Haddonfield Theater Arts Center has a very busy spring planned for all of its superbly talented students, but it is their Adult Acting Students that have been grabbing the town’s attention.
On Saturday, May 9 they will perform the new play “Ghost Lights” at the Luna Theater in Philadephia on 620 South 8th Street. The shows begin at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and runs for approximately 75 minutes. Tickets are $20.
“Ghost Lights” is an original work written by playwright MM Whittle that focuses on a group of ambitious community theater actors in Wyoming who are in the midst of mounting a production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” During rehearsals, an unfortunate accident causes some strange occurrences around the theater. What follows is a hilarious story that is guaranteed to make audiences laugh until their sides hurt.
Though it may seem like just another local show, the creative process for this original work has been unlike anything these brave locals have ever participated in. The playwright, MM Whittle, started with these actors last fall as just another member of their acting class at Haddonfield Theater Arts Center. The idea of the workshop, which is taught by Broadway veteran Benjamin Sterling-Cannon, was to have the actors form a bond through the acting class and then have Whittle start to write a play based off of the actors in the class. As the class progressed, she started to bring in drafts of the script. They would read, play with the characters and develop more of the story. Before long, they were in full rehearsals for an original, hilarious play.
The cast for the show is the Center’s “Adult Acting Students,” which is comprised local lawyers, accountants, city workers, editors and stay at home moms and dads. There are actors in the cast from all over south Jersey, but many of them are Haddonfield Residents. They have stepped out of their comfort zones to try something new and to encourage themselves to gain a little confidence in the process.
In addition to “Ghost Lights”, HTAC will be moving their annual celebration, their “End of Year Show” to Haddonfield Memorial High School this year. This year, the show will be presented on June 14 at 4 p.m. in the HMHS Auditorium. Tickets are $17. For more information on the upcoming shows, classes, or Summer Camp please visit haddonfieldtheaterartscenter.com or call (856) 229–7838.
