East Lynne Theater Company to Honor Jake Schaad at SJCA Encore Awards, 5/29

Jacob Schaad is East Lynne Theater Company's honoree on Thursday, May 29 at the South Jersey Cultural Alliance's (SJCA) 19th Annual Paul Aiken Encore Awards Dinner at the Levoy Theatre in Millville. East Lynne is a proud member of SJCA, and this event offers the opportunity for members to recognize those who graciously support arts organizations in eight South Jersey counties. The Alliance's own 2014 Lillian Levy Standing Ovation Award will be given to Sara Cureton in recognition of her work as Director of the New Jersey Historical Commission at New Jersey Department of State. The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Pat Witt, an artist who has encouraged the work of others since 1962 at her Barn Studio of Art in Millville.

Jacob Schaad has been a newspaperman for 74 years, first for the "Paterson Evening News" for 30 years and in the Army Air Corps during World War II. In 1981, he and his family moved to Cape May, where he continues to write features for local newspapers. An advocate for the arts, Jake is the only reporter in the Cape May and Wildwoods area, who, for 33 years, has highlighted local cultural events. Quite often, after receiving a press release from East Lynne Theater Company via e-mail, he'll call the company to find out more specifics, looking for that special "hook" that would help him create a new feature with his own unique touch.

Jake's mother, the former Rose Gehring, was a professional singer, and by the time he was able to toddle, he'd already attended some of her performances. As he puts it, "Her initial aim was to make a singer out of her only child. So she placed me in the children's choir of a Presbyterian church where, legend has it, I sang so badly that half the congregation turned Catholic. Next she attempted to make a pianist out of me. That didn't work either. So she bought me a typewriter and said the only music I would hear is the bell at the end of each line."

After the war, he became involved in community theater, acting in summer stock, and acting and directing for the Neighborhood Playmakers. A few years later, he started sitting in the audience to review shows, instead of performing in them.

The Encore Awards, a cornerstone of the cultural community in southern New Jersey, will be held from 6:00 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. The evening consists of a cocktail reception and hors d'oeuvres served at 6:00 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 7:00 p.m. At 9:00 p.m. desserts will be served.

The awards themselves are designed especially for this event by artists at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, and each is hand-made.

The purpose of this elegant event is to increase community awareness of the region's vibrant arts, history and cultural organizations that contribute to the quality of life and economic revitalization of communities. It is an evening not to be missed, and black tie is optional.

Tickets are $80 if purchased before May 16, and $85 after that. A group of 10 tickets is $750. To purchase tickets directly from SJCA, contact them at 609-645-2760.