Baltimore Center Stage Announces Postponement Of BAKKHAI

As part of an ongoing commitment to serve the community, Baltimore Center Stage has announced that it has made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone Bakkhai, by Euripides, adapted by Anne Carson and directed by Mike Donahue. The production, which features original music by Diana Oh, and choreography by Willia Noel Montague was set to close the 2019/20 Season in May. It will now open the 2021/22 Season in September 2021.

"It's a crushing way to end my first season at Baltimore Center Stage - I've wanted to share this production with the Baltimore community since the day I got this job. I'm finding comfort in knowing we'll get to continue working on this show - a raucous retelling of an ancient Greek classic. It was relevant two thousand years ago, it's relevant today, and it will be just as timely eighteen months from now," said Artistic Director Stephanie Ybarra. "Additionally, we are committed to inviting every artist - actors, designers, stage managers and more - to continue with the project in 2021. I can't imagine telling this story without them."

Ybarra credits director Mike Donahue for his collaboration in deciding to postpone rather than to completely cancel: "Mike is a decades-long trusted collaborator, and when it came to thinking through what came next for the show, he was a critical component of the conversation. We went through multiple scenarios and this is the one that preserved maximum possibilities for the creative team and acting company. It felt appropriate to include the leader of the production in helping to determine its fate."

The cast of Baltimore Center Stage's production of Bakkhai includes: Kambi Gathesha (Dionysus); Michael Maloney (Chorus); Shauna Miles (Agave/Teiresisas); Willia Noel Montague (Dancer); Diana Oh (Chorus Leader); Christopher Sears (Pentheus); and Alexander Sovronsky (Kadmos/Herdsman). The creative team includes Mike Donahue (Director); Anne Carson (Adaptor); Diana Oh (Composer); Willia Noel Montague (Choreographer); Stephanie Osin Cohen (Scenic Designer); Anya Klepikov (Costume Designer); Amith Chandrashaker (Lighting Designer); Brendan Aanes (Sound Designer); and JZ Casting - Geoff Josselson and Katja Zarolinski, and Ada Karamanyan (Casting Directors).

Despite having to close the building and cancel all live performances amidst ongoing concerns of the spread of COVID-19, Baltimore Center Stage is committed to remaining "open for storytelling." The theater has activated adaptive programming and resources in the wake of cancellations and other shutdowns. Baltimore Center Stage recently announced plans to make digital access of Where We Stand available for all existing ticketholders. Additional tickets have been made available for a "Pay What You Can" ticket price starting at $5. Additionally, Baltimore Center Stage just launched "BCS Camp at Home," a free, virtual learning platform designed specifically with the caregiver and at-home student in mind, as schools are closed across the nation. For more information on our available virtual programming including Where We Stand, BCS Camp at Home, and Virtual Storytelling, please go to our website at www.centerstage.org.

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