(CAMDEN, NJ) -- South Camden Theatre Company presents A Good Farmer by Sharyn Rothstein weekends from September 5-21, 2025. This is a play about love, friendship, and finding the power to face what divides us.
A moving drama laced with humor and heartache, A Good Farmer is the story of two women—a farm owner and her unlikely best friend, an undocumented Mexican immigrant—fighting to survive in a small town divided by America’s immigration battle.
"Putting a human face on big issues can be a cathartic experience on stage. Rothstein’s characters avoid stereotypes - they’re real people, with backstories that complicate things," wrote Susan Wallner in a Jersey Arts feature from 2018.
Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. Performances take place in the Waterfront South Theatre (400 Jasper Street) in Camden, New Jersey.
The cast includes Neena Boyle (Bonnie Johnson), William McHattie (David Johnson), Natalie Payán (Carla Gutierrez), Leah O’Hara (Rosemary Devlin), Angie Goode (Lu/Shirley Sender), Ryan Michael-Henzes (Gabe), and T. Patrick Ryan (Rich Parks). The production is directed by Scott Grumling.
Director Scott Grumling returns to South Camden Theatre Company after directing By The Water in September 2018. Previously, he also directed The Miss Firecracker Contest, the one-act play D-Day, Again for South Camden’s Shadows of War, and was a member of the cast of That Championship Season (James Daley). Scott has performed and directed in amateur and professional theaters in venues such as the New England Conservatory and the Boston Center for the Arts. Scott has twice won best actor at the ACT/CONN Annual Drama Festival. Favorite acting credits: Dr. Haggett, The Late Christopher Bean, Alan Turing, Breaking the Code; Arthur Kipps, The Woman in Black; Philip Mauritius; Georgina Pritt, The Temp; Judas, Godspell. Favorite directing credits: Philadelphia area premieres of Rasheeda Speaking and The Busy World is Hushed; Wit; Two Rooms; 26 Pebbles, Agnes of God; Massachusetts state premiere of Labor Day.
"I am honored to be directing another play written by Sharyn Rothstein," said Scott Grumling. "She tackles social and political issues without pushing a particular agenda or ideology onto the narrative of her work. Instead, she introduces us to and tells the story of characters that could be your friends or neighbors, bringing a specific and defined humanity to people who are affected by adverse circumstances."
Grumling continued, "Controversy surrounding the topic of immigration is not a recent development and has been a seemingly unsolvable issue for both Democratic and Republican administrations for decades. Playwright Sharyn Rothstein began work on this play about 20 years ago after seeing an article in the New York Times. The article reported that I.C.E. raids in a small farming town in upstate New York had created a culture of fear in the community and were turning neighbors against each other. Seven undocumented workers were detained and offered lesser sentences if they told officials that their employers were aware of their undocumented status, but the workers refused. This story prompted Sharyn to ponder: what ties must these workers have to their employer that they would protect the employer at their peril?"
When asked why Grumling has returned to SCTC, he said, "It brings me a tremendous feeling of pride to work with the talented, professional cast, and crew at SCTC. I am overjoyed to share this incredibly moving story and put a human face on this volatile topic, taking the audience on a journey beyond what is reported in today's many headlines."
Sharyn Rothstein's plays and musicals have been produced around the country, as well as internationally. Her adaptation of the beloved film Hester Street premiered at Washington D.C.’s Theater J in the Spring of 2024 (featuring music by Joel Waggoner), followed by the premiere of her book-banning drama Bad Books at Round House Theatre in 2025.
Her play By the Water, about a Staten Island family dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, was first produced by Manhattan Theater Club and Ars Nova, and was the recipient of the American Theater Critics Association Francesca Primus Prize. By The Water was also produced at SCTC in 2018. Her family comedy All the Days, was produced at the McCarter Theater Center, directed by Emily Mann, and her technology drama, Right to Be Forgotten, premiered at Arena Stage, directed by Seema Sueko, and was produced in Chicago at the Raven Theater in 2023. Her audio drama, Deep Fake, was released on Audible in 2022.
Sharyn has been a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Youngblood, Ars Nova’s Playgroup, the WP Theatre Lab and the New American Writer’s Group at Primary Stages. She is a Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow, and a four-time winner of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. She has received new play commissions from Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theater Club, and Ensemble Studio Theatre, among others. Her plays have been published by DPS, Samuel French, Playscripts, and others.
Sharyn is an accomplished television writer and producer. She is currently a writer and Co-Executive Producer on Orphan Black: Echoes, the spin-off of the sci-fi hit Orphan Black, soon to be on AMC. She was a writer/producer for the USA legal drama SUITS for many years, and has developed shows for Apple, AMC, and Bravo. Sharyn holds an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Public Health from Hunter College. She teaches television writing at NYU.
South Camden Theatre Company is proud to call Camden home. When the company was founded in 2005, performances were held in the basement theatre of the Sacred Heart Church. They are now the proud owners of The Waterfront South Theatre, the first free-standing theatre built for live theatre in Camden in more than 100 years.
The Waterfront South neighborhood is home to a growing arts community. Their arts neighbors now include Camden FireWorks, artist studios and gallery, The Nick Virgilio Writer’s House, Mighty Writers, Bee Still Studios, The Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum, Camden Boat Works, and the Center For Environmental Transformation, along with The Heart of Camden, and The Sacred Heart Church.
