Charm City Call Board: September 16 - 22

Welcome to Charm City Call Board for the week of September 16 - 22, keeping you up to date each week with all that is theater in Baltimore and the region.             

Discounts and contest notices are listed first.  "On Stage" listings follow in this order: opening this week, in previews, current running productions, closing this week and upcoming productions.  Audition and help wanted notices will be next (arranged by date), followed by "Backstage Babble" - news bites, your letters and book/CD recommendations and "Theatre Events" are at the end. 

Please feel free to send me suggestions/comments at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.   

 

NEW THIS WEEK!:

• New production at The Creative Alliance!
• A Chorus Line Announced by Winters Lane Productions!
• Help Wanted at Spotlighters!

  

BROADWAYWORLD.BALTIMORE DISCOUNTS! 

• Elegies: For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens at Spotlighters: ONLINE discount ONLY!  Get $5.00 off each ticket!  Go to www.spotlighters.org, click on "Tickets" and enter code: BWW-EPAQ. Offer good for all performances, 09.26 - 10.05 (Thursday - Sunday)! 

 

CONTESTS

• Win Opening Night tickets to Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Hippodrome!  Contest posted!  Entries due by NOON, Monday, September 22!

 

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 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.  

 

 Phantom of the Opera at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

CURTAIN UP!  Shows opening this week.

• ◊◊◊◊ ½ The Matchmaker (Play): CENTERSTAGE.  2 hours, 22 minutes, including intermission.  Through 10.12.  Review posted 09.18.  www.centerstage.org or 410.332.0033.
• ◊◊◊ The Phantom of the Opera (Original Musical - Dinner Theatre): Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore.  2 hours, 5 minutes, not including intermission.  Review to be posted 09.19.  Through 11.23.   www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1.866.99TOBYS.
• ◊◊◊◊◊ Take Me Out (Play): Fells Point Corner Theatre.  2 hours, 45 minutes, including 2 intermissions.  Through 10.19.  Parental Advisory: Play contains full frontal male nudity, adult language and themes.  Review to be posted 09.20.  www.fpct.org or 410.276.7837

 

ACE at Signature Theatre

NOW PLAYING!  Shows currently open.     

• ◊◊◊◊ Trumbo (Play): RepStage.   Through 9.28. 95 minutes, no intermission.  Adult themes and language.  Review posted 09.08.  www.repstage.org or 410.772.4900.  BEST BET 09.09!
• ◊◊◊ ACE (Musical): Signature Theatre.  2 hours, 35 minutes, including intermission.  Through 09.28.  Review posted 09.04.  703.573.7328 or www.signature-theatre.org. 
• Doubt A Parable (Play): Everyman Theatre.   Through 10.05.  www.everymantheatre.org or 410.752.2208. 
• ◊◊ 1/2 The Producers (Musical - Dinner Theatre) Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia.  3 hours, including intermission.  Adult language, situations and sexuality.   Review posted 09.15.  Through 11.23.  www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1.800.88TOBYS.

 

The Producers at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

CLOSING THIS WEEK! Your last chance...  

No shows are scheduled to close this week!

  

COMING SOON!  Opening later this month!

• Elegies: For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Play with Music): Spotlighters Theatre.  Opens 09.26.  Through 10.05.  Review to be posted 09.27.  www.spotlighters.org or 410.752.1225  See above for BWW discount!
• Legally Blonde: The Musical (National Touring Company): Hippodrome.  Opens 09.30.  Through 10.12.  Review to be posted 10.01.  www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or 410.547.SEAT.  See above for a BWW Contest!

  

AUDITIONS/HELP WANTED: 

Fear Grounds Entertainment

Fear Grounds Entertainment is now casting Haunt Fest 2008 - a massive horror attraction to be performed this fall at Meriwether Post Pavilion. Haunt Fest is a one of a kind event with a killer script and memorably wicked characters.  Fear Grounds is in search of both volunteers and full salaried actors.  They are casting all shapes, sizes and experience levels.  If you are an experienced actor with a taste for horror or a haunted house fanatic that loves to make people scream...THEY WANT YOU! 

For more information on Haunt Fest, auditions and opportunities, don't be scared to contact Scott Naugle, the events producer, at snaugle@gmail.com, or by phone at 443-864-8505 or 240-280-2827.

 

Have an audition coming up?  Send your info to jameshoward@broadwayworld.com

  

Spotlighters Theatre:

Technical Crew Members and Front of House Volunteers needed - - -

Crew members and Front of House Volunteers are needed for several of our upcoming Main Stage in the 2008/2009 Season!

Training provided for all areas - - - and comp tickets! 

Needed:

•  Light Board Operator
•  Lighting Designer Assistant (some basic understanding of lighting design needed, but training provided)
•  Sound Board Operator
•  Assistant Stage Manager
•  Props & Wardrobe Manager
•  Front of House/Box Office Staff - some understanding or experience in customer service and cash handling needed. 

Please contact FUZZ Roark for more information or to schedule a training session.  Call 410-752-1225 for additional info.

