Lioness, uncaged: Morristown’s Kristin Ace brings one-woman show to Dover, June 1 & 2

Morristown actress Kristin Ace brings her one-woman show, 'You CAN Get There from Here,' to the Dover Little Theatre on June 1 & 2.
Morristown actress Kristin Ace brings her one-woman show, 'You CAN Get There from Here,' to the Dover Little Theatre on June 1 & 2.
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Morristown actress Kristin Ace packed lots of good stories into her 2010 one-woman show, You CAN Get There From Here.  But one essential element was missing:

Movement.

“You remind me of a caged lion!” her acting coach told her last summer.

Morristown actress Kristin Ace brings her one-woman show, 'You CAN Get There from Here,' to the Dover Little Theatre on June 1 & 2.
Morristown actress Kristin Ace brings her one-woman show, 'You CAN Get There from Here,' to the Dover Little Theatre on June 1 & 2.

That coach, Samantha Jones, helped Kristin unlock the cage.  No more pacing back and forth. Now, she explodes onto the stage, punctuating tales of her spiritual journey with the physicality that marks her practice as a holistic healer in the Chinese LaHo Chi tradition.

“A friend told me the difference is like watching something go from 2D to 3D,” says Kristin, who can’t wait to unleash her revamped 90-minute show in the Dover Little Theatre on June 1 and 2.

The 8 pm performances are benefits for the 100-seat theater at 69 Elliot Street in Dover. Tickets are $20 and can be reserved by calling 973- 328-9202 or visiting Kristin’s website.

You CAN Get There from Here ponders life’s twists and turns with humor and compassion. Vignettes of little-sister-eating-pygmies, bullies in the Berkshires and backward drives on the interstate create a collage that reveals deeper insights.

“Everything we do is connected to the next thing,” says Kristin. “Everything has a purpose and a reason, and we are divinely guided. We need to be open to that. We are never alone.”

The message was there before. Samantha, a New York actress and singer who tweaks solo shows for a living, simply has made it more accessible, punchier, more… moving, says Kristin, a 49-year-old mother of two whose first solo show, Baby Oh Baby, explored the comedic side of childbirth.

Together, Samantha and Kristin nipped and tucked, pruning some anecdotes, accentuating others.

“To help the audience stay with me, I incorporated an intense amount of movement,” says Kristin, noting that was no stretch for her supercharged personality.

Re-writes consumed last summer, followed by rehearsals until Christmas. Kristin returned to the stage last month with three performances at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre.

More than ever, she says, the show feels like a true journey for the audience.

“My message in the end is very clear. Before, I tired to take that message and stuff it at the end. Samantha helped me boil it down.”

Kristin’s goal is to share her gift of healing with larger and larger audiences. The journey speeds through Dover in June. All aboard!

Kristin Ace poster

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