If you have enjoyed live theatre at Church Hill Theatre, Garfield Center for the Arts, or Easton theatre venues for the last 30 years, chances are you have experienced playwright Earl Lewin finely crafted productions.
For four days in February (6th through the 9th) you will have the opportunity to see his newest production, A Brief History of Man at Church Hill Theatre, his tenth production for the popular venue.
CHT alone has premiered a new Earl Lewin play annually, including Miracle, Hitched, Orlando Rising, Saint Georges Blues, and Orlando Rising. Even during the pandemic shutdown, CHT hosted Judge Knott via Zoom. Learn more about his work at earllewinplaywright.com.
In addition to writing Earl has directed over thirty shows in his career; musicals including Tommy, Into the Woods, Annie and Oliver, and comedies and dramas by Oscar Wilde, Don Negro, Neil Simon, Ken Ludwig and others.
Lewin, a Chestertown resident, has a long history with Church Hill Theatre (CHT). In 1991, his late wife, Roberta, auditioned for Blithe Spirit and was cast as Madam Arcati. That involvement sparked Lewin’s interest in becoming more involved.He served on CHT’s Board of Directors until 2009, twice as chairman, while Roberta became Executive Producing Director in 1992. During her five-year tenure, she founded the Green Room Gang youth drama camp and arranged for CHT to rent space in Church Hill’s town hall for just a dollar a month.
Lewin is a Temple University graduate with a BA in theater and an MS in radio, television, and film, including a career running GE’s film department and later his own film/video business until retiring in 2001. He then returned to playwriting, producing musical murder mystery dinner theater at Great Oak Resort and other venues for over a decade. The rest is a continuing history of his fine work.
The playwright has since written and staged multiple musicals, including The Christmas Pocket, She Stoops to Conquer (musical adaptation), Celluloid, and The Burgundy Wine Mob—the latter two also produced Off-Off Broadway. In 2013, he set a goal to write one new script annually; His shorter works have appeared in the Garfield Center’s Short Attention Span Theatre and NYC’s Midtown International Play Festival.
The Spy caught up with Earl Lewin this week to talk about A Brief History of Man and the his love for live theatre.
A Brief History of Man will run from February 6-9, with performances at 7:30 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 pm on Sunday. Tickets are available online at churchhilltheatre.org or by calling the box office at (410) 556-6003
This video is approximately five minutes in length.
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