DO IT NOW! Comes to The Baltimore Playwrights Festival This Month

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival continues its 41st Season, presenting with co-producer Fells Point Corner Theatre, with the support of the Maryland State Arts Council, the musical Do It Now!, a celebration of the life of William Donald Schaefer, Baltimore City Mayor, and Governor of the State of Maryland.

Do It Now! music and lyrics by Jonathan Jensen, a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; book and additional lyrics by Rich Espey, an award-winning Baltimore playwright, is directed and choreographed by Timoth David Copney, Chairman of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival and a multiple BroadwayWorld.com Best Director/Best Choreographer award nominee. Do It Now! will be performed at the Fells Point Corner Theatre in the first floor, handicapped accessible Godfrey theatre. This fine play and score will run from Thursday July 14 through Sunday, July 31, Th, Fri and Sat at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.

Schaefer was Baltimore's boisterous cheerleader, semi-lunatic showman, vexing paranoiac and unimpeachable savior. The show tells the story of Don Schaefer's time as Mayor of Baltimore - how he rose from a typical working class, Baltimore background to being the most driven and high-achieving mayor in America. Although he didn't quite achieve his ultimate goal of elevating Baltimore to the ranks of one of the world's elite cities, Schaefer convinced a city to feel better about itself, even as his own self-doubt and dissatisfaction grew. Baltimore citizens can look to the example of William Donald Schaefer, who held multiple political offices in Maryland for 52 years without ever being indicted for corruption in an era that was rife with political corruption.

Schaefer's administration instituted a $1 sale of Baltimore owned properties to those who would repair and live in the homes, ushering in an era of urban renewal. He championed economic revitalization centered on the Inner Harbor, the Aquarium, and what would become Camden Yard and M&T Stadium. William Donald Schaefer took charge of a city in trouble, invested in neighborhoods, fixed potholes, and gave Baltimoreans not only something to be proud of but a path forward.

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival is in its 41st season and has presented over 300 productions by 165 playwrights at 20 different theaters.

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