Fuck.
It’s a verb. It’s a noun. It’s an expletive. But is it offensive? And is it that the word itself is offensive or is it the context in which it is used that offends? Will Stillpointe Theatre offend anyone if they perform the area premiere of Seth Freeman’s new work Verb (A Play on Words)? Only one way to find out. Directed by Ryan Haase, this evocative play on words begs the question of where do we— as individuals,
Che pazzo! Che buffo! Che divertente! Dio mio, che spettacolo! A-wha? You no speak-a de Italiano? That’s-a okay. Neither do they. Not in Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor now appearing at Third Wall Productions, anyhow. This madcap farce filled to the brim of mocking stereotypes will have you choking on-a your spaghetti before the evening is through! Directed by Mea Holloway, this zany runaround comedy is fortified with door-slamming, bed-breaking action that will keep you chuckling from start to finish.
Think about your day. Think about all you do in your day. You wake up, you shower, you go to work, perhaps you live alone and you do everything on your own. You are self-sufficient. But what if that changed? What if something happened and you were no longer able to complete your daily routine on your own? In a uniquely engaging and compelling theatrical performance, globally traveled performance artist Siobhan O’Loughlin returns to Maryland and under the aegis of Submersive Productions brings her world-famous Broken Bone Bathtub to Charm City.
One voice have I, one task to tell, but I shall need to borrow your breath to tell my story. Breathe in…breathe out…and prepare yourself for a fantastical journey the likes of which one could never imagine. The Missing Peace, a new musical with Music and Lyrics by Ron Melrose, is making a three-performances-only whirlwind reprise in the home space of Stillpointe Theatre. After a successful run at the 2016 Capital Fringe Festival,
With spirits to enforce and arts to enchant, Shakespeare Theatre Company offers up the most whimsically enchanting of the Bard’s theatrical canon with their production of The Tempest. Presented as the 26th Annual ‘Free for All’ performance, and Directed by Ethan McSweeny, Shakespeare’s final play is delivered with radiant justice, mesmerizing theatrical magic, and exquisite emotional endeavors that envelope the audience for a truly fantastical experience. The majesty of Lee Savage’s set juxtaposed against a myriad of miraculous production design elements make this a truly magnificent experience for all who are able to attend.
Hatred will not have the last word in Lockerbie. For hatred is simply love that has been injured, so if there is hatred in your heart then there is love there too. And the love flowing out of The Milburn Stone Theater Elkton Station production of The Women of Lockerbie is strikingly profound. A harrowing and yet emotionally inspiring play based on true events from the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy,
The only place in the world where you can truly feel safe is with family. Especially when your family puts the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional as the Kurnitz family does in the classic Neil Simon, Lost in Yonkers, now appearing at Bowie’s playhouse in the woods to start off the 2016/2017 season for Prince George’s Little Theatre. Directed by Ken Kienas, this touching family dramedy tugs at the heartstrings as two teenage boys find themselves unexpected living with their extremely rigid and strictly traditional German grandmother out in Yonkers,
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Would that be The Heritage Players because they’re currently presenting a family-family production of Snow White? Dramatized by J. Michael Straczynski and Directed by Kathy McCrory, the well-loved fairytale is the perfect end-of-summer treat for young audiences and audiences’ young at heart. With just one over a dozen performers featured in the classic story, the show is all but perfect,
And it came to pass that jazz was born at Signature Theatre when Jelly’s Last Jam kicked off the 2016/2017 season in the sweltering August heat! Step right into ‘The Jungle Inn’ where you’re jammin’ with Jelly tonight! There’s no doubt about this masterful musical— with book by George C. Wolfe, Music by Jelly Roll Morton, Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and Musical Adaptation & Additional Music composed by Luther Henderson— as it lays down the birth of jazz exactly like Jelly Roll Morton remembers it!
Shot through the heart and you’re to blame! Well, not exactly, at least the shot through the heart part— but you could be to blame at Do or Die Productions’ latest whodunit incident, Murder Rocks, appearing now at The Sunset Restaurant for the month of August. In true DoDP fashion the show, written by Ceej Crowe, is ripe with wild parody humor, a few puns, and a great evening of comic audience-interactive murder mystery!
