Pat Dwyer on the porch of The Dormer House in Cape May.
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- From June 4 through October 15, 2026 (except for July 2), Classic American Tales (CAT) once more presents Tales at the Dormer House in which guests are treated to lemonade and tasty treats while listening to stories written by noteworthy authors, read by a variety of performers. The schedule is 4:00pm every Thursday at the historic Dormer House Bed and Breakfast (800 Columbia Avenue) in Cape May, NJ. Performances are on the front porch, weather permitting.
Otherwise, they will be inside. Cost is only $12.00, cash at the door, and guests at The Dormer House and children ages 12 and under are free.
The first “Tales” on June 4 is “The Chariot Race” from Ben Hur by Lew Wallace (1880) presented by CAT’s founder and artistic director Gayle Stahlhuth. Next up, on June 11, features New York Stories: selections from Dos Passos' Manhattan Transfer (1925) and Langston Hughes, read by Frank Smith and Stephanie Garrett, both of whom have performed on Cape May porches for many years. At one time, Smith portrayed Dr. Physick at the Physick Estate and for ten years, performed “The Ghosts of Christmas Past” on Cape May MAC trolleys. Garrett performed onstage in Rain and Lost on the Natchez Tracey, directed by Stahlhuth, when she was the producing artistic director of East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC).
On June 18, Michele LaRue presents A Bird in the Hand: Sarah Orne Jewett's "Miss Esther's Guest" and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman's "The Parrot." Her credits with ELTC include Bride Roses, Suppressed Desires, and Stahlhuth’s adaptation of Henry James’ The Beast in the Jungle – all directed by her late husband: ELTC's founder and first producing artistic director, Warren Kliewer. One of the first to read on porches as part of ELTC's Tales of the Victorians, now under her own title, Tales Well Told, she reads works by American authors in various venues nationwide.
Carolyn A. Nelson, on June 25, presents Stories from the Old West: "On Cowboys" from The Mountains by Stewart Edward White (1905), "Letter IX, Estes Park, Colorado" from A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird (1879), and "Em'ly" by Owen Wister, originally published in "Harper's Magazine" (1893), later included in his novel, The Virginian (1904). Nelson has worked at many theaters in and around Philadelphia, including the Walnut Street Theatre, Quintessence Theatre, and Act II Playhouse. Marking her third season on the porch, she will have just finished portraying Vivian Bearing in Wit.
On July 2 at 4:00pm, Stahlhuth performs Margaret's Diary During a Revolution at The Cape May Public Library, as part of CAT’s programming to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of The American Revolution. There is no performance on the porch on this day.
Performers slated for July include Phil Pizzi, Patricia Durante reading “His Smile” by Susan Glaspell, and James Rana reading the first chapter from Vladimir Nabokov's Pnin: Copyright (c) 1953, 1955, 1957 by Vladimir Nabokov, Copyright renewed 1981, 1983, 1895 by Vera Nabokov and Dmitri Nabokov, used by permission of The Wylie Agency LLC.
Look for other CAT performances, including An Evening with Guy Davis on Wednesday June 24 as a fundraiser with Animal Outreach at Cape May Point Arts and Science Center, Margaret’s Diary During a Revolution at Historic Cold Spring Village, and more events in the barn at Rea’s Farm and at the Cape May Public Library. In the fall, CAT goes to Ocean City, NJ for an in-school theater residency.
Reservations for Tales at the Dormer House are appreciated, and may be made through CAT by calling 609-884-5898 or e-mailing [email protected]. Details about this and other CAT events are found on https://www.ClassicAmericanTales.org. The nonprofit CAT was founded in 2023 to tell America's stories "one tale at a time.”
