Theater down the Shore? It's getting better

Chicago playwright and House of Cards writer Laura Eason's Sex with Strangers just opened at the Cape May Stage, to be followed by the Neil Simon classic Barefoot in the Park in August.

Down the street, Rodgers' Romance, a Rodgers & Hart-based revue, is in full swing at the East Lynne Theater Company, with the gothic drama Dracula on its heels.

Thirty-two miles up the road in Ocean City, the famed children's show A Year with Frog and Toad has just ended at the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company, with West Side Story readying to open.

A few miles north of that, the Margate Players have wrapped Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, and kiddie show Shrek Jr. is mere days away. The Margate Players are the resident troupe of the Dr. Dominick A. Potena Performing Arts Center.

These are but a few live theater shows running during this dramatic, musical summer at the Jersey Shore.

You also have intimate Dante Hall in Atlantic City and the New Jersey Repertory Theater Company in Long Branch. The latter was once known as the "Hollywood of the East," with a season consisting of all-original productions.

It's not just light, flashy fare for summer-only Shore tourists, with cardboard sets and amateur actors. Most venues tend to have year-round seasons and go for top-tier talent and production values. Along with classic dramas and musicals come new and original shows.

"Nearly all of our artists are from New York or Los Angeles, though we have hired artists from Jersey and Philadelphia," says Roy Steinberg, producing artistic director of Cape May Stage. He mentions Philadelphia thespians Scott Greer and Grace Gonglewski.

"My favorite plays tend to happen in September," Steinberg says. That's the "shoulder" of the Cape May Stage season, with shows such as the forthcoming Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar. It's also a time of commitment to new works and what Steinberg calls "embracing poetic theater and bringing female voices to our repertory," with the work of playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Suzan Lori Parks.

Gayle Stahlhuth, artistic director of the East Lynne Theater Company, says it aims to be "a responsible member of two communities." Its theatrical arm contributes to "lifelong learning in and through the arts for all ages, with performances and educational programs," some of them in neighboring towns such as Wildwood. As a Cape May enterprise, the theater company seeks "to produce provocative classics and history-based contemporary entertainment that deal with the uniquely American experience." That includes plays by American greats such as Eugene O'Neill, Rachel Crothers, and S.J. Kaufman - and successful lesser-knowns, such as playwright and screenwriter John L. Balderston, who co-penned the aforementioned Dracula in 1927 and cowrote the script for the Bela Lugosi movie version in 1931.

Steinberg says Cape May theaters face the challenge of winter's chill, and the challenge of being theaters in wildly popular Shore points. "We have beautiful beaches and lovely nature preserves, which draw many to the town," Stahlhuth says, "but seeking culture may not be part of the agenda for a tourist staying only three days."

"We are a destination in itself," Steinberg says of making theater that aspires to be a "catalyst for ethical, moral, and political conversations." How often do you get that at the Jersey Shore?

Dante Hall, connected to Stockton University's arts programs, offers a variety of things: a "Five at the 5" cabaret on summer weekends, a Dylan revue at some point in August, staged readings, and open-mic poetry on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

The Ocean City Theatre Company is under the direction of founder Michael J. Hartman. "Ocean City is titled 'America's Greatest Family resort,' and I keep our programming affordable and entertaining for families," he says, referencing West Side Story and Alice in Wonderland.

Being local seems a genuine point of pride among New Jersey's theater practitioners. Such pride built the Margate Players, created 13 years ago "by a couple of 20-year-old kids that just wanted to continue theater after high school," says Gina Lyn Liscio. She's a professional Broadway musician (Mamma Mia!, Anything Goes) who cofounded the company with Debbie Roland and Doug Winkelstein. They did it as a community theater, rather than an Equity house.

Who was Dominick A. Potena, namesake of their venue? Lisco says he was a former superintendent of schools who "wanted this theater built to bring the arts to our beautiful beachtown community. We pride ourselves on using locals, most of which are area teachers and high school students. This truly is a community effort where everyone is welcome. When audiences and actors walk through the theater doors, they feel like they're home."

StartText

Cape May Stage. Robert Shackleton Playhouse, 405 Lafayette St., Cape May. capemaystage.org

Dante Hall Theater. 14 N. Mississippi Ave., Atlantic City. stockton.edu/dantehalltheater

Dr. Dominick A. Potena Performing Arts Center., 7804 Amherst Ave, Margate. sjca.net/dr-dominick-potena-performing-arts-center or margateplayers.com

East Lynne Performing Arts Theater. 500 Hughes St., Cape May. eastlynnetheater.org

Greater Ocean City Theatre Company Studio. 854 Asbury Ave. #3, Ocean City. oceancitytheatrecompany.com

New Jersey Repertory Theater Company. 179 Broadway, Long Branch. njrep.orgEndText