CAPE MAY – The East Lynne Theater Company has an offer for city officials that many members of the governing body found intriguing, as it was discussed at an April 19 City Council meeting.
The theater company, in its 42nd year as an equity nonprofit company, needs a permanent home. Cape May has the preservation and use of the Allen African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church as a high priority. It is possible the two entities could benefit from a partnership.
The pitch from the theater company is for a 10-year lease for a total of $120,000. The company is offering to put a significant amount of that total upfront to provide monies that can be used for matching funds in grant applications.
In keeping with the historic character of the facility and the diversity themes of the Franklin Street cultural area, the theater company proposed its debut play in the space – James Baldwin’s “The Amen Corner,” a three-act play that explores the issue of the role of a church in an African American family.
The theater company indicated a desire to be part of bringing the historic building back into the lives of the people in the community, cooperating on sharing the space for community events.
The city is in the process of completing a preservation plan for the building. East Lynne Theater Company is having an architect do a needs assessment of what interior changes would be needed to support dramatic productions.
Everyone acknowledged that work still needs to be done to complete the studies, but there was genuine excitement at the prospect of the theater company bringing new life to a historic building.
