Charm City Call Board: January 2 - 7

Welcome to Charm City Call Board for the week of January 2 - 7, keeping you up to date each week with all that is theater in Baltimore.    

Happy New Year to all of you!

With the New Year, CCCB will be undergoing some minor changes, thanks to your suggestions.  For example, "Backstage Babble" is arranged according to date, earliest first.  As always, thank you for your suggestions, kudos and thoughtful criticisms.  This column is for you to enjoy, so don't hesitate to share your ideas!

NEW THIS WEEK!:

• 2007 End of Year Wrap Up
• Audition Opportunity at Spotlighters and Laurel Mill Playhouse
• Tech and Directing Positions at Run of the Mill
• QuestFest Returns to Baltimore
• Plus: News of Fells Point Corner Theatre, Single Carrot Theatre, The Baltimore Playwrights Festival

 

If you have some news or an event you'd like added, please contact me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.

Discounts and contest notices are listed first.  Show listings follow in this order: current productions and upcoming productions.  Audition notices, news bites, and book/CD recommendations are at the end.  

BROADWAYWORLD.BALTIMORE DISCOUNTS!

There are currently no discounts available.  Check back next week.

CONTESTS!

The First Annual Readers' Choice Ballot and Contest is up and running.  Entry deadline: The deadline has been extended through to noon on Sunday, January 6.  Click on link above to find the contest page!

ONSTAGE THIS WEEK!

A five star system will be utilized in order to differentiate between the various levels of success: artistry and entertainment value.  This system is not directly numeric, however.  That is, a 4 rated show isn't necessarily twice as good as a 2 rated show; neither is a 4 rated show a "B" or an 80%.

◊◊◊◊◊ - The absolute best theatre has to offer!  Missing this should not be an option!
◊◊◊◊ - This is excellent theatre!  Do not miss this show!
◊◊◊ - This is a very good production.  Try to get to this one!
◊◊ - This is a fair production.
◊ - Save your money.

Be sure to contact the theatre directly for show times, dates and prices.  All shows subject to change.  

CURTAIN UP!  Shows opening this week.

Now What? at CENTERSTAGE

• ◊◊◊◊Now What? (One Man Show – Comedy): CENTERSTAGE.  Through 1/20.  1 hour, 40 minutes.  Adult language and themes.  Review to be posted 1/4.  www.centerstage.org or 410-332-0033.  Look for interview with Josh Lefkowitz on 1/5!

NOW PLAYING!  Shows currently open. 

Joe Turner's Come and Gone at CENTERSTAGE

• ◊◊◊ Joe Turner's Come and Gone (Drama): CENTERSTAGE.  Through 1/13.  2 hours, 25 minutes, including intermission.  Review posted 12/13.  www.centerstage.org 410-332-0033.  Coming soon: an interview with the Women of Joe Turner!
• ◊◊◊◊◊ The Sound of Music (Musical – Dinner Theatre): Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia.  Through 2/15.  2 hours, 35minutes, including intermission.  Review posted 12/10.  www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1-866-99TOBYS. BEST BET 12/11!

SPECIAL THEATRE EVENTS!

Puss in Boots at Theatre Project

• ◊◊◊◊Puss in Boots (Family-Friendly, British Pantomime Style): The Pantolites at Theatre Project.  1/2 – 1/5 at 7PM, 1/5 & 1/6 at 2PM.  410-752-8558 or www.missiontix.com.  Information at http://pantolites.com
• 'Til Death Do Us Part (Interactive Murder Mystery): Do or Die Productions at Spotlighters. 1/4 & 1/5 at 8PM.  www.spotlighters.org or 410-752-1225.
• Murder Ink (Staged Reading): Single Carrot Theatre at Theatre Project.  1/9 at 7PM.  Adult content, not recommended for children.  See article below for details.

OPENING SOON!  Shows opening in January.

