Cape May Stage offers engaging theater, unique musical performances, and special event programming from May through December. Check out our 2024 season lineup below! For more details about each show, just click on “Learn More” or to purchase tickets choose “Buy Tickets”. To see a monthly calendar view of all 2024 shows and events, click on the button below. For assistance with tickets or season subscriptions, please call the box office at 609-770-8311.
2024 Main Stage Shows
Becoming Dr. Ruth
Written by Mark St. Germain
Directed by Roy Steinberg
June 5th – June 30th
Wednesday – Saturday at 7 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
“Fascinating and heartbreaking… conveys Westheimer’s surprising dignity, courage, and resilience” — The New Yorker
Rita Hayworth - The Heat is On!
Written by Carter Inskeep
Directed by Carter Inskeep
July 6th – July 12th
Nightly at 8 PM
“You don’t even have to squint your eyes to see Rita’s in the room.” — New York Post
This critically acclaimed concert is about the life of Rita Hayworth, the star that built Columbia Pictures. It’s a humorous, heartfelt and heartbreaking look at The Golden Age of Hollywood, Me Too Movement and The Price of Fame. It is also a celebration of a remarkable life told with humor, wit and impeccable storytelling woven with The Great American Songbook from The Golden Age Of Hollywood. Starring Quinn Lemley, winner of the Bistro Award and two-time nominee for the MAC awards for achievements in cabaret, comedy and jazz. Please note that this show is not part of our annual subscription package.
Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B
Written by Kate Hamill
Directed by Roy Steinberg
July 17th – August 25th
Tuesday – Sunday at 8 PM
“Extremely Thrilling. Occasionally Shocking. Highly Amusing.” — Playbill
This fast-paced, comedic, and modern reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick explores the dynamic partnership of a new Holmes and Watson as they navigate a series of exhilarating adventures. This quasi dysfunctional odd couple emerge from a pandemic fog and come face to face with a cunning supervillain. Packed with non-stop laughs and hijinks galore, audiences of all ages will embark on a thrilling ride. Written by The Wall Street Journal’s Playwright of the Year, Kate Hamill. This will be the New Jersey premiere of the play, written in 2022.
Stones In His Pockets
Written by Marie Jones
Directed by Roy Steinberg
September 11th – October 20th
Wednesday – Saturday at 7 PM
Sunday at 3 pm
WINNER – Olivier Award for Best New Comedy
WINNER – Drama Desk Award
“An unalloyed source of joy, laughter, tears and delight.”
—The Daily Mail
“Inventive and riotously funny!” — The Associated Press
This award-winning play brings Hollywood to rural Ireland in a riotous clash of cultures. Set against the backdrop of a small Irish town, the story follows two local men cast as extras in a glamorous American movie. But when a famous actress takes a shine to one of the locals and tragedy strikes, chaos ensues, leading to a hilarious collision of harsh reality and Hollywood fantasies. Two talented actors play 15 different parts in this comedic play with a poignant undercurrent.
The Gift of the Magi:
A modern adaptation of the O. Henry story
by Marisa Smith
Directed by Roy Steinberg
November 20th – December 29th
Wednesday – Saturday at 7 PM
Sunday at 3 PM
Playwright Marisa Smith won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.
2024 Broadway Series
Melissa Errico in Concert
Saturday, June 1st, at 7 pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY at Cape May Stage’s Robert Shackleton Playhouse.
“Her golden pipes brilliantly handle any song they touch.: – Theater Pizzazz
“One song after another, Melissa Errico has her audience sighing, crying, cheering, and melting in their seats…or laughing, laughing, laughing.”
Cape May Stage presents Tony Award nominated Broadway star Melissa Errico on Saturday, June 1st, to kick off the 2024 Broadway Series.
A hilarious and emotional, sensual and musical evening with Broadway star, recording artist and author Melissa Errico telling her most personal stories about a life on Broadway and singing of the dreams, dreamers and inspirations that shaped her.
Broadway Concert: People Will Say We’re in Love
Monday, September 23, at 7 pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY at Cape May Stage’s Robert Shackleton Playhouse.
John D. Smitherman is “One of the greatest voices of this generation!” (New York Press)
“A voice as big and beautiful as the Rockies!” (NY Press)
Cape May Stage presents Broadway performers John D. Smitherman and Jessica Edwards on Monday, September 23, as part of our 2024 Broadway Series.
“People Will Say We’re in Love” is an evening of songs of love and romance performed by John D. Smitherman and Jessica Edwards.
Abigail Rockwell: A Norman Rockwell Bedford Falls Christmas Concert
Sunday, December 15th, at 7 pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY at Cape May Stage’s Robert Shackleton Playhouse.
“Her voice sways and dips as it guides us through the story in each song.”
– The New York Times.
Cape May Stage presents sultry singer Abigail Rockwell in “A Norman Rockwell – Bedford Falls Christmas” on Sunday, December 15th, as part of our 2024 Broadway Concert Series.
Abigail Rockwell is an American jazz singer/songwriter. For the first time, Rockwell will share the magic and intimate recollections of her grandfather Norman Rockwell’s home at Christmas with original music and holiday classics. Her upcoming album, “A Rockwell Christmas”, will be released Christmas 2024.
