Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 01/05/2026
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse will host a special one-night-only musical fundraiser titled "Old Friends: A Night of Songs and Stories" featuring Debby Jenkins and Brian Conover on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 7:00pm. Proceeds for the event go directly to Gateway Playhouse.
Singer/songwriter Conover and all-around performer Jenkins will come together to sing for the first time after 40 years of friendship and mutual admiration. Pianist Scott Breiner will join the two for a night of songs and stories about life, music and friendship.
Jenkins originally heard of Conover as a child when she saw her first production at the Gateway in 1979. The show was “Oliver!” and it starred Conover, now a teacher in Galloway who also plays in a variety of local bands. They eventually became lifelong friends after high school, yet never performed together.
As an adult, Jenkins performed and produced shows at the Gateway with her husband Jim Dalfonso, who was chairman of the Gateway for 17 years until 2023. When the Gateway closed several years ago due to disrepair, Jenkins, Dalfonso, Keith Cooper, and Karen Sutherland became instrumental in the efforts to fundraise and pay for its renovation.
“There’s something special about the Gateway,” said Jenkins. “It could be easy for a community to take it for granted. I always want people to remember that theaters close every day – even on Broadway. It has to stay in your mind. It matters. When you step inside the Gateway you get to leave everything behind and go somewhere new.”
Jenkins claims this will be her last performance at the Gateway, as she and Dalfonso now live in Indiana where she works as a teaching artist and the director of a dementia-friendly choir. So, she and Conover plan to pull out all the stops for their “Old Friends” fundraiser, which will include well-known songs about friendship, as well as originals written by Conover, and a few pop and Broadway numbers.
“We plan to take people on a little journey, but mostly it will be filled with great songs that we really wanted to perform for people,” Jenkins said.
The fundraising goal for Jenkins and Conover is $15,000 via ticket sales, a QR code and the curtain speech.
“We are thrilled and honored to have Debby and Brian take time out of their busy schedules to showcase their immense talents in a fundraiser for the Gateway,” said Katie Calvi, chairman of the Gateway since Dalfonso’s departure. “They both have helped shape the heart and history of Gateway Playhouse and this show ensures the future remains just as vibrant.”
Tickets are $30 per person and are available for purchase online and at the Karen S. Sutherland Box Office. Tickets are also on sale now for the Gateway’s all-musical 2026 MainStage Season, which includes: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls, and 9 to 5: The Musical. Gateway Playhouse is located at 738 Bay Avenue in Somers Point, New Jersey.
Since its reopening in 2017, Gateway Playhouse, a 501-(c)3 nonprofit, has provided quality and affordable year-round entertainment to residents and visitors alike, as well as offered educational opportunities to grammar and high school students, in the hopes of creating future generations of actors, directors and audiences. Aside from an annual mainstage season, the Gateway also produces a variety of comedy and cabaret shows throughout the year.
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