• La Cage aux Folles (Musical – Dinner Theatre): Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore. 1/10 – 3/9.  www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 410-649-1660 or 1-866-99TOBYS.  Look for information about BroadwayWorld Night at Toby's II, coming soon!
• The Mouse Trap (Mystery-Thriller): Spotlighters. 1/11 – 2/3.  www.spotlighters.org or 410-752-1225.
• Twelve Angry Jurors (Drama): Laurel Mill Playhouse. 1/11 – 2/3.  www.laurelmillplayhouse.org or 301-617-9906.
• Light Up the Sky (Comedy): Vagabond Players.  1/11 – 2/10.  www.vagabondplayers.com or 410-563-9135.
• The Turn of the Screw (Mystery-Thriller): Everyman Theatre. 1/16 – 2/24.  www.everymantheatre.org or 410-752-2208.
• Off the Map (Drama): Fells Point Corner Theatre. 1/18 – 2/17.  www.fpct.org or 410-276-7837.
• Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy (Performance Piece): Hippodrome Theatre.  1/22 – 2/3.  www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or 410-547-SEAT.
• Mrs. Warren's Profession (Drama): Rep Stage.  1/23 – 2/24.  www.repstage.org or 410-772-4900.

AUDITION NOTICES:

Polish Joke

• WHO: Spotlighters
• SHOW: Polish Joke, a comedy by David Ives that follows a young man's search for acceptance in the world.
• AUDITION DATE/TIME: Sunday, January 6 at 1PM
• WHERE: Spotlighters Theatre on St. Paul Street
• PERFORMANCE DATES: May 30 – June 29
• WHAT THEY NEED: 3 Men, 2 Women; 1 Male is 30 years old, the rest of the cast can be between 20 and 50.
• WHAT TO PREPARE: Please send a resume (headshot optional) by email to the director at john.sadowsky@jhu.edu and be sure that the resume includes theater/drama education and training and at least two references, people with whom you have worked on stage, with contact information.
• ALSO NEEDED: A production crew, including designers, stage manager and assistant, and lighting and sound technicians.  The overall rehearsal process is collaborative with creative/artistic input from everyone in the cast and crew.   If you would like to join us and exercise your creative talents, please send an email to the director as well, for an interview appointment on the same day.

 

The Pirates of Penzance

• WHO: Laurel Mill Playhouse
• SHOW: Pirates of Penzance.  Director - Kendra Simmons-Maurer; Musical Director - Joe Biddle
• PERFORMANCE DATES: May 23 to June 15 with selected Sunday matinees and one Thursday evening performance.
  WHEN: Sunday, January 13th  at 7:00pm and Monday, January 14th at 7:00pm
  WHERE: Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main Street, Laurel, Maryland 20707
  WHAT TO PREPARE: Auditioners are asked to prepare a song that clearly demonstrates their ability to handle music form a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and will demonstrate range. Some roles will require the need to talk and sing very fast.
• WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR:
• Frederic: Young, manly, genuine and an innocent. 18-30. Need to play 21. Tenor.
• The Pirate King:  He wants to be a Pirate just to have his shirt open and the wind in his hair and to stand around like Errol Flynn, to swashbuckle. He would never really hurt anybody. 20-55. Baritone.
• Mabel: Very much of a young woman of the 19th century. An out-front, uncovered, natural, expressive person. 16-30. Need to play 17-20. Soprano.
• Major General: it is vital that he be vivid with the kind of warmth and good-humor of Santa Claus, that he be quirky, but believable. 40-65. Need to play about 50s. Baritone.
• Ruth: Is a proper English nanny. 35-55. Need to play around 47. Mezzo-soprano.
• Samuel: Pirate King's right-hand man, not awfully bright. 20-55. Tenor or Baritone.
• Police Sergeant: Gangly police captain, stiff yet agile. Must be able to move very, very, very well.  25-55. 
• Daughters: Major General's daughters in addition to Mabel. Chorus parts mostly with two or three solos by Kate, Edith and Isabel. Need to play between 18-late 20s. Various voice ranges. Although chorus parts, the daughters are a huge part of the show.
• Pirates and Police: Can be men but can also be women who are dressed up like men. Will use all as pirates in the first act but will split up for the second act. All vocal ranges. Any age. Again, a big part of the show.  
• INFORMATION: For more information, please email lmp@laurelmillplayhouse.org or call Maureen Rogers at 301-452-2557. if you have questions about the auditions please email the Director at  playphenom@gmail.com.

