(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- It’s a whole new mainstage season at East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) in Cape May. Heck, it’s practically a whole new East Lynne! The theater’s new Artistic Director Craig Fols is breathing new life into this glorious 40+ year-old theatre located within the walls of the beautiful Cape May Presbyterian Church. Get ready for the 2023 Mainstage Season of ELTC, which includes a world premiere and two well-known favorites: “A Tale of Two Cities Cobbled Together by the Brothers Lovejoy”, written and directed by Fols; “Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry; and A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters”.
“A Tale of Two Cities Cobbled Together by the Brothers Lovejoy” by Craig Fols: Fols opens the season with a world premiere--his own original adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” In this theatrical comedy, two men play out their own version of Dickens’ classic, arguing as they go: “How should they best tell the story?” “Why does it even matter?” “And what does it mean to audiences today?” This premiere, also directed by Fols, opens on June 14 and will runs Wednesdays to Saturdays through July 15.
“Driving Miss Daisy” by Alfred Uhry: Next up is Uhry’s beloved “Driving Miss Daisy” from August 2 to September 2. This Pulitzer-Prize winner tells the story of a unique friendship. When Daisy crashes her car into a neighbor’s garage, her son hires her a driver, Hoke Coleburn, a Black man who must overcome Miss Daisy's prejudices to keep his job as her chauffeur. Set in Atlanta before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement, this moving comedy is about two extraordinary people, and their unexpected bond.
“Love Letters” by A.R. Gurney: Gurney’s uber-popular “Love Letters” comes to Cape May for six weeks with a twist—a rotating cast of real-life couples. Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, friends from childhood who share a lifetime of correspondence, beginning with birthday party thank-you notes and ending with a heartfelt goodbye. This funny, yet poignant, portrait of love and friendship runs September 6 through October 14.
Tickets are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors. Students and military are $20. Season tickets are $100 and only available through June 10. Additional summer and winter shows will be announced soon.
East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) is in residence at Cape May Presbyterian Church (500 Hughes Street) in Cape May, New Jersey.
Founded in 1980, East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) was the first theater in the country with the unique mission of presenting and preserving America's theatrical heritage. The New York Times listed ELTC as one of the 75 top summer theaters in North America. In 2018, the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly passed a joint legislative resolution recognizing ELTC as “one of the state’s most important cultural treasures.”