   

BACKSTAGE BABBLE!  News, Best Bets, etc. (Items are arranged by opening date.  New items are in RED, and might be further down.  Please scroll to the end for full information.)    

September 19 - October 19: FPCT Opens Season with Baseball Drama

  Take Me Out, the recipient of a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, opens Fells Point Corner Theatre's 22nd season.  Th play centers around Darren Lemming, a young, iconic baseball star, is at the top of his game, both personally and professionally.  When he calls a press conference that results in a shocking admission to the media, Lemming sends a ripple of effects through the team, the fans and the nation.  Both hilarious and hard-hitting, Take Me Out strips baseball bare, exploring issues of celebrity, homophobia, race and friendship.  

With Take Me Out, Terry J. Long directs his 7th show at FPCT.  He directed two shows when the theatre opened, back in 1988.  His FPCT credits include A Christmas Carol, March of the Falsettos, Reckless, and Lips Together Teeth Apart.  He is known around Baltimore for his campy shows such as Pageant, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and many others.  

The lead roles of Darren, Shane, Kippy and Mason are played by Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, Sean Mullin, Tony Viglione and Edward Zarkowski, respectively.  The ensemble includes Aaron Andron, Gary Deleon, Charles DeLong, Joe Dunn, Robbie Heacock and Shane Louge.  

Performances of Take Me Out run from September 19 - October 19, 2008, and areFridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM, with matinees on Sundays at 2:00 PM.  There will be no performance on Sunday, October 5th, due to the Fell's Point Fun Festival.  For tickets, go to www.fpct.org or call 410-276-7837 

PARENTAL ADVISORY:  Take Me Out contains mature themes and full frontal male nudity.  

 

September 20 - November 8:  Family Friendly Musical Comes to MET  

The Fun Company kicks off their 2008-2009 Children Theatre series with the quirky original musical Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre. Lucy Rose is an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind girl with spark, spunk and one great pair of cowgirl boots! The excitement starts September 20th! 

Katy Kelly started the Lucy Rose series in 2005. A rookie novelist at the time, she introduced children to a lovable character who's an original thinker and has enough creative ideas in her head to fill an Olympic size pool. The character Lucy Rose, in some ways, is very similar to the life of the author's. She grew up on CapitAl Hill, her parents are like Madam  & Pops and she has a dog named Gumbo. Ms. Kelly's writing credits include being a reporter for People magazine, a feature writer for the Life section of USA Today and she was a Senior Editor at US News & World Report.  Ms. Kelly will make at least one appearance during the run of the show to sign books. 

Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me also includes music by local artist, Meryl Cullom.  Ms. Cullom last wrote the song & lyrics for The Fun Company's original musical Cinderella. Ms. Herber, who also directs, and Stage Manager Lorrie Tripp, has assembled an outstanding cast: Karen Paone, Mark Barnhart, Shelia Blank, John Kearns, Clayton Myers, Michelle Simms and Genevieve James as Lucy Rose. Ms. James was last seen in MET's mainstage production on Lysistrata. Set Design is by JoAnn Lee.  

Lucy Rose: The Thing About Me performs every Saturday at 2:00pm from September 20th - November 8th at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Historic Downtown Frederick (31 W. Patrick Street, Frederick, MD 21701). All tickets are $12. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit   www.marylandensemble.org or call 301-694-4744.  Birthday packages are available.

  

September 25 - 27: Fire in the Belly at The Creative Alliance 

Martin Luther King described true activists as having "fire in the belly." In the wake of Kings', then Malcolm's murders, young, radicalized artists created the Black Arts Movement. BAM offered political, activist cultural production, helped grow the black intelligentsia and planted the seeds which grew into Black Studies departments in universities around the country. Forty years later, BAM's work is an important influence on a generation of young artists in Baltimore. Fire in the Belly showcases local playwrights, spoken word artists, dancers and musicians alongside BAM founders. Timely dialogues about race in Baltimore with the audiences are framed by post-show panels including BAM founders, local artists, activists and historians.  Shows $25, $20 ea. Series Pass $60, $50 mbrs. Advance tickets suggested.

• Thu Sep 25

FIRE IN THE BELLY Amiri Baraka w/ his Slave Ship dir. by Rosiland Cauthen

Poet, playwright, author and Black Arts Movement founder Amiri Baraka's Slave Ship: A Historical Pageant conjures the brutality of the Middle Passage. Playwright and artistic director Rosiland Cauthen of Baltimore's Kuumba Collective directs the short production's wrenching imagery and tortured stereotypes, birthed in slavery. Mr. Baraka reads from contemporaneous and recent work. Activist singer/songwriter Courtney Dowe sets the tone. Discussion follows. 7:30pm. $25, $20 mbrs.

• Fri Sep 26

FIRE IN THE BELLY Fire on Stage with The Last Poets & 5th L, Olu Butterfly, Wombworks and More!

The impact of Baltimore's 1968 riots is still felt. The drumming, music and protest poetry of Black Arts Movement founders The Last Poets laid the groundwork for hip-hop, slam poetry and the black spoken word movement. They're joined by high-powered synchronized poets 5th L, neo-feminist avant poet Olu Butterfly, DishiBem Traditional Contemporary Dance Group, youth performers from Wombworks and others, echoing the reverberations of the uprising on our stage. Discussion follows. 8pm. $25, $20 mbrs.