THEATRE POSITIONS OPEN

Run of the Mill Seeks Several People for Variations Project

This is a project where both award-winning and new Baltimore-area playwrights, actors and directors create new, diverse theatrical experiences around one theme. The theme for this year, Power, was selected through an open voting process involving all audience members of last season's production, Variations on Justice. Local artists of varying experience and backgrounds will comprised the authors, production team and cast. In this way the project is unique to Maryland, in that the writers creating the new plays, the artists involved in the production and even the open public has a collaborative involvement in the project, making it an event for and about the Baltimore area. The project also fosters a communication between Maryland artists, bringing together people of all ages, from all ethnic and economic backgrounds, with all levels of experience in the theater to work together toward a common goal. The technical sophistication and professional standards with which the project is executed also provide a learning atmosphere for those involved in the projects who are less experienced with working in professional non-profit theater.

CREW:

RUN OF THE MILL THEATER (it's anything but!) is looking for two bright, committed, energetic folks for crew positions on its next production, VARIATIONS ON JUSTICE, appearing during May at Theatre Project in Baltimore.  These are volunteer positions and experience is NOT required.  What a great way to break in with Baltimore's most exciting independent theater company!

 VARIATIONS ON POWER is the fourth in an annual series of newly commissioned local short play anthologies by Run of the Mill. 

 Performances will be Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm, from May 1th through May 18h.  Crew will also be needed for Tech rehearsals (April 28^th -May 1st)

All that's required is reliable transportation and a desire to work with a great local theater company.  Interested?  Email: runofthemilltheatre@gmail.com,  with "Tech Crew" in the subject line.  For more information about RotM and the Variations Project, see our website at www.runofthemilltheater.com . 

DIRECTING INTERNSHIPS: 

Run of the Mill Theater is looking for two Directing Interns for its annual Variations Project. 

 
Work with 5 of Baltimore's best Directors!

•  
  As a directing fellow you'll be required to:
• Attend the Variations Party (JANUARY 12^th)
• Take part in the script analysis/ development workshop
• Be present for formal feedback discussions with the directors and playwrights
• Attend Auditions  (March 1^st and 2^nd )
• Attend the rehearsals of all 5 directors. 

After two weeks of observing the style and technique of each director you'll have an evaluation/ feedback session with the Artistic Director.  You will then be paired with just one director until tech week.

MANAGEMENT, DESIGN: 

Run of the Mill Theater is looking for the following personnel for its annual Variations Project:

• 2 Stage Managers
• 1 Lighting Designer
• 1 Set Designer

If interested please email: runofthemilltheater@gmail.com

 

BACKSTAGE BABBLE!  News, Best Bets, etc.

2007: Looking Back

Please indulge me for a few thoughts about the year just past…

The Baltimore Theatre Season:  I think, overall, 2007 was infinitely better than 2006!  I don't think I'm getting too soft on things, I think the quality of shows across the board has improved.  In fact, of the 103 shows I reviewed, 20 received 5 diamonds (1, Titanic: The Musical, got 6, it was so superb!).  The average rating was 3.87 diamonds!  On the other end, only 6 got less than 2 diamonds.  Not bad!

My guilty pleasure of 2007:  All things Xanadu!  I have seen it several times, including onstage which is A LOT of fun (though I recommend seeing it from the front, first)!  The cast plays with you when you sit onstage, which is hilarious!  Plus who can beat the cheesy/funny merchandise – leg warmers, Flashdance style shirts, and one of the BEST Original Broadway Cast Recordings!  It is almost as much fun as seeing it live!  And you NEED to get to this show (bonus: discounts are available all over the place)!  You will have the time of your life and feel good hours later… Of course, you can't beat the cast, either.

Best Broadway Experiences in 2007:

1. See above!
2. Angela Lansbury in Deuce.  What else needs to be said?
3. On stage seating at Spring Awakening.  These kids are amazing no matter where you sit, but it is something else to have them sit right next to you and sing.
4. Legally Blonde.  Better live than on MTV, but the most fun I've had in years (Like Xanadu, you can find some awesome discounts, so GO!)
5. The Broadway Flea Market.  Buying cookies that Tyne Daly baked, talking to John Tartaglia while munching on Avenue Q cupcakes, buying souvenirs usually reserved for the cast – Jersey Boys costumes started at $10 for a torn shirt worn by John Lloyd Young.  And it is all for charity!  I can't wait for September! 

