News

An Evening in Hampden: Twisted Knickers Burlesque Goes to the Prom

News May 15, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Spring is in the air and that can only mean one possible thing: it’s time for a sassy, classy evening affair with Twisted Knickers Burlesque! And what better way to celebrate the season than a Saturday night spent at Church & Company for An Evening in Hampden: Twisted Knickers Burlesque Goes to the Prom? Featuring the troupe’s managing producer, Tapitha Kix, as well as five fantastic other area burlesque performers, and a very special Vice Principal Lincoln emceeing the event,

A Night of Intimate Conjuring with L.G. Gerace, Most Marvelous at Hotel RL

News May 15, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Do you dare be mystified by the marvels of modern magic? A little sleight of hand…a little creative conjuring? Feast your eyes upon City Paper’s Best Late-Night Entertainer of 2015 as L.G. Gerace, Most Marvelous lights up The Living Stage Experience at Hotel RL for the third time since the project began. Appearing as a frequent performer at Hotel RL and in residence as the house magician for the Yellow Sign Theatre and the Baltimore Rock Opera Society,

The King & I at St. Gabriel’s Miracle Players

News May 13, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Who? Who? Who? The St. Gabriel Miracle Players. What? What? What? The King & I upon the stage as the 2016 spring musical. Directed by Chuck Dick with Musical Direction by Rob White and a live Orchestra conducted by Matt Elkey, this tried and true Rogers & Hammerstein classic comes to the community in the very merry month of May with all of its iconic music, well-loved stories, etc. etc. etc.

In true community fashion the show’s aesthetic is crafted not with one designer in each area of expertise but with a full village of visionaries who share a passion for making theatre thrive in the local scene of Woodlawn.

Broadway in Baltimore: An Epic Evening

News May 6, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Stop the presses! Epic Productions Inc. is putting on a show! And not just any show, no sir! Why they’re throwing a good old fashioned Broadway Cabaret evening full of some of the area’s most talented performers. And throw it they did. Arriving as the first annual fundraising gala hosted by the budding theatre company, the evening enjoyed a great deal of food and merriment at the classy and posh Linwoods Restaurant.

Audition Notice: Wolfpack Theatre Company Seeks Actors

News April 11, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Discount Tickets for EVITA at Spotlighters Theatre

News April 11, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

DISCOUNT TICKETS for EVITA at SPOTLIGHTERS

Spotlighters is offering a limited number of discount tickets to this weekend’s performance of EVITA! Regular price is $20 – but use Discount Code: ” MARIA-01 ” when you order your tickets and save $8.00 off your ticket price! There are limited number of Discount Tickets available for this weekend, so don’t delay! Order your tickets at www.spotlighters.org Tickets are only available for the upcoming weekend. Subject to pre-sale.

Gutenberg! The Musical! Coming to Epic Productions Inc. May 2016

News April 3, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Musical theatre these days, boy I tells ya! Might as well go to hell for what’s passing on the boards as good entertainment! But you’re in luck! Has Epic Productions Inc. got the show for you! It’s gutsy! It’s spoofy! It’s a two-handler— finally a side-splittingly funny musical about Gutenberg! It’s just what the Baltimore theatre scene needs and it’s just what Epic Productions Inc. is serving up and dishing out with their upcoming production of— you guessed it— Gutenberg!

Rise Up! It’s Res-Erection Time at Twisted Knickers Burlesque

News March 28, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Can I get an amen? AMEN! I said— I said— can I get an Amen? AMEN!!! It’s time to be raising the praises over at Church & Company as Twisted Knickers Burlesque proudly presents their bawdylicious Easter show, Res-Erection. Sharing the same name as last year’s Easter event, Producer Tapitha Kix and the girls of Twisted Knickers Burlesque are settling into their new space quite nicely. Partnering with Church & Company, the burly girls bring an extra authentic feel to their “church-themed” evening of burlesque by presenting the performance inside an actual church!

