Evan Smilyk Receives East Lynne Theater's 2014 HJSNA Scholarship Fund

At East Lynne Theater Company's annual fundraising event on November 10 at Aleathea's Restaurant at The Inn of Cape May, Evan Smilyk was named the eighth recipient of the Historic Jackson Street Neighborhood Association Scholarship Fund (HJSNA) in the Name of Bob and Toni Green.

This fund was started in the fall of 2006 with a generous $5,000.00 donation from HJSNA, in honor of the Greens, who first owned The Puffin on Jackson Street. Bob Green was at one time President of ELTC's Board, and Toni came up with the idea for ELTC's "Tales of the Victorians," now just completing its twenty-fifth year. The Greens currently live in Kentucky.

The $300.00 Scholarship is slated for those who actively participate in theater, are either full-time or part-time South Jersey residents, and adhere to the famous actor/director Konstantin Stanislavsky's creed to "love the art in yourself, and not yourself in the art."

This Scholarship has been used to help recipients pay for theater-related classes in and out of the regular school or college environment, and to help make a payment on a college loan, if the degree is in theater. The decision by the Board of Trustees to give the award to Evan was based on his involvement in school productions, ELTC's Summer Student Workshop, and more recently, his portrayal of young Don Diego Vega and other roles in ELTC's Equity professional main stage production of the world premiere of "Zorro!" written by James Rana. Evan is slated to be in ELTC's world premiere "Huckleberry Finn" next summer, another main stage production, also adapted by Rana.

Evan, currently in 8th grade at Richard M. Teitleman School, played the lead in this school's production of "Jitterbug Juliette" last spring. He was in several plays at West Cape May Elementary School in a program provided by ELTC due to funding from New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival. Directed by ELTC's artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth, his roles included the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" and the title role in "Rip Van Winkle." In an after-school program provided by Sally Bingham, at the same school, he took on the roles of Hamlet and Lady Macbeth. For five years, Evan participated in ELTC's Summer Theater Workshop, portraying a variety of roles.

Met with enthusiastic applause from the audience when he accepted the Scholarship at Aleathea's Restaurant, Evan then graciously thanked the Board of Trustees and the artistic director.

The next ELTC production is "Christmas in Wisconsin: Tales by Zona Gale" running from November 28 through December 13. For information about East Lynne Theater Company's main stage season, touring shows, and educational outreach, call 609-884-5898 or e-mail eastlynneco@aol.com, or go online to www.eastlynnetheater.org.

Pictured: Evan Smilyk and Mark Lazar in ELTC's recent production of "Zorro." Photo by Gayle Stahlhuth.