Gayle Stahlhuth, photo by Naomi Weinberg
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- On Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 2:00pm, Classic American Tales' Margaret's Diary During a Revolution will be at the Grange at Historic Cold Spring Village (735 Seashore Road) in Cape May. Paying for admission to the Village allows guests to see the performance and other events at HCSV for free.
Since March, Margaret, which was created to celebrate the founding of this country 250 years ago, has been performed at several New Jersey locations: Historic Peachfield near Burlington, The Steuben House in Landing Bridge, The Avalon History Center, The Wildwood Crest Art Pavillion, The Cape May Public Library, for Cape May MAC’s Lunch and Learn series, and will be at the Morristown Public Library in November.
Written and performed by CAT’s artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth, Margaret is based on the actual diary of Margaret Morris and other research. The performance is set in 1795, and Margaret is visiting a location to read sections from her diary and add what she later learned about events leading up to and after The Battle of Trenton while living in Burlington, NJ next to the Delaware River. Beginning her detailed entries on December 6, 1776, her writing is accessible for the modern ear and not without humor as Hessian invasions were imminent, and the Pennsylvania Navy. and the Pennsylvania and New Jersey militias patrolled the river. Many of her neighbors fled Burlington, while Margaret remained.
A member of The Dramatists Guild, SAG-AFTRA and AEA, The National League of Professional Women honored Stahlhuth in 2016 for her work in theater, which involves working in New York, regional theater, and touring productions as a performer, director, and playwright, and teaching acting and playwriting to all ages. She has written and performed other one-person shows based on Louisa May Alcott, Twain’s “Eve’s Diary,” Chopin’s “The Awakening,” and her newest is about Calamity Jane. She was associated with East Lynne Theater Company from 1981 through 2022 and founded the nonprofit Classic American Tales with three others, in the summer of 2023.
Other CAT performances continue at The Dormer House in Cape May with a variety of performers and topics and will be at Rea’s Farm in West Cape May in November and December. To learn more about CAT’s 2026 season, visit https://www.ClassicAmericanTales.org.
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