SPIRITS ARE HIGH AT DOVER LITTLE THEATRE

From ghosts in the chairs to stars on stage, DLT is welcoming to all.

By Joe Wohlgemuth

Nestled in a narrow, makeshift balcony at the back of the auditorium of the Dover Little Theatre (DLT) are four chairs with a bird’s eye view of the stage. No audience member, however, will enjoy these prime seats. They are reserved for the theater’s resident ghosts.  

The ghosts, as well as theatergoers, were cordially invited to attend the closing production of the DLT’s 2024-2025 season, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. In its 92nd year, DLT concluded its season on a musical note with The Lightning Thief, following productions of the non-musical plays Pterodactyls and Misery.

Entertaining audiences for almost a century, DLT has deep roots in Dover’s history and is highlighted in the book Curtains Going Up: Theatre Americana, published in 1939 by Albert McCleery and Carl Glick. In the chapter Community Theatres of the Northeast, McCleery and Glick summarize the birth of DLT. Dover native Ruth Beth Watts, a drama professor who returned to her hometown to care for her ailing parents, founded DLT in 1933.  

Performances were initially staged at Dover High School and other venues before DLT found its permanent home in 1934 at the end of Elliott Street, which was previously a mortuary. Watts and her board signed a lease agreement, paying the building's owners a monthly fee of $15. DLT’s new home was christened with a production of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere's Fan on May 2, 1934, under Watts’ direction. 

The building was put up for sheriff’s sale in 1942. According to current DLT Board President Larry Pelham of Rockaway, Watts approached some of her friends for money and purchased the building for $1,000. Pelham says the DLT board owns the theater building.  

“We own it outright,” he says. “We can also never sell it. If we do sell it, we have to give it back to the community, to another theater group, or give it to the town to be used for community purposes.”

Pelham notes that DLT, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization, is sustained solely through ticket sales and donations from theater patrons. He stressed that everyone involved with DLT—from the board of directors to the actors—volunteers their time. Pelham also says donations finance all theater repairs. “My wife and I are in debt to the theater quite deeply because [when] I get an itch for a renovation or a project, it comes out of my pocket,” he says.  

Pelham is committed to keeping the theater’s doors open to celebrate its history and service to the community. “We provide a safe place where everyone is accepted,” he says. “It doesn’t matter who they are, what they are, or how they present. They’re safe. We’re judgment-free and open to everyone.”  

When he started performing at DLT, Pelham was a theater novice. He has since performed in more than 20 plays, became the board's vice president, and served as president for 11 years. He is pleased to report that the theater is doing well. 

“We end every season in the black. One show usually funds the next show. As long as we have enough in the bank to cover our expenditures every year—to cover the heating and to keep the lights on—we keep going,” he says. He added that they host special events, such as cabarets, one-act festivals, and karaoke, when they need to make ends meet.  

Pelham says DLT produced The Lightning Thief because of the themes it explores. “It’s more relevant,” he says. “It deals a lot with childhood expectations, parental neglect, and overcoming obstacles.” Pelham was also part of The Lightning Thief ensemble, playing the roles of Kronos and Gabe Ugliano.” 

Board Secretary Kenny Valleau, a Boonton resident, also advocated for The Lightning Thief. He has been active with DLT for four years, initially getting involved as a lighting and sound designer. As a board member, Valleau helps choose the shows for each season. He thinks ending this season with The Lightning Thief was a good choice, especially as a follow-up to the three-character play, Misery.

 “We’re excited,” Valleau says. “It had a nice, big cast. It was a fun show.”      

Dover resident Yanalis Cotto, 18, joined the cast of The Lightning Thief on the heels of starring as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Dover High School. “I always wanted to audition for a Dover Little Theater Show. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve done a bunch of school productions,” Cotto says. “I was really sad to leave the musical season as a lead role, and I really wanted somewhere else to audition.

 “We [had] such a good cast,” she says of her DLT multi-role debut as an ensemble member, which included a speaking part as Katie Gardner. “We did the read-through, and everyone was so talented and had such good energy coming into the show. It was great.” 

Cotto says this was probably her last show. Next year, she will major in criminal justice at New Jersey Institute of Technology and won’t have time for theater. “I’m very serious about my academics, and I plan on really focusing on school,” she says. 