My wishes for Baltimore Theatre in 2008:

1. That there will be higher attendance!  Considering that one of the best shows I saw this entire year was performed for free, budget really isn't that much of a consideration.  There is quality theatre out there for every size pocket book.  And time and again, the cost of the ticket has little to do with the quality of the show.
2. That there will be a return to good manners!  Talk at home… unwrap your candies before the curtain… and turn off the cell phone all the way.  And that goes for theatre staffs as well as patrons – we can hear you talking about last night's performance when you stand behind us…
3. That audiences will try new things!  You've seen Oklahoma and Steel Magnolias a dozen times each already!  STRETCH YOUR MIND!

 

Look for "2007 Best of" lists in the coming days!

• Readers' Choice Awards Ballot and Contest (posted 12/27, ends 1/6)
• Top theatre news stories (posted 12/27 & 12/29)
• The Movers & Shakers: People Who Influenced the Baltimore Theatre Scene (posted 12/31)
• Actor & Actress of the Year (posted 1/1)
• Best of  College & Professional Theatre in 2007 (posted 1/3)
• Best of Regional & Community Theatre in 2007 (To post 1/5*)
• Readers' Choice Awards 2007 (To post 1/7*)

* - Tentative date, posted as close to that as possible.

 

January 5: Baltimore Playwrights Festival Continues Monthly Readings

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival will continue its monthly readings of potential festival plays for this summer.  This month's reading will be held at Fell's Point Corner Theatre on 251 S. Ann Street.  The readings will be held on Saturday, January 5, and will include the following readings of new plays by Maryland playwrights:

11:00 AM: Finding Fossils by Ty DeMartino
1:00 PM: Five Short Plays by Michael Cookson
3:00 PM: The Ape on the Church Steps by JM Dinson 

Please note that while this is open to the public, this event is designed for people specifically interested in plays and writing plays.  Knowledgeable audience feedback is encouraged and expected.

 

January 7: New Works Reading Series from Run of the Mill Kicks Off

Run of the Mill Theater starts off 2008 with a New Works Reading Series at the University of Baltimore Performing Arts Theater.  The theatre is located at 21 W. Mount Royal Avenue, 5th Floor at the corner of Mt. Royal and Maryland Ave.

On Monday, January 7 at 7 pm, they will present a reading of James McBride by Mark Clayton Southers. 

Synopsis: When the Kiltimaugian Society of Poets in Ireland decides to open its six hundred year poetry contest to poets living abroad, they open the door for James McBride, an African-American poet from Chicago, who wins the prestigious award. McBride and his friend, Tyrone Reid, a white Chicago rapper, travel to Ireland to accept the prize and encounter a few challenges when they arrive. 

Mark Clayton Southers is a Pittsburgh playwright and founder of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre. He will join us for the reading and a talk-back afterwards.

 

January 9: Single Carrot Theatre Presents Murder Ink; Proceeds to Charity  

Single Carrot Theatre announces a staged reading of Murder Ink by Anna Ditkoff, taken from the City Paper column of the same name, at Theatre Project on Jan. 9^th at 7:00 pm. 

Ditkoff's weekly column, "Murder Ink", documents all murders in Baltimore City. She factually accounts murders committed, as made public by the Baltimore Police, and provides legal updates of previous murders as the information becomes available.  

Single Carrot is compiling a year's worth of Ditkoff's column in order to give a comprehensive view of Baltimore's annual murder rate. The reading will not dramatize the murders, but rather the text will be objectively spoken by actors. Single Carrot brings this compilation of non-fiction to the stage to explore the stories without bias. 

"Like all stories worth telling, Murder Ink is messy, heartbreaking, and provides no simple solutions," said J. Buck Jabaily, artistic director of Single Carrot and director of Murder Ink. "As seven twenty-somethings from Colorado who now call Baltimore their home, we at Single Carrot felt compelled to present the story, but don't have any answers to give." 

 A talkback will follow the performance in order to give the audience an opportunity to discuss the issues raised by the performance. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Violence Prevention Program at Maryland Shock Trauma.  

Content in Murder Ink may not be suitable for children 12 and under. Parental discretion is advised. 

Show information:

Murder Ink by Anna Ditkoff, from the City Paper column, directed by J. Buck Jabaily.  Jan. 9, 2008 at 7:00 pm at The Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St, Baltimore, MD 21201.  www.theatreproject.org, 410-539-3091.  All tickets $5.   Box Office: 443-844-9253 or www.singlecarrot.com.

