Legal wrangling over, the play’s the thing

BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO — The courtroom drama has come to a close and the Marlboro Community Players are now back and ready to bring performances to area residents.

Last year the board members who were in control of the organization pursued a defamation case against individuals known only as John Doe. The case stemmed from messages that had been posted on an Internet forum pertaining to the New Jersey theater scene. The people known as John Doe hired an attorney to fight the case on their behalf and to keep their identities anonymous. The legal matter was at a standstill, but was still costing the community theater company money.

The lawsuit divided the Marlboro Community Players as some members felt the company’s money should be spent on bringing shows to Marlboro. Following a board election that some individuals deemed unfair, members of the theater group confronted board members in September 2008. The decision was made to hold another election, according to Alan Burkholz, the current board secretary.

Previous board members whose terms were up chose not to run again and did not pay their dues, effectively leaving the theater group, Burkholz said. With a new panel of board members in place, the defamation lawsuit that had been filed against the John Doe individuals by the theater company’s previous board was dismissed.

With a new administration in place and dedicated to the goals of the organization, the group has reinserted the word “community” into its name, he explained.

“We will put community back into local community theater,” Burkholz said.

Burkholz said the new board members have opened their meetings to the public.

While the legal drama waged on, the Marlboro Community Players did not stage a fall show as they traditionally would have done. Their previous show was “Smokey Joe’s Café” which ran in April 2008.

With a desire to get back into performing and to raise money to pay for the cost of the now-dismissed lawsuit, Burkholz said the group will be performing with the @CT! Theater Company to present the original musical “A Day in the Life.” The show will be performed at the Marlboro Middle School, Route 520, on March 14 at 8 p.m. and March 15 at 3 p.m.

A new feature that the Marlboro Community Players display on their Internet Web site is the ability for people to purchase tickets online. Individuals may log on to www.marlboroplayers.com, select their seats and print their tickets.

Burkholz called the new feature a huge step forward for the theater company.

The Marlboro Community Players are now preparing for their spring musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” The show will be brought to the community in May and more information can be found on the Web site.

Burkholz said all of the members of the Marlboro Community Players are looking forward to getting back to their roots and bringing high quality entertainment to Monmouth County.