Andover resident Care Granholm, 23, was cast in the title role and is a huge fan of the Percy Jackson book series. The series, written by Rick Riordan, centers on teenager Percy Jackson, a modern-day demigod and son of the Greek god Poseidon. “I read these books when they first came out, and I’ve been obsessed with Percy Jackson forever,” Granholm says.  

Granholm’s high school senior spring musical was cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown; they haven’t stepped on stage since the pandemic. “I haven’t done a show in five years. This was the perfect one to get me back into it,” they say. “I was not anticipating being Percy himself, but I’m not mad about it,” Granholm jokes. 

A freelance graphic designer, Granholm studied stage combat in high school and attended intensive stage-fighting workshops during summer breaks. They choreographed the fight scenes in The Lightning Thief.

In The Lightning Thief, Granholm's sidekicks were played by Forest Winegar, 18, and Bailey Delahanty. Winegar, who is also a fan of the Percy Jackson books and has had a lifelong interest in Greek mythology, was featured as the satyr Grover Underwood. The 23-year-old Delahanty rounded out the trio of mythological offspring, starring as Annabeth Chase, the daughter of the Greek goddess Athena.  

Winegar, from Lake Hopatcong, and Delahanty, from Green Township, performed in the Halloween cabaret and were eager to return to the DLT stage. “When I found out they were doing Percy Jackson, I said that I definitely have to do this because everyone here is just so warm and welcoming,” Winegar says.  

Delahanty was looking forward to performing again at DLT because of the intimacy of the theater. “I really like how small the theater is. It’s definitely a different experience when the audience is that small—you can connect a lot more,” she says.

The Lightning Thief was directed by DLT board member Felicia Artrip of Andover. Artrip initially got involved as a performer at DLT, playing a featured role in the 2023 production of The Prom. After The Prom closed, Pelham asked Artrip to join the board as an advisor. 

This was Artrip’s first time directing, and she picked The Lightning Thief not only because she was a fan of the books but also because of the name recognition. “With Percy Jackson being more of a household name, I was hoping that that would bring in more people who would want to see the show,” she says.

Regardless of audience attendance, Artip was convinced the resident ghosts would want to see The Lightning Thief. “I think the ghosts would watch the show. While they may not know Percy Jackson, they are our most loyal patrons. They even have their own reserved seats in the loft at the back of the house,” she says.

Artrip has been in the company of the ghosts on numerous occasions, especially when she’s alone in the theater. “When I’m there by myself, I can hear someone running around in between the seats, and I usually just say, ‘I appreciate you giving me company, but it’s freaking me out a little bit,’ and it always stops,” she says.  

Cotto hadn’t had any ghostly encounters, but was quickly brought up to speed.

“When I first walked in for auditions, I was the first one here and I said, ‘Can I come in?’ and someone said, ‘Yeah, it’s just us and the ghosts,’” Cotto recalls excitedly. “I was hoping she would show herself during tech week,” Cotto says gleefully.    

According to Pelham, the ‘she’ in question is Ruth Beth Watts herself. He says she greets audience members as they enter the theater, standing by her portrait in the lobby. Pelham also shared that when he enters the theater, he greets the ghosts (Ruth’s three kindred spirits remain mysteriously unnamed) and tells them why he’s there, and he thanks them when he leaves, “just like a family member,” he says.  

Granholm says they had the pleasure of meeting Watts in the lobby. “I have met an older woman’s presence…she likes to flicker the lights,” they say, adding that they experienced the flicker when they entered the theater to audition for The Lightning Thief. They say it felt like the ghost offered a welcoming, “Hello!” They have also smelled a ghost on stage who was apparently a smoker. “I love that this was a mortuary—it’s so cool.” 

Likewise, Winegar has only felt positive vibes. “I think it’s a really good energy, and if it makes everyone feel more welcome, I’m happy about it,” she says. “If anybody ever feels anything, it’s usually very positive—it’s usually just them saying, ‘Hello.’”  

Positive vibes are guaranteed when you enter the theater, either from a warm welcome from a DLT volunteer, from someone on the other side, or both. Whether you’re a fan of Percy Jackson, Greek mythology, the supernatural, or musical theater in general, a trip to see DLT’s production of The Lightning Thief delivered something for everyone—maybe even four special guests.