PHOTO: Photographer, J. Buck Jabaily, courtesy of Single Carrot Theatre.  Pictured: Brendan Ragan.

January 14 – 27: QuestFest Returns to Baltimore/Washington Venues

Life changing…a whole new way of looking at theater: That is how participants describe their experiences at QuestFest, an international visual theater festival produced by Quest, in partnership with Towson University, Baltimore Theatre Project, Creative Alliance, Round House Theatre, Center Stage, and Gallaudet University. QuestFest will return to the Baltimore Washington area festival January 14–27, 2008, with performances and residences in venues and schools throughout the Baltimore Washington area. 

The festival will feature an international roster of deaf and hearing artists in an array of family-friendly, cutting-edge work that welcomes all people.

This year marks the third QuestFest.  This year's festival will feature performances such as Mistero Buffo, directed and performed by Ramesh Meyyappan from Singapore. Meyyappan wowed audiences at QuestFest 2006 and the QuestFest partners knew they had to invite this brilliant and innovative artist from Singapore to return; I Carried the Flag directed by Tim McCarty; Mosaic, conceived and directed by Miriam Ganz; The Snow Queen, directed by Mara Neimanis; and the Hong Kong Theatre of Silence.

Performance venues will include the Baltimore Theatre Project, the Creative Alliance in Baltimore, Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, and the Studio Theatre, the New Studio Theatre and the Dance Studio, all at Towson University.

In addition to performances, QuestFest will also offer master classes, panel discussions, residencies, workshops and post-show discussions.

QuestFest is produced by Quest, a Lanham, Md. – based organization that is internationally recognized for its innovative work in visual theater and its leadership in welcoming peopled from diverse backgrounds. QuestFest is completely accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences, and no sign language interpreters are required for any of the shows.

To reserve tickets or for more information about QuestFest go the Web site at www.questfest.org or call the Towson University Box Office at 410-704-ARTS (2787).

 

January 18 – 27: QuestFest at Theatre Project  

From Jan. 18-27, medieval morality tales will leapfrog into the 21^st century when Theatre Project presents Ramesh Meyyappan's visual adaptation of Dario Fo's Mistero Buffo. Hailed as "beautiful and sensitive" by the UK's Sunday Times, Mistero Buffo is a series of humorous vignettes that poke equal fun at government, religion, the rich and the poor.  

The theatre of Dario Fo animates the physical body of the actor and this provides the perfect opportunity for Ramesh Meyyappan, a deaf performer, who manages to skewer society without saying a word. 

Meyyappan portrays multiple characters in this one-man-show. The drunkard seen throughout this adaptation is the common man who is judged by a self-righteous angel for purely wanting to enjoy life. The drunk himself believes that if man was put on earth by a higher power, then the higher power wants man to enjoy life. The drunk sees gluttony and greed in the upper classes, is exploited by his own boss, and tortured by a power- crazy pope. As in Fo's play, Christ appears in this adaptation -- not as a God-like Symbol -- but a positive life-affirming symbol who cares for and assists the drunk in his times of need. 

As a curtain raiser before each show, Tim Chamberlain and Iosif Schneiderman will perform Swept Away. Featuring bits of mime and clowning, this short production details what happens to an immigrant artist who is separated from his family, country, language and art.  

Both shows are presented at Theatre Project as a part of QuestFest, a two-week festival celebrating visual theatre. Mistero Buffo plays run at Theatre Project Jan. 18-27.  Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 seniors and artists and $10 students. Tickets can be purchased at www.missiontix.com or by calling 410-752-8558.

 

January 18:  Fells Point Corner Theatre Starts 2008 with Off the Map Opening

The first production of 2008 at Fells Point Corner Theatre will be Joan Ackerman's Off the Map, opening January 18, and running Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, and Sundays at 2PM through February 17.  Tickets are $17.00 General, $15.00 Students and Seniors.  Tickets and Information at www.fpct.org or 410-276-7837.

Bo Groden looks back on the summer when she was eleven years old and everything changed.  She sifts through the memories of an unusual childhood, spent in the wilds of northern New Mexico, where her enterprising parents forged a rich life off the land and the local dump. This offbeat, evocative comedy has a compelling and lyrical quality.  Through love and compassion, the characters stumble into glimpses of self-discovery and unexpected moments of grace.

