East Lynne Theater Co.'s Artistic Director Gayle Stahlhuth Set for NWBC, 6/4

For the twelfth year in a row, the North Wildwood Beach Writers' Conference (NWBC), now in conjunction with Atlantic Cape Community College, brings together prestigious and inspiring speakers who discuss the craft of writing. This year, the dates are Tuesday, June 3, and Wednesday, June 4 and the location is the Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk.

Among the speakers is East Lynne Theater Company''s Artistic Director, Gayle Stahlhuth, making this her sixth NWBC appearance. Her workshop is slated for Wednesday, June 4 from 10:30p.m.-11:45p.m. and the topic is "Telling the Story Through Playwriting." Writing a play is just one of several ways to tell a story. By exploring characters, relationships, and situations, a story is born, but through a play, the action is driven by dialogue - not only "what" is said, but "how" it's said. Through simple improvisations and word games, dialogue emerges - and so does the story. The word "play" is in playwriting, so fun is part of the process.

Since 1999, Stahlhuth has been East Lynne Theater Company's Artistic Director. Aside from performing, directing, and producing, she is also a playwright, receiving commissions from The Smithsonian Institution, Theatreworks/USA and The Illinois and Missouri Humanities Councils, and grants from The New Jersey Humanities Council. Her plays have been performed at such places as the NYC International Fringe Festival, The Samuel French One-Act Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, Arvada Center in Denver, the Pennsylvania Stage Company, the Phoenix Theater in Indianapolis, and the Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company, located in Cape May. She has also worked as a "book doctor" for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional productions, and has taught playwriting and theater-related courses in schools (grade school through college), for Road Scholars (formerly Elderhostel), and for other private and public institutions throughout the country. She resides in Manhattan and West Cape May.

Other exciting presenters include Steven James, the bestselling author of the award-winning Patrick Bowers and Jevin Banks series; playwright and novelist Tom Monteleone whose novel "The Blood of the Lamb" received the Bram Stoker Award; actor, director, producer Bryan Cohen whose website BuildCreativeWritingIdeas.com helps over 25,000 people a month defeat writers' block; historical mystery writer Cordelia Frances Biddle of Philadelphia; Mother/daughter authors Jane Rubino and Caitlin Rubino Bradway (who also works for a literary agency), and Carol Plum-Ucci who's seven Harcourt published horror novels are set in South Jersey and have received numerous prizes. She sites being raised in a funeral home in Brigantine, NJ as perhaps being the reason for her writing genre.

The cost varies from $30 for each special seminar on Tuesday; $125 for all of the Wednesday events including workshops, continental breakfast, lunch, Q&A and a cocktail party; or $190 that includes all of the events on both days. Visit www.nwbwc.com for more details and reservation forms. Deadline to register is May 28. Send questions and comments to nwbwc12@gmail.com.

Photo credit: Lee O'Connor