Color me stoked, Heathers The Musical has turned up on the stage at Red Branch Theatre Company this summer. The second show in their season entitled “Paint it Red” and makings its area debut and regional premiere, Heathers is based on the iconic 80’s cult film by Daniel Waters. With Book, Music, and Lyrics by Kevin Murphy & Laurence O’Keefe, this biting dark comedy will worm its way into your heart— if not your funny bone— before the ending,
The question. The choice. The question. The choice. Do I tell the truth? Or do I make shit up? Truth is BOOM Theatre Company is engaging in an edgy piece of theatrical brilliance, penned by Carlos Murillo and Directed by Joshua Fletcher. Evocative and mind-blowing, Dark Play or Stories for Boys, is a richly engaging tale that sparks a fire in the mind, and draws a fascination from the dangerous games we play in our minds and our lives.
The cast is great, the script is swell, but this I’m telling you, sirs. It’s just no go, you’ve got no show without The Producers! And Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre has got a show because they’ve got The Producers as the final offering of their 50th Anniversary season this summer. The iconic Mel Brooks musical arrives at Annapolis’ own theatre under the stars venue under the Direction of Jerry Vess with Musical Direction by Anita O’Connor.
Summer is sizzling up a creativity storm down in North Beach as the 11th Annual Kids’ Playwriting Festival gets underway at the Twin Beach Players. With two dozen scripts submitted from area youth playwrights, six winners were selected for performance in this year’s festival. Festival Director Sherry Lehnen brought six groups of young actors and directors— many of whom have participated in previous KPF events through the years, some of whom have even had their plays produced— together in addition to a series of volunteers of all ages to help run tech and crew for an amazing opportunity for these young and gifted writers.
I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue, and it’s hey— to Glyndon Area Players— heave-ho! Look out, folks, a mermaid be waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below! Not just one mermaid, but a dozen or so. And one wicked sea witch. Oh, and a cantankerous crustacean. And a lovesick guppy. And a prince! And so much more if you’ll just plunge in and take the journey with GAP for their 19th season as they present Disney’s The Little Mermaid for the summer of 2016.
The Robert L. Drake Jr. Middle School would like to welcome everyone to this year’s Science Fair! Do to the unfortunate ant-colony incident, this year’s project display will be taking place in the outdoor multi-purpose gym-pool-cafetorium, graciously set up at Druid Hill and Patterson Park on alternating weekends. Miss Waters (Kay-Megan Washington) will be announcing this year’s participants and everything will be just dandy, what could possibly go wrong with entries from The Young Environmentalists,
The core values of the United States Marine Corps (according to their website) are “honor, courage, and commitment.” The best Marines respect the chain of command and obey orders without question. But what if an order involves an immoral or even illegal act? Should a Marine have the honor, courage, and commitment to challenge that order? Or should he blindly follow military protocol – even if it could have dire consequences, including possible arrest and court-martial?
Miracles happen all the time in the world of R&B. So too do they happen in the world of MT— Musical Theatre. ArtsCentric is currently presenting a stupendous miracle, thankfully for more than just one night only with their stellar production of Dreamgirls. Directed by Kevin S. McAllister with Musical Direction by Cedric D. Lyles, this visionary display of storytelling is laced with exceptional talent, determined dedication, and earnest heart and soul that will leave you dreaming of more and yearning to come back and see it again and again.
Let me tell you a story. You’ll have to listen well since the cicadas and crickets have devious plots. Plots as thick and syrupy as Cassius’ (Utkarsh Rajawat) to slide vengeance into the noble heart of Brutus (Shannon Ziegler) under the guise of freedom. Baltimore Shakespeare Factory’s production of Julius Caesar is like a story told with a group of friends and family: a campfire tale told in a semi-circle of Tikki torches in the swirling beauty on the ground of the Evergreen Museum and Library.