Cabaret at The Highwood Theatre

News March 19, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome! Fremde! Etranger! Stranger! For a one-weekend limited engagement of just five nearly sold-out performances, The Highwood Theatre of Silver Spring has been transformed. Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen…The Highwood Theatre is proud to give you, and don’t forget to give it back when you’re finished with it, the 1998 revival version of Cabaret! Performed inside the tawdry yet tasteful Kit Kat Klub, the revival version of Kander and Ebb’s racy musical is an astounding production the likes of which you’ve never seen,

Oliver! at Third Wall Productions

News February 20, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

I’m reviewing the situation; can Baltimore sustain one more community theatre that popped-up overnight? The answer is yes, as Third Wall Productions makes their inaugural production of Oliver! snap jauntily to life in the found-space stage of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Hamilton. Produced by Jerry Gietka (who has commemorated producing the show in loving memory of his late sister Bernie) and Directed by Ed Higgins, with Kathryn Weaver as Musical Director,

Love Stinks! A Twisted Knickers Burlesque Show at Church & Company

News February 11, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Fed up with that ooey-gooey Hallmark holiday? J. Geils Band hit the nail on the head with their 1980 album Love Stinks and the Twisted Knickers Burlesque troupe of Baltimore is taking it a step further by putting that notion into practice this Valentine’s Day season. It was a splendid evening for everyone who has ever felt the lows of love, the blues of being involved, or the general sentiment of suckage when it comes to the all-too-romantic month of February.

Ho-Ho-Ho: Twisted Knickers Burlesque is Twisting up Calendar Girls for the Holidays

News December 14, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

He’s making a list and he’s checking it twice! He’s going to find out who’s been naughty— and who’s been extra naughty this time of year! You might be thinking that’s the jolly old fat man himself, Mr. Kris Kringle, Mr. Santa Claus, but you’d be dead wrong, fellow theatergoers. This time of year the naughty and nice list has fallen into the hands of Twisted Knickers Burlesque troupe Emcee Hot Todd Lincoln!

Dramatists Guild of America Presents: Baltimore Footlights Reading Series- The Quickening

News October 31, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

People take great comfort in proof, especially when it comes to the unknown. But sometimes the proof is the explanation. Baltimore-based playwright Mark Scharf debuts his newest work, The Quickening— a ghost story for the stage— as a part of the Baltimore Footlights Reading Series 2015-2016. Hosted by the Dramatists Guild of America, this reading series provides the opportunities for local playwrights to have staged readings of their new works, generating a chance for workshopping new ideas based on feedback given by the audience.

Forsaken Angels with The New Day Campaign

News October 6, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

In the war of their stories, the victims are the survivors. Sex-trafficking: an atrocity in society that most dismiss as something happening in third world countries, or only among the impoverished and mentally unstable here in their own country, is a topic needing a voice of political and community advocacy in the United States. WolfPack Theatre Company’s Founding Artistic Director and Playwright William Dean Leary has given voice to women who lived to escape such a war and tell the tale.

Brassieres of Terror- Late Night Double-D Feature at Yellow Sign Theatre

News October 4, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

In the dead of night, when the moon is high, and ill winds blow…that’s when you should be slinking over to the Yellow Sign Theatre to catch a glimpse of the Burlesque Company in residence, Twisted Knickers! Setting up early for a Halloween delight, Brassieres of Terror— A Late-Night Double-D Feature storms the stage with the haunting spectacle of Burlesque in the vain of spooky with a seductive twist.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore at Arts Collective @ Howard Community College

News October 3, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Has a singular article of clothing from somewhere in your life ever moved you? Maybe it was your prom dress. Your first bra? A black sweater or your favorite t-shirt? It is a universal thread over which women bond: their clothing. Presented for a three-weekend limited engagement, the Arts Collective @ Howard Community College brings a treasured time capsule of women’s life, relationships, and their wardrobe to the stage with Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love,

Smirk & Mirrors at Club Charles

News October 1, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther 1 Comment

The deviously delicious and dark world of edgier entertainment never stops flowing from out the doors of the Yellow Sign Theatre. In fact there is so much of an overflow that it has slithered its way into Club Charles, the trendy Station North Night Club right next door. YST’s Magician in Residence, L.G. Gerace, Most Marvelous— who is also the known magician in residence with the Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS) sets up shop every Wednesday evening in a private little alcove in the corner of the club and invites club patrons in to witness his intriguing little show,

Horatio Dark’s Between The Lines at Yellow Sign Theatre

News September 29, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Good evening, Baltimore. It’s time to dim the lights, settle into your radio, and steel your nerves as Horatio Dark, the master of the macabre, the navigator of the netherworld, the antiquarian of the insane takes you on an aural adventure to the realm of the frightening and the bizarre. Brought to you through the hosting vessel of The Yellow Sign Theatre Company, Horatio Dark’s Between the Lines live radio broadcast is here for your entertainment pleasure.