Off The Map is directed by Barry Feinstein, who has been directing plays for Fell's Point Corner Theatre since its beginning in 1987 with Fool For Love.  He has also directed True West, Liaisons Dangereuse, Dancing at Lughnasa, Heaven, Three Sisters, Recent Tragic Events, Henry IV, Ella's Song, Air Ice and Forty Million Dollars, If You Want It, at Fell's Point Corner Theatre, where he also teaches acting workshops and works with FPCT's Challenged Ensemble. 

Appearing in Off The Map is a cast of local veteran actors that include Alex Hewett, Rachel Condliffe, Mike O'Connell, Richard Cutting, Laura Gifford and Michael Zemarel.

 

FROM LAST WEEK'S BABBLE!

CENTERSTAGE PRESENTS JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE; RELATED PROGRAMS FOR JANUARY!

The work of two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson returns to CENTERSTAGE as the third offering of our 45^th Season, Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Directed by Derrick Sanders, Founding Artistic Director of Chicago's Congo Square Theatre Company, and featuring a cast led by Broadway veterans Myra Lucretia Taylor (Nine) and James A. Williams (Radio Golf), the production also marks CENTERSTAGE's first revival of a Wilson play. This vibrant and earthy drama of longing, loss, and redemption plays The Pearlstone Theater and runs through January 13^th. M&T Bank is the production's official corporate sponsor, with additional support from The William L. & Victorine Q. Adams Foundation and The Rodgers Family Fund, Miles & Stockbridge, and Global Lead Management Consulting.

Haunted by seven years on a chain gang, Herald Loomis has come to Pittsburgh to reunite his family. Surrounded by the vibrant tenants of Seth and Bertha Holly's boarding house—scattered souls of the Great Migration—Loomis continues his fierce, poetic journey to recover himself and his song as the early days of the 20^th Century glimmer with possibility.

Heading the cast as the no-nonsense boarding house proprietors, Seth and Bertha Holly, are Broadway veterans James A. Williams and Myra Lucretia Taylor. Williams made his Broadway debut last season in Radio Golf, playing the same role he played in its engagement here in 2006, as well as every other production prior to Broadway—seven in total—beginning with its world premiere at Yale Rep in 2005.  Taylor, who is making her CENTERSTAGE debut, has many Broadway credits to her name, including the Tony-winning revival of Nine, Macbeth, Electra, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Mule Bone, and A Streetcar Named Desire.  In 2002, Taylor was a guest member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in Stratford and on the West End in The Winter's Tale and Pericles.

Appearing as the fractured Loomis family are Javon Johnson and Donnetta Lavinia Grays, with Reign Edwards and Miah Marie Patterson in alternating performances.  Two men offering very different avenues of aid to the residents of the Holly household are played by Cedric Young and Michael Medeiros.  The romantic triangle of the boarding house is populated by Rob Riley, Roslyn Ruff, and Bakesta King.  Rounding out the cast as Zonia's ghost-seeing playmate Reuben Mercer, in alternating performances, are Marquis D. Moody and Neiman A. Outlen.  Director Derrick Sanders makes his CENTERSTAGE debut with this production.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone runs December 7, 2007–January 13, 2008: Tuesday through Saturday at 8 pm; Sunday at 7:30 pm; Saturday & Sunday Matinees at 2 pm; and a Wednesday Matinee on December 26^th at 1 pm.  Tickets are $10–$60.  For tickets, call 410.332.0033 or go online to centerstage.org.  Discounts are available for groups of 15+. Contact Group Sales at groups@centerstage.org or 410.986.4008.  E-mail info@centerstage.org, visit our website at centerstage.org, or call 410.332.0033.

CENTERSTAGE is offering the following programs in conjunction with Joe Turner's Come and Gone: 

Student & Senior Discounts

• Save $10 off Friday evening performances. May be purchased in advance; simply present valid ID for verification upon pick-up. 