On the twenty eighth day of the month of August in the summer heat of 2016, the human race suddenly encountered a sensational production of a science-fiction musical thriller in Winchester, Virginia. And this terrifyingly brilliant production surfaced on the stage of Shenandoah Summer Musical Theatre as its ’16 summer closer. Little Shop of Horrors, bop-sh’bop! It’s a Little Shop of Horrors! Be sure and stop to catch this masterpiece,
Seminar by Theresa Rebeck, now playing at Landless Theatre Company, is a witty, revealing look at the realities of being a young aspiring artist today. The story follows four New York twenty-somethings as they begin to navigate a graduate writing seminar led by a bold and caustic instructor. As he breaks them down one-by-one, the students start to question their willingness to bend for their craft. Do they have what it takes?
Hold the world but as the world, where every man must play a part. The actor his character, the characters their plots, and to you— dear audience— the part of enchanted for an evening’s merriment and mirth masked in the enthralling guise of the Bard’s tragicomedy The Merchant of Venice. For a whirlwind three performance engagement in The Eisenhower Theatre of The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour doth set down this remarkable expression of performance before the eager eyes of an audience.
Isn’t it delightful when a musical does what it ought to do? When it takes you away and gives you a few tunes to carry with you when you go? A feel good, honest fun, good comedic romp with some catchy numbers that lets you disappear for a while into the decadent world of the 1920’s, why that could only be The Drowsy Chaperone now appearing on stage in the Rice Auditorium with STAR Ltd!
Welcome to The Plum Island Infectious Disease Center. In a productive partnership with The Baltimore Annex Theater, resident members of the Plum Island Infectious Disease Center would like to present you with an esteemed press badge, which you will require in order to access the Biosafety Level Four areas of the facility, as an admittance pass to an exclusive three-hour tour. You’ll know what to do when it’s time to do it. Be sure to keep all hands,
If music be the food of love, then play on! And play on the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory indeed does with their annual summer offering of Shakespeare in the Meadow! Starting the two-show summer repertory with The Bard’s Twelfth Night, BSF gets well underway with festive merrymaking and their signature use of natural light, basic period costumes, and timely music to suit the show. Directed by Thomas Delise, with Musical Direction by Jim Stimson,
Masquerade! Paper faces on parade, masquerade…take your fill let the spectacle astound you. In the newly reimagined touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, spectacle is the one thing the show does not seem to shy away from. Directed by Laurence Connor, with Choreography by Scott Ambler, this newly approached production attempts to drive at the heart of Webber’s story, based on the novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux.
What is Urinetown? Urinetown is here. It’s the town wherever people learn to live in fear. A surprisingly powerful and accurately poignant statement arising from one of Broadway’s darkest satirical musical comedies has taken up residence in Alexandria in the Black Box Theatre of the Ainslie Arts Center at Episcopal High School under the fine production of Monumental Theatre Company. Directed by Jenna Duncan with Musical Direction by Bobby McCoy, this vivaciously vigorous version of the show,
It’s utterly frightening how guilty one can make an innocent man look if one truly tries. But what if the innocent man isn’t so innocent? Or what if he’s guilty and innocent at the same time? Will you be able to keep up with the mayhem and calamity that unfolds in the madcap comedic thriller, The Gazebo on the cabaret stage at Cockpit in Court this summer? Only one way to find out!
If you trust in your soul, keep your eyes on the goal, then the prize you won’t fail— you’ll find your grail at Cockpit in Court this summer with their second mainstage production, Monty Python’s Spamalot. Directed by Laurie Sentman Starkey with Musical Direction by R. Christopher Rose, this instance of comedic musical theatre has a little something for everybody. Be you a Monty Python fan, a musical theatre fan, neither,
Mistakes can happen even with the most organized and ordinary of people. The Tomb family are a far cry from ordinary. Almost a modern day Addams Family with all of the doom and gloom that shrouds their secrets, the six Tomb children are marvelously mad and delight in the accidentally intentional misfortune of visitors who arrive at their happy haunt. The marvelously maddened transform into mysterious murderers or murder victims as the bodies pile up faster than Dora can find room for them in her flowerbeds.