Reading Series
Cape May Stage is proud to announce its 2024 Reading Series filled with timely plays performed by professional actors. All of our readings are free to attend as we look to share a curated list of new and diverse plays through one-night-only staged readings. Doors open 30 minutes before the reading for in-person events. No tickets required; donations accepted.
National Playwright Symposium Readings
By Various Playwrights
Directed by Roy Steinberg
Thursday, May 16, at 7 pm
In-Person Reading at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse
No Tickets Required – Free to Attend – Donations Accepted
The National Playwrights Symposium was created by Roy Steinberg and Shawn Fisher to bring Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwrights to work with mid-career writers each May in Cape May. The readings of work will be creations that did not exist prior to the week-long event. Sometimes, the readings you will hear were written that morning. It is a stunning and exciting event.
Tru
By Jay Presson Allen
Directed by Roy Steinberg
Monday, June 24, at 7 pm
In-Person Reading at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse
No Tickets Required – Free to Attend – Donations Accepted
Leaders & Liberators: Harriet Tubman and her Cape May ConnectionsBy Randolph Harris & Rev. Martha Harris
Directed by Chase Jackson
Monday, September 30, at 7 pm
In-Person Dramatic Reading at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse
Presented by the African American Historical Society of South Central Pennsylvania
No Tickets Required – Free to Attend – Donations Accepted
A dramatic reading of an original script, Leaders and Liberators portrays an imagined meeting on July 4, 1872 in Cape May, New Jersey between Harriet Tubman and two abolitionist allies from Columbia, Lancaster County Pennsylvania, the Rev. Stephen Smith and William Whipper.
These three influential leaders of the Underground Railroad Movement were courageous conductors and agents who led hundreds to freedom through the anti-slavery network of the Underground Railroad, from the 1830s through the 1850s.
Native Gardens
By Karen Zacarias
Directed by Roy Steinberg
Monday, October 7th, at 7 pm
In-Person Reading at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse
No Tickets Required – Free to Attend – Donations Accepted
You can’t choose your neighbors. In this brilliant hot button comedy, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies. Pablo, a rising attorney, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, have just purchased a home next to Frank and Virginia, a well-established D.C. couple with a prize-worthy English garden. But an impending barbeque for Pablo’s colleagues and a delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out border dispute, exposing both couples’ notions of race, taste, class and privilege.
One Step at a Time
Written by Gayle Stahlhuth
Directed by Gayle Stahlhuth
Friday, October 25th, at 7 pm
In-Person Reading at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse
No Tickets Required – Free to Attend – Donations Accepted
Many have been caregivers, and each has a story to tell. This is the tale of what it was like for Gayle Stahlhuth, whose husband, Lee O’Connor was diagnosed with cancer on October 1, 2019 and breathed his last on March 21, 2021. It contains the usual disappointments and not-looked-for ugly surprises along the way, but this one-person play is also about hope and joy and living life to the fullest by not letting cancer define what “living” is all about. It’s being aware of the moments and taking it one step at a time. This 75-minute one-act play will be read by Gayle Stahlhuth, and there will be a Q&A afterwards to help Gayle on the path of rewrites and revisions.
Special Events
Curtains Up Gala
Saturday, June 8, at 6 pm
ONE NIGHT ONLY at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May.
Make plans to join us at our annual spring fundraising event, the 35th Anniversary Gala, being held on Saturday, June 8, at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May. Make plans to join us for this evening to remember. The festive night will be filled with live music by the Cape May Diamonds, delicious tapas dishes, a signature drink, a cash bar, and a live auction with amazing one-of-a-kind experiences. Plus the Yacht Club offers a safe, tented outdoor environment with spectacular water views. All to support live, professional theater in Cape May, NJ.
Tickets and Sponsorships will be available to purchase on April 8, 2024.
The History of Theater
Virtual Lecture Online
Roy Steinberg, Producing Artistic Director at Cape May Stage, takes us on an exploration of theatre history starting with the Orestia of Aeschylus. In particular, he will concentrate on theater in Cape May, from the 19th century opera and vaudeville through the 20th century star packages and summer stock to the creation of theater companies that exist today. The 21st century theater that exists today grew out of that history and we will discuss contemporary Cape May demographics, national trends, and union protocols.
To join this virtual event on Monday, March 25th at 7 pm, just the button below.
The Ripple Effect: How Every Individual Shapes Bias-Free Classrooms
Friday, May 3, at 7 pm
In-Person Lecture at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse
In partnership with Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture), Cape May Stage is proud to present this special lecture event.
Join us for an enlightening evening with Janis Washington White, as she dives into her groundbreaking book “Erasing Bias From the Classroom: A Guide to Fostering Self-awareness, Open Dialogue and Advocacy”. Discover the transformative power we all possess as influencers in shaping the educational landscape for our youth. In this engaging event open to the general public, Janis will share her insights on the pivotal role each of us plays, transcending our connections to education. Be part of the conversation that empowers change and fosters inclusivity in our schools. Don’t miss this opportunity to be inspired and make a meaningful impact on the future of education.