Gayle Stahlhuth, photo by Katrina Ferguson
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- "I feel like an experiment. Exactly like an experiment," wrote Eve in her diary, according to Mark Twain in his humous account of the "first woman." She also wrote about the first time she met Adam, how she named the animals, her quest for an education, and other events in Eden. Combining "Eve's Diary," along with Twain's more serious writings about "after the fall," Gayle Stahlhuth created her one-person "Eve's Diary." She’s performed it as part of solo festivals in New York City and elsewhere, as well as for special events, like the annual Quilting Festival in Paducah, Kentucky.
Come see the humorous and touching "Eve's Diary and Other Tales by Twain," for free, on Thursday, October 17 at 4:00pm at the Cape May Public Library (720 Franklin Street) in Cape May, NJ. For reservations, call the library at 609-884-9568 or visit https://events.cmclibrary.org/event/11824055 Advance registration is appreciated.
Aside from being a professional actor, director, and producer, Stahlhuth is also a storyteller and playwright. Her first musical for which she wrote the book and lyrics, "Song of Myself" based on Walt Whitman, was produced at Pennsylvania Stage Company in 1981. She began writing and performing one-person shows that same year, that have been seen in a variety of NYC venues and in theaters, universities, and museums throughout the country, based on historical women (Louisa May Alcott, etc.), nonfiction women (Edna Pontellier in "The Awakening," etc.), and her own experiences ("Goin' Home" about cleaning out her mother’s home, etc.) Currently, she is working on a four-person play about PTSD, and a solo show about Edna Ferber. After 23 years of being the producing artistic director of East Lynne Theater Company, she founded another nonprofit theater in Cape May in 2023, Classic American Tales (CAT), dedicated to telling America’s stories one tale at a time. For more about CAT, visit ClassicAmericanTales.org.
CAT's next events are "Poe by Candlelight" at End of the Road Theater on Wednesday, October 23 and Saturday, October 26, and "One Step at a Time" at Cape May Stage on Friday, October 25.
