Baltimore Rock Opera Society Returns To Space For 10th Anniversary Production

Local theater group and last vestiges of humanity the Baltimore Rock Opera Society (BROS) today announced their original fall production, Space Kümité, premiering November 8th at the Peabody Heights Brewery in Charles Village. The play marks the first such event that will be held at the local brewery, as well as the DIY art community's 10 year anniversary.

Described as "a live event that combines theater, music, audience participation, the spirit of professional wrestling, and the flavor of 80's action and sci-fi movies," Space Kümité will take audiences aboard the Ilion, a generational ship that left a dying Earth over 300 years ago. With no end in sight, the crew has become fearful and restless, and conflicts threaten to erupt into full-scale war. To prevent loss of life, the Ilion's A.I. has created the ultimate output for human aggression: The Kümité, a ritualistic ceremony of zero-G fighting, epic singing, and biting insults that has so far kept the peace, until a signal is detected from deep space bringing the tensions between the factions to a breaking point. The next Kümité will decide what path the ship will take, and may define the fate of the human race.

Space Kümité will be the culmination of years of work by BROS to create a show that fully incorporates audience participation into a choose-your-own-adventure-type narrative. While previous shows by the company are known for a rowdy audience experience, this production will directly involve attendees in the plot, allowing them to choose their favorite faction based on the Kümité performances and live musical numbers and providing a different ending depending on who the audience chooses with no two being the same. As these battles are taking place in deep space, extensive wirework will provide the illusion of zero gravity martial arts battles in the converted warehouse of Peabody Heights Brewery.

"We've been expanding the events held here at our brewery in both size and type," says Eddie O'Keefe, events & marketing head at Peabody Heights. "We've been holding more and more concerts and community events here that are very successful, so having the BROS seems like the next step...even if it's not the most obvious one!" The bar in the Peabody Heights tasting room will be open to provide patrons with libations from their product line of locally-produced craft beers.

Space Kümité will be the first original production of BROS' tenth year in operation following their official anniversary earlier this month, marked by their very first production, Gründlehämmer, which premiered at the 2640 Space in 2009. Showtimes for Space Kümité are November 8th, 9th, 15th-17th, and 21st-24th, with all performances starting at 8 PM except for a special matinee showing on November 17th at 4 PM. For tickets and more information, visit baltimorerockopera.org.

The Baltimore Rock Opera Society is a passionate community of artists who create unforgettable experiences through live original rock theater. BROS was founded in 2009 by a small group of friends sitting in a basement dreaming of an impossibly enormous story that would be told through the awesome power of rock. Since that time BROS has become a powerhouse of Baltimore's cultural landscape comprised of a highly energetic group of actors, writers, designers, builders, musicians, and artists with the mission of producing original, live rock operas. Every year thousands of fans flock from the Mid-Atlantic region to witness the performances of the city's most collaborative, creative production troupe. For more information please visit baltimorerockopera.org.

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