Meet the Cast of ELTC’s “The World of Dorothy Parker” August 5

WEST CAPE MAY – Where else have these actors performed and how did they become part of the world premiere of “The World of Dorothy Parker?” How many actors does East Lynne Theater Company’s artistic director Gayle Stahlhuth see before choosing a cast for this and other shows? How does she even select plays for the season? How and why do directors and actors do what they do? And who is Dorothy Parker?
Audience members have the opportunity to ask these and other questions of the talented four-member cast and its director, Stahlhuth on Friday, August 5, immediately after seeing the award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company’s production of “The World of Dorothy Parker.”
Since its founding in 1980, ELTC’s focus has been to produce American plays that were first on Broadway before 1930, but what many may not realize is that ELTC has produced 30 world premiers and 8 New Jersey premieres in its 31-year history. Some of these musicals and plays that began with ELTC were commissioned by and written expressly for ELTC, like “Lizzie Borden Live,” “The Voice of the City,” and “Helpful Hints,” while other previously unproduced plays were discovered by ELTC’s artistic directors. Most of ELTC’s world premiere productions have gone onto other theaters and/or have become part of ELTC’s touring roster.
One of America’s most important writers is Dorothy Parker, and Stahlhuth thought it was time to create a whole show based on the work of this famous Algonquin Round Table wit. Known for her poetry, short stories, book and theater reviews, Parker was nominated for two Academy Awards as a screenwriter for “A Star is Born” and “Little Foxes.” Born on the Jersey Shore and raised in Manhattan, she left school at age 14 because she didn’t like it. She was friends with Robert Benchley and George S. Kaufman, and towards the end of her life, Wyatt Cooper and his wife Gloria Vanderbuilt (Anderson Cooper’s parents), were her closest friends. The first edition of “The Portable Dorothy Parker” was selected by Alexander Woollcott in 1944 as the fourth in a series of volumes intended for soldiers overseas. It has never been out of print.
Parker left her estate and all rights to her work to Dr. Martin Luther King. Upon his death, as per her wishes, the rights became the property of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her ashes are in a memorial garden created for her by the NAACP, outside the organization’s Baltimore headquarters. ELTC wishes to thank the NAACP for authorizing this use of Parker’s work.
In “The World of Dorothy Parker,” the following stories are brought to life in this engagingly delightful evening: “A Telephone Call” (1930), “Here We Are” (1931), “The Lovely Leave” (1943), and other tales and poems by the woman who quipped: “Men don’t make passes at women who wear glasses.”
All four Actors’ Equity professionals performed in last season’s ELTC productions of “Berkeley Square” or “The Dictator” and are Suzanne Dawson, Tiffany-Leigh Moskow, Drew Seltzer, and John Cameron Weber. All have performed in NYC, in regional productions, soap operas, and film.
“The World of Dorothy Parker” runs from July 27 through September 3, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:30p.m. at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, where the company is in residence. Tickets are $30 for general admission; $25 for seniors and those with disabilities and their support companions; $15 for students; and anyone age twelve and under is free. For information and to make reservations, call 609-884-5898 or go online at www.eastlynnetheater.org.
“He and She,” which received a terrific review in “The Wall Street Journal” and other papers must close on July 23.
“The World of Dorothy Parker” would not be possible without permission from the NAACP, season sponsors Curran Investment Management, Aleathea’s Restaurant, and La Mer Beachfront Inn; funding received through grants from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; and the generosity of many patrons.