East Lynne Theater Company presents a reading of the one-act play “Aftermath” by Mary P. Burrill for free, due to support from ​The New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s “Stages Festival.”​​​

“Aftermath was first published in April 1919 in Max Eastman’s periodical, “Liberator” before it was produced by the Krigwa Players in The Little Theater Competition (performing alongside plays by Eugene O’Neill and Susan Glaspell) in 1928.  It tells the story of a Black soldier, who was awarded the French War Cross for his bravery in WWI, only to return home to discover that his father has been lynched.

Mary P. Burrill was not only a playwright, educator, and activist, but was the first Black graduate of Emerson College.  Her partner of twenty-five years, Lucy Diggs Slowe, was appointed the first Dean of Women at Howard University. The Slowe-Burrill house in Washington D.C. was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 for “its significance to African American and LGBT history.”

“Aftermath” premieres on Wednesday, April 6 at 8:00 PM on ELTC’s YouTube Channel https://www.tinyurl.com/ELTCYouTube and ​is available through Saturday, April 9 at midnight. It can be viewed directly on a flat screen TV, but if viewing it on a computer, ELTC recommends connecting the computer to the TV with an HDMI cable so it can be seen ​on a larger screen with better sound. Closed Caption is available on YouTube. The direct link to “Aftermath” will be available several days before the premiere after it’s been edited.

The talented cast, all new to ELTC, is currently located in South Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Marie Louise Guinier, Emerald Rose Sullivan, and Anthony Goss have performed at Metropolitan Playhouse and at other theaters in NYC and regionally. Guinier was in the film “Strive” with Danny Glover, and Sullivan appeared in “FBI: Most Wanted” and “Gotham.” Goss is currently performing Off-Broadway in the world premiere of “Gong Lum’s Legacy” at Woody King’s New Federal Theatre. Brandon Dion Gregory’s credits include performing at Classical Theatre of Harlem, Syracuse Stage and Baltimore Center Stage. Television credits include “Homeland” and “Resurrection.” Alexa Kent was recently in RWS Entertainment’s “I Love Christmas Movies” and graduated from Pace University. Leo Ebanks has been performing mostly in California at The Old Globe, Moonlight Stage Productions, and Onstage Playhouse in musicals such as “Spring Awakening” and Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”

For more information about “Aftermath,” the cast and playwright, visit https://www.eastlynnetheater.org/aftermath.html.  ELTC begins live performances on May 14 with “Sherlock Holmes Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. To learn more about the company visit www.eastlynnetheater.org, e-mail eastlynneco@aol.com, or call 609-884-5898.

ELTC is proud to offer “Aftermath” as part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance’s (NJTA) “Stages Festival” that offers over 70 in-person and online events at theatres, libraries, and other community venues throughout the state for free or modest prices. This festival was developed to encourage New Jersey’s residents to attend their local professional theatres by making the experience affordable, accessible, and fun. To see the “Stages Festival” schedule, running through May, visit www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages.

“Stages Festival” is made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, OceanFirst Foundation, and the New Jersey Historical Commission.  Founded in 1981, NJTA is the first statewide organization for professional, not-for-profit theater companies in the United States.