Exciting News for Young Playwrights’ Theater

News August 6, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Exciting new adventures are always aplenty on the stages of Washington DC. From new works to new venues, the thriving performing arts scene in the nation’s capital is always blossoming with something wondrous and new to explore. Young Playwrights’ Theatrer, now in its 20th season, is discovering a new thrill of their own. After winning the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award a few years back (a prestigious honor presented by First Lady Michelle Obama),

In The Heights at Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts

News July 17, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Look at the fireworks! Light up the night sky— in Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts’ Teen Professional Production of In The Heights. Having made its regional debut at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia during the 2013 summer season, the refreshing Tony Award-Winning musical takes to the stage with CCTA for a riveting evening of theatre that will shake up the heart, stir the soul, and leave fireworks in your mind’s eye for the rest of the summer.

Fiddler on the Roof at Howard County Summer Theatre

News July 3, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Anatevka; where else would the Sabbath be so sweet? Why at the Howard County Summer Theatre, of course, where the Sabbath and several days surrounding it are simply resplendent as they mount their 41st season’s production: Fiddler on the Roof. Directed by Tom Sankey with Musical Direction by Christopher Hattenbach and Kevin George, this resilient classic proves to their finest production yet with a talented cast, rustic sets, and authentic costumes. The show is a delight for families all over Howard County this summer season.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Opening Night

News June 19, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Comedy tomorrow! Power outage tonight! Such is the nature of live theatre but even an area wide power outage that stole the light from the Theatre Arts Building of the Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre could not stop the determined cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Opening night was tragically cut short when a surprise power outage rendered the campus and some 800 residents in the surrounding area without power for no readily discernible reason.

Helen Hayes 2015: A recap

News April 14, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

The dust has settled. A week gone by. And it all seems like some vaguely fantastical theatrical dream. The 31st Annual Helen Hayes Awards Ceremony has just passed us by and the heads of thespians, artists, and theatrical natured people all across Washington DC are still spinning in a blissful blur from the evening’s events. Celebrating the finest in Washington DC Theatre this year was the first year that the treasured awards ceremony executed its new adjudication system resulting in more recognition and more awards across the board for over 50 theatres being recognized throughout the evening’s events.

WATCH Award Nominations

News January 18, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s that time of year, folks! The Washington Area Theatre Community Honors have come around again to honor all of the truly exceptional theatre being performed in community venues across the Washington DC and surrounding metropolitan area. The 2014 award nominations were presented live this evening at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA.

There were 111 different productions– 34 musicals and 77 plays– adjudicated over in the 2014 theatrical season. 31 community theatre companies participated in WATCH adjudication in 2014.

Camelot kicks off National Tour

News October 8, 2014 Guest Author

The 2014/2015 National Tour of Lerner & Loewe’s CAMELOT reimagines the tale of King Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot as it launches its national tour on Tuesday, October 7th in Macon, GA. Tour dates include Nashville, Providence, Omaha, Fayetteville, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Fort Myers, Wilmington, Hartford and St. Paul among others. For a complete list of cities, visit www.camelottour.com.

Phoenix Entertainment

CAMELOT, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe is based on the King Arthur legend adapted from the T.H.White novel The Once and Future King.

ImprovAcadia: Theatre on Vacation

News, Reviews August 21, 2014 Amanda N. Gunther

When one takes a vacation the last thing one thinks about is work, generally speaking. But when you work in and around the theatre it is hard not to enjoy the chance to see performance at an out of town venue. Especially when it’s the only little Improv Troupe in all of Bar Harbor— if not the whole of Mount Desert Island up in Maine. Ten years in the running, ImprovAcadia has a brilliant little hybrid form show that they have compiled right in the main thoroughfare of downtown Bar Harbor.

A new site is beginning to grow!

News August 3, 2014 Amanda N. Gunther

Greetings from the world of TheatreBloom!

A new and exciting project is underway here at TheatreBloom- a site dedicated to reviewing theatre in Baltimore, Washington, Maryland, DC, and Virginia- to encourage theatres of all shapes, types, and sizes to thrive!

My name is Amanda Gunther and I have been reviewing theatre in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area since 2011 and I am embarking on a new adventure with this independent publication.