Strand Theater and the Maryland Humanities Council Partner for Monster Mash-Up

The Strand Theater and the Maryland Humanities Council host Free Fall Monster Mash-up! The Monster Mash-Up includes costume making, monster mash dancing, and free refreshments! Participants will learn the origins of their favorite monsters from Erik Kjeldgaard, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Audiences will then break up into smaller groups, based on their favorite monsters, and create their own scary stories. Free Fall Monster Mash-Up is fun for the whole family!

Schedule of Events:

October 27

6:00pm- Reception with pizza, punch, and costume making
6:30pm- Participants will be taught the 60's Monster Mash dance by an instructor. After the dance has been learned, participants will perform the dance for their peers.
7:00pm- Erik Kjeldgaard (Anthropologist) will educate the audience on the history of monsters and their origins.
7:45pm- Participants will form groups and create a story using their monster of choice as the main character.
8:25pm- An individual from each group will present the group's story to the audience.

About the speaker: Erik Kjeldgaard
Erik Kjeldgaard is adjunct assistant professor of anthropology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He has conducted research on religion in Afro-Caribbean culture in Haiti and in Trinidad and Tobago, for which he received a Fulbright scholarship. He completed his Ph.D. in 2007 at SUNY Buffalo. At UMBC, he currently teaches a course on the anthropology of magic and witchcraft. He is interested in the ways in which phenomena widespread in human experience-like monsters-may reflect deeply rooted aspects of what we are, even as they take varying forms in specific historical and cultural settings.

About the Maryland Humanities Council: The Maryland Humanities Council uses the humanities as tools for exploring critical issues and themes. The humanities include literature, history, philosophy, archeology, language, comparative religion, jurisprudence, ethics, art history and aspects of the social sciences.

About the Strand: The Strand Theater Company is a community theater dedicated to providing opportunities for women artists, writers, designers, and directors. With a focus on producing works new to Baltimore, the Strand hopes to foster a love of theater for a new generation of patrons.

Since launching in 2008, the Strand has presented 12 full-length plays, including five world premieres; offered 75% of the artistic positions on its productions-as playwrights, directors, designers, stage managers, and actors-to women; provided affordable theater space to many organizations and independent artists; and played an integral role in the revitalization of the Station North Arts & Entertainment District.

In August 2011, the Strand was honored as one of Baltimore magazine's "Top 5 Baltimore Theaters," along with CENTERSTAGE, Everyman, the Hippodrome, and Single Carrot.

To learn more about the Strand Theater Company, visit http://www.strand-theater.org.

Poster Credit: Seth Luzier

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