Standing on the new stage at Waterfront South Theatre

Thank you to everyone who came out to install the stage at the new Waterfront South Theatre! Over thirty people came out this past Saturday morning to work, inspire and complete the installation of the stage that will launch the dreams of countless artists and children in Camden, NJ. It was emotional, inspiring and proves to all that Camden is rising around us and, with our hands and sweat and effort that we are all bringing it back. Keep an eye out for our painting the theatre day which will be in February. We will all be bringing our brushes and rollers and bringing the theatre to life. Art will save us!

Slave Narratives Revisited - Watch the video preview

Watch the video preview for Ed Shockley's wonderful play "Slave Narratives Revisited: a celebration of freedom" that South Camden Theatre Company will be bringing to you for three shows only on October 30, 31 and November 1st. Check out the video preview below and on our YouTube channel at:http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthCamdenTheatre I am sure after seeing it you will want to reserve your seats. remember, there is limited seating for this show. Don't miss it!

More Theatre Magic From 4th and Jasper

I received a phone call last week from Ms. Jo Ann Simpkins Straub from West Virginia. In the illustrated book of Camden "Camden (NJ) (Images of America)" by Cheryl Baisden, which is available at all bookstores, she saw a picture I had lent Cheryl for her book of Walt's Café from 1935 (the same picture will also be featured in my play and book "Last Rites" which releases on October 1st) In the picture there are men in the bar posing with my grandfather. It turns out the second man at the bar is her father! We had corresponded for the past few days and I forwarded the picture to her online so that she can share it with her family. She told me he was only 21 years old in it and it was a picture no one in her family had ever seen or knew existed. This old picture, which was in the bottom of a drawer has now brought even more happiness and wonderful memories to someone I have yet to meet. Pure magic. This theatre IS magic. Please...be a part of it. Please come to Camden and see the beauty and power of theatre. "Slave Narratives Revisited -A Celebration of Freedom" opens October 30th. See you there!

OUR NEW SEASON!!!!!

I am so excited to announce our fifth season here in South Camden! Please join us on October 30, 31, and November 1st for Ed Shockley's "Slave Narratives Revisited: a celebration of freedom". Ed is the author of many plays and is a well known Philadelphia based writer. His play will move you as well as make you laugh with a brilliant two man story taking us from slavery to the present day. Joining Ed will be lary moten, who shares the stage as well as directs this exciting piece of theatre. You will only have 3 opportunities to see it and tickets are available now on our website and will be presented at our present home. Don't miss it!

On February 12th, 2010 we will be bringing you the funny and biting "Belmont Avenue Social Club" written by the dean of Philadelphia area playwrights Bruce Graham. I served as Assistant Director for this play back in 1999 at Theatre Exile under the incredible director Joe Canuso and love this play a lot. This is a powerful and indicting story and Ray Croce is the perfect director for it. This will run until February 28th also in our Sacred Heart basement theatre.

We will open the new Waterfront South Theatre with my play "Last Rites", (the play that started all of this) , in the spring of 2010. Much, much more on that later.

All three plays this year are written, directed and acted by Camden/Philadelphia area artists.

Please come out this season and see some great theatre. See you in October for "Slave Narratives Revisited"!

Hope and the 3rd Floor Rising at 4th and Jasper

It was so exciting to ride past the theatre yesterday and see that work on the third floor has begun. This will be our new rehearsal space on the top floor of the new Waterfront South Theatre. For the first time since my grandfather's bar was torn down you can actually see the structure of the new theatre from pavement to rooftop. I am sure that we feel exactly the same excitement as the original builders and owners of the building saw in the 1860's when the bar was built. Seeing the theatre rise from the ground is a true resurrection of the corner...and...the resurrection of a neighborhood. Doug Wallace from Sacred Heart School and I watched together as the frame was going on the roof. We then started planning both of our seasons;SCTC's as well as the dates for the school's annual Shakespeare production. Camden kids in a real Camden theatre. As soon as we know the dates we will announce them so we can all prepare for 2009-10! Please support us in this goal. And...if you need any proof that Camden IS rising and that "art will save us", take a ride to 4th and Jasper, stand on the corner, and be a part of a dream. The dream of a rebuilt Camden!

Thank You For A Great Fourth Season!!!

I wanted to thank every actor, writer, director, and staff person who worked on this past season at SCTC. I really can't believe we have completed four seasons in Waterfront South! My largest thanks , though, is to every audience member who came to Camden this season to see a play. Without you there is no SCTC. We had over 700 people attend plays this season, our largest year yet! We will be announcing our next season very soon. I can tell you it will be full of both new work to us and some old "friends". Please sign up for our email list on the site so we can send out the new season as soon as it is finalized. We will be getting a better idea of when the new Waterfron South Theatre will be able to open soon and we will let you know the shows and dates at that time which should be mid-June. All the best for a wonderful summer and.....when you have time...go see a play. Theatre only lives and breathes by your participation. Thanks again to everyone. Heal Camden!

Waterfront South Theatre, Camden New Jersey

Poster for And Justice For All -MORE INJUSTICE!!!

I just received the posters for our next production "And Justice For All" which is a series of five one act plays dealing with social and political injustice. Last Saturday (the the horrendous wind!) many of our cast and crew gathered on Broadway in Camden for a photo which you can see here.

We purposely took this photo at the spot of the portable methadone clinic that now serves recovering heroin addicts in Camden county. Behind us in the picture is the old NY Shipyard, now South Jersey Port where the city of Camden has threatened to move a permanent methadone clinic in that will serve over 1,000 recovering addicts a day (70% of them from towns in the county, outside of Camden City). This yet another thing dumped on us in Waterfront South that no one wants near their own homes. The present site of the clinic is near Cooper Hospital and that, according to to the powers that be, is no longer the "best location" for the site. It is proper that we are doing a festival about injustice at this time. Please support and work with us to stop this ADDITIONAL injustice from being thrown onto the children and families of the redeveloping Waterfront South neighborhood. See you at the show. Art WILL save us! Heal Camden.