AfterThoughts

• Join members of the dramaturgy staff for a deeper look into the production with these post-show discussions, sponsored by McDaniel College.
• Thursday, January 3^rd, 7 pm 

Twilight Thursday

• There's no need to make a late night of a night at the theater with this early curtain performance, followed by an AfterThoughts discussion.
• Thursday, January 3^rd, 7 pm  

Sign Interpretation

• The CIRS Agency works with the artistic staff and experienced interpreters to provide a cohesive American Sign Language interpretation, incorporating the style and artistic characteristics of the performance. Please request the sign interpreted performance when purchasing tickets. Advance copies of the script may be requested via e-mail: access@centerstage.org.
• Friday, January 4^th, 8 pm

Local Playwright Has Three Plays Staged Locally in January

Mark Scharf, who wrote this year's BPF award-winning Last Night at the Owl Bar, has two of his plays being produced in mid-January by two esteemed local companies.  The third is getting its feet wet in a staged reading at the January meeting of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival.

• January 18-20th, 2008: Productions of Lizard Brains (produced by Silver Spring Stage) and Get Stuffed (produced by the Rockville Little Theatre) at the Maryland State Theatre Festival -- this year at the Port Tobacco Playhouse. Both of these one-acts are comedies.
• January 19th, 2008: KEEPING FAITH  (staged reading) The Baltimore Playwrights Festival will present a staged reading of Mark's new full-length comedy at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19th at the Fells Point Corner Theatre located at 251 S. Ann Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Admission is FREE! 

A Brief Synopsis of KEEPING FAITH:

Ed and Jane are not about to let their 18 year old daughter Faith marry 45 year old Hartsell (Hart) Edward Thomas Williams IV – even if he does own "Hartsell's Patio Furniture." So, on the day before the wedding, they do what any parents would do: they kidnap Faith and drive into the wilds of Arkansas to hide out until things cool down or Faith changes her mind. With Hart and the police in pursuit and Faith refusing to play victim, Ed and Jane have their hands full in this dark comedy which is part extremely-dysfunctional-family-fun and part political commentary.

SPOTLIGHTERS OFFERS TRAINING WORKSHOPS IN JANUARY!

ACTORS INTENSIVE
As an actor:
 - do you want to take your performance to a higher level?
 - do you want to add layers and depth to your character development?
 - do you want to understand what it means to "behave" on stage rather than "act" on stage?
Then The Actors Intensive is for you --
This is a six week (24 hour) workshop, taught in a very individual and one-on-one style by
critically acclaimed director and actor, Alexander D Carney (Director of Angels in America, Perestroika)

The workshop schedule will be determined based upon availability of participants.
To register go to www.spotlighters.org/intensive.htm
Tuition is $250 and is due upon acceptance into program and confirmation of schedule.
Program will include 4 hour sessions, weekly for 6 weeks.
Mail to SPOTLIGHTERS Theatre - 817 Saint Paul Street - Baltimore,  MD  21202
or FAX:  410-752-1225

ACTORS GUIDE TO READING MUSIC
Are you an actor that sings?
Are you a singer that acts?
But - you don't know how to read sheet music ---
so - you have to learn each song my hearing it over and over again!
This workshop will teach you the basic skills needed to look at a sheet of music
and be able to understand tempo and timing, key signature and notation, and know the
basic notes and intervals in a standard musical score.
Taught by local Musical Director and Vocal Coach, Michael Tan (Sunday in the Park with George, Falsettos, The Great American Trailer Park Musical and others)

This will be a three week workshop - two hours per week, beginning in mid-January.
Schedule will be determined once participants have registered.
Cost is $65 and is due upon acceptance into program and confirmation of schedule.
To register complete the registration form (download in PDF)
Go to www.spotlighters.org/musicwkshop.htm
Mail to SPOTLIGHTERS Theatre - 817 Saint Paul Street - Baltimore,  MD  21202
or FAX:  410-752-1225

SPOTLIGHTERS SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR 2008-2009 SEASON!

Yes - the 07/08 season just begun, but they are starting to put together the 2008/2009 season.
SPOTLIGHTERS is seeking Directors that have a passion for directing a particular show and want to do it at SPOTLIGHTERS!  Their intimate space creates some challenges for some productions, but it also creates some outstanding theatre experiences.  If you have a production that you would like to direct at SPOTLIGHTERS, please submit a proposal.

The Season Selection Committee will begin meeting in late December to review proposals and read scripts.  Director interviews will be held in February 2008.

Please be sure to include a copy of the script with your proposal.
Proposal forms are available from the website - PDF download, (www.spotlighters.org) or by email request to Info@spotlighters.org.
Forms will be emailed (pdf) or faxed at your discretion. 

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