East Lynne Theater Company Receives Grant from Travel and Tourism

The Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company is receiving $16,020.00 from the Cooperative Marketing Grant sponsored by the New Jersey Department of State: Division of Travel and Tourism. The award was given based on the scores of an independent evaluation and funding review committee that studied ELTC's application and marketing plan.

This is the tenth year in a row ELTC has received this prestigious grant, the funding for which must be solely used for marketing. It has been instrumental in helping ELTC to seek advertising opportunities outside of South Jersey, which has contributed to ELTC becoming a cultural tourist destination, providing yet another reason to come to Cape May.

The combination of ELTC's unique repertoire of well-produced classic American plays and new works based on American history and literature, and its marketing efforts to attract visitors to its productions, has been paying off more and more every year. This past year saw a substantial upswing in ticket sales, with more than half of the audience visiting Cape May for the first time, from over 25 different states. Reviews continue to be excellent, including from Ricky Young for "DC Metro Theater Arts" who wrote: "With their production of "Biography," by S. N. Behrman, director Gayle Stahlhuth and her cast and designers have turned a 1932 classic into a masterful stage production."

ELTC pursues performance possibilities beyond Cape May County. Funding for these productions comes from the organizations sponsoring ELTC's touring shows and specific grants received by ELTC for touring only, yet the town of Cape May benefits because ELTC clearly states that its home is Cape May. This year, "Mr. Lincoln" was one of our shows-on-the-road, and already set for 2017, "Detectives Holmes and Carter" is going on tour, and there is interest in other ELTC shows.

ELTC also attracts visitors to Cape May off-season with Murder Mystery Weekends in February, March, and April held at The Henry Sawyer Inn. March is also when ELTC offers its radio-style productions, coordinated with Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities' Sherlock Holmes' Weekend, and ELTC's artists-in-residence conduct workshops and direct student productions at West Cape May Elementary School.

ELTC's annual gala at Aleathea's at The Inn of Cape May is on Monday, October 31, which features dinner, entertainment, a trivia competition, silent auction, and raffle. The scholarship recipient will be announced as well as details of the 2017 season, which include "Will Rogers' U.S.A." and a world premiere about World War I written by James Rana to commemorate the 100thanniversary of the U.S. entering the Great War.

After the gala, there are two other productions in 2016: "Detectives Holmes and Carter" and "Yuletide Tales." For more information about East Lynne Theater Company, call 609-884-5898, e-mail eastlynneco@aol.com, or visit eastlynnetheater.org.