CAPE MAY — Long before Roy Steinberg spent 17 years shaping Cape May Stage, he was a reluctant 6-year-old Lost Boy in a production of “Peter Pan.”
He had wanted another role. Those parts were already filled, so he accepted a spot as a Lost Boy. He had one line.
The experience changed his life.
Steinberg immediately felt at home on stage. That childhood experience started a journey that would take him to Yale, Broadway, regional theater, daytime television and eventually Cape May.
Now Steinberg is preparing for another change. He will step down as producing artistic director of Cape May Stage at the end of the year. His departure will conclude a 17-year tenure at the professional Equity theater.
Steinberg grew up in Brooklyn and played baseball from an early age. His father had played AAA baseball. After the family moved to Long Island, Steinberg struggled to find his place at his new high school.
Theater changed that. He landed the lead in a school play and found a new community. When baseball practice and rehearsals conflicted, Steinberg chose the play. His father supported the decision. Steinberg later attended Tufts University. An opportunity to study theater in London helped convince him to pursue acting.
Then came Yale. Steinberg auditioned for the Yale School of Drama with little expectation of being accepted. Robert Brustein, then dean of the school, took notice. Steinberg eventually received a full scholarship. The conservatory provided rigorous training and introduced him to actors, playwrights and theater professionals who would remain part of his professional life for decades.
After Yale, Steinberg went directly to Broadway.
For a role involving a neurologist, he spent about six months conducting research at Burke Rehabilitation Center. He followed neurologists and observed their work with patients and families. The production traveled through Boston and Washington before reaching Broadway. It ran for more than a year in New York. Constance Cummings won a Tony Award for her performance.
Regional and Off-Broadway work followed. Those experiences also pushed Steinberg toward directing. He had seen productions in which actors were left uncertain about important choices. He believed directors needed to provide clarity and create a unified vision. Directing allowed him to work with every part of a production. Actors, scenery, lighting and costumes could all serve the same story.
That philosophy followed him to Cape May.
When Steinberg arrived at Cape May Stage in 2009, he found an organization that lacked some basic theatrical infrastructure. There was no conventional scene shop or costume shop. Productions sometimes relied on found furniture. Actors occasionally supplied their own clothing.
The audience experience also needed attention. The theater did not have assigned seating, which sometimes created disputes among patrons. Steinberg introduced reserved seating and strengthened the theater’s systems.
His larger goal was to make Cape May Stage a reason to visit Cape May.
He looked to the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts as an example of a theater that became a destination. Steinberg believed Cape May could develop a similar reputation.
That vision influenced his programming. Steinberg wanted audiences to laugh and have fun. He also wanted to present plays that addressed difficult subjects and encouraged discussion.
Productions during his tenure included “Boeing, Boeing,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Proof,” “I Hate Hamlet,” “Freud’s Last Session,” “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” “The Gin Game” and “Blithe Spirit.”
He also directed “Disgraced,” a drama exploring identity and prejudice. His work on the production earned directing recognition from BroadwayWorld.
Steinberg continued acting at Cape May Stage. His credits include “The Lion in Winter,” “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Kalamazoo.”
One role became a personal favorite. Steinberg played artist Mark Rothko in “Red.” He connected with Rothko’s fierce commitment to his work and his willingness to sacrifice financial rewards for artistic principles.
Steinberg had made similar choices. Earlier in his career, he declined an opportunity to pursue a lucrative corporate position with Procter & Gamble. He wanted to remain a storyteller.
His ambitions at Cape May Stage extended beyond plays.
Steinberg developed Second Stage programming that brought music, dance, lectures, clowns and magicians to Cape May. A partnership with Philadelphia’s Performance Garage introduced modern dance. The program eventually evolved into the theater’s Broadway music series.
One of his most significant projects focused on developing playwrights.
Steinberg and Shawn Fisher co-founded the National Playwrights Symposium. The program brought established playwrights to Cape May to mentor writers from around the country.
Participants developed new work and heard actors perform it. Mentors over the years included John Patrick Shanley, Marsha Norman, Christopher Durang and David Auburn, who won a Pulitzer Prize for writing “Proof.”
Steinberg also became a familiar presence to audiences. Many patrons remember seeing him at the theater entrance before performances. Community reaction following the announcement of his departure repeatedly mentioned those personal greetings.
His wife, Marlena Lustik, has also played an important role in his life and work. An actor and director, she has worked at Cape May Stage and appeared with Steinberg in “Kalamazoo.” The couple has been married for 42 years.
Family is helping shape their next chapter. Their daughter lives in the Baltimore area and works as a psychologist for the state of Maryland. Steinberg and Lustik plan to move closer to her.
Steinberg is also returning to New York as a director. His next project is Robert Caisley’s “A Masterpiece of Comic Timing.” He is also discussing television projects with former colleagues.
Cape May Stage plans to honor Steinberg’s tenure and conduct a national search for its next artistic leader. Steinberg leaves an organization that has grown in scope, programming and reputation during his 17 years at the helm.
His advice to young artists reflects the career he chose for himself: train seriously, adapt as the industry changes and create your own opportunities.
The platforms may change.
The purpose remains the same.
Tell the story.
By MICHAEL KIDD/For the Star and Wave
