— Adaptable space will house plays, concerts, comedy and more starting in July –
The Wreck of the Spanish Armada” by award-winning playwright Bill Sterritt will open at Somers Point’s newest arts space — studio;space – on July 17 and run for four weeks.
Sterritt, a Cape May son who spent the majority of his adult life in Los Angeles, returned to South Jersey a few years back and, ever since, has been producing shows and Fringe Festivals through his production company SPQR Stage in Cape May’s Aerodrome. His plays have won awards at the South Coast Repertory in California, as well as other places, and he has been a finalist at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.
His “Wreck of the Spanish Armada” is his first production in his new space in Somers Point.
“Kudos to (the city and people of) Somers Point,” said Sterritt. “They welcomed me, made sure I had everything I needed … they’ve been great.”
Studio;space, Sterritt insists, can be utilized for anything and anyone. Its opening show is “3 Egg Creams” with Vince Bandille, which opens the week before “Armada”. Sterritt welcomes all, however, to use this space that seats up to 50 audience members, from concerts and art shows to seminars and workshops to film festivals and standup comedy and more. Equipment, such as green screens, projectors, monitors and other items are available as well.
“I want people to understand that this is not just a ‘theatre space’ – that anyone could use it for just about any purpose,” said Sterritt.
The purpose at hand for now is “Armada,” a two-act, two-person play set in Paris. The plot surrounds a female physician — Dr. Anne Cloudy, played by New York actress Kerry McGann – who left her husband that morning and is poised to address an international conference the next morning, and a modern-day Robin Hood — Drake (just Drake), played by Sterritt — who leads Somali pirates in hijacking an oil tanker.
McGann has a wealth of stage and screen experience such as her performance as Stella in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, as well as numerous Hallmark Channel movies including the recent “One Royal Holiday,” which was one of the most popular shows on the network during the pandemic.
“Armada”, which had been performed in the New York International Fringe Festival among other stages, is semi-autobiographical for Sterritt, who has an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University.
“When I was taking writing class at Carnegie Mellon, one of the things they taught us was, don’t write about an old girlfriend. So what did I do? I wrote about an old girlfriend,” said Sterritt. “But the story had to be bigger than just that. I love the idea that this is an intimate story inside a global backdrop.”
“Armada” runs 8 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays from July 17 through Aug. 9. Tickets for $20 and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com. Coupon codes are available for $10 tickets.
Studio;space is at 112 Woodland Ave. in Somers Point. More information can be found at StudioSpaceSPNJ.com or Facebook.com/spqrstagesco. Reservations can be made by emailing spqrstageco@aol.com or by calling 323-793-2153.
