all about. Indecent is the epitome of how theater functions in a vibrant arts center like Cape May, as it provokes discussion during Pride Month to deepen our understanding of this important subject.” The New York Times praised this “powerful drama” as a production which “sheds light on a time when history, Jewish culture, and the depiction of lesbian love explosively intersected."
Steinberg will direct the reading and Stahlhuth will read stage directions with a cast of talented regional actors reading the parts.
The mission of Cape May Stage is to produce compelling and impactful theater that engages audiences and enriches their lives. Located at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on the corner of Bank and Lafayette Streets in the heart of historic downtown Cape May, NJ, Cape May Stage is dedicated to producing diverse, contemporary theatre in the nation’s oldest seaside resort. East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) brings the American Spirit to the stage with its blend of provocative premieres and timeless classics, providing a portal to the past for a better understanding of the present. Founded in 1980 and named after a popular 19th century play, ELTC was the first Actor’s Equity (union) theater in the country with a focus on America’s theatrical heritage. ELTC operates all year long, producing its mainstage season at the historic Cape May Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street, Cape May, where the company is in residence.