• Sat Sep 27

FIRE IN THE BELLY Sonia Sanchez, & short plays by Bashi Rose & Maryland Correctional Training Center's D.R.A.M.A. group

A short reading by world renowned playwright, poet and activist Sonia Sanchez, a leader in the Black Arts Movement and a pioneer in developing Black Studies programs. Playwright Bashi Rose of Nommo Productions presents his Praise, a short piece with an all female cast of assassins targeting white supremacists. And three funny, thought provoking pieces by incarcerated men involved with Maryland Correctional Training Center's program Direct Responses Alleviate Misdirected Aggression (D.R.A.M.A.). Discussion follows. 8pm. $25, $20 mbrs.

  

September 26 - October 19, 2008: Performance Workshop Theatre Presents A Time to Speak  

Performance Workshop Theatre will open their 2008-2009 season with the world premiere of A Time to Speak, adapted by Sam McCready from the Holocaust memoir of Helen Lewis, featuring Joan McCready in a solo performance directed by Mr. McCready.  

Modern dancer Helen Lewis, was a resident of Belfast, Northern Ireland, who lived in Prague at the beginning of World War II, was interned in the Terezin ghetto, then deported to Auschwitz, and finally to Stutthof Labor Camp. In this production we discover the remarkable story of how a dancer's spirit and will to live helped her in the struggle to survive. 

After the war, Helen Lewis settled in Belfast where she formed the first modern dance group in Ireland and choreographed for opera and theatre. For this work, she was recognized by the two major academic institutions in the north of Ireland, both of which conferred on her an Honorary PhD for her services to dance.  She received a special audience with the President of Ireland, and was honored by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.  Later, the Czech government also recognized her work.  She has been the subject of a major BBC television documentary and has spoken about her experiences as a survivor on a number of radio programs.  Now in early nineties, she has lived a remarkable life.  

Joan and Sam McCready are well-known theatre personalities who have devoted a lifetime to teaching, acting and directing both in Ireland and in the US. They have been personal friends of Helen Lewis for over 50 years and have worked with her on a number of theatre productions at Belfast's prestigious Lyric Theatre.  After the war, Helen, like so many Holocaust survivors, rarely spoke about her experiences, and Sam and Joan were among the first outside her family with whom she shared stories of a remarkable survival.  When Helen published her memoir, A Time to Speak, in 1993, a number of theatre companies in Ireland asked for permission to make a stage adaptation, she refused, saying that she would only give permission to Joan and Sam McCready.  We feel proud and honored to undertake this task, determined that audiences in Baltimore should have the opportunity to share a human drama that is an inspiration to us all. 

Sam was Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, while Joan was Head of the Theatre Department at the Park School, Baltimore. Audiences in Baltimore will be familiar with their work at Performance Workshop Theatre, including last season's production of three Irish plays, in which Joan gave an outstanding performance as Maurya in Synge's classic Riders to the Sea. Their production of Coole Lady: The Extraordinary Story of Lady Gregory, premiered at the Yeats International Summer School in 2003, and subsequently toured Ireland and selected venues in the US, including New York.  It will tour England in spring 2009. 

A Time to Speak will be performed on September 26, 27, 28 and October 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 with showtimes at 8pm on Friday and Saturday evenings and 3pm on Sunday matinees. Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 for students and may be purchased by either phoning the Theatre or online through their website: www.performanceworkshoptheatre.org   Performance Workshop Theatre is located at 28 E. Ostend Street in FederAl Hill, Baltimore. For reservations and more information, call Performance Workshop Theatre at 410.659.7830.  

October 3 - 19: Witness One Singular Sensation with Winters Lane Productions' A Chorus Line 

Winters Lane Productions is a community based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to presenting the region's residents and visitors with quality theatrical productions, special events and education programs in order to make the Baltimore Region a more conscious and compassionate community.  We provide youth and adults the opportunity both to attend and to participate in quality presentations through theatre production and management. 

Instantly recognized as a classic since its premiere, A Chorus Line is a stunning musical about a chorus audition for a Broadway show. It tells of the achingly poignant ambitions of professional Broadway dancers to land a job in the show, and is a powerful metaphor for all human aspiration. 

A Chorus Line is a celebration of those unsung heroes of the American Musical Theatre-the chorus dancers, those valiant, overly dedicated, underpaid, highly trained performers who back up the stars and often make them look even more talented than they are, as well as being a celebration of the American Musical itself. Departing from the usual glossy backstage musical, A Chorus Line portrays a true picture of life in the theatre: glamorous at times, but also tough, heartbreaking and sometimes even tragic. A brilliantly original fusion of dance, song and compellingly authentic drama, its classic score includes such memorable numbers as "I Can Do That", "At the Ballet", "Dance: 10; Looks: 3", "The Music And The Mirror", "One".                       

A Chorus Line features a book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. Original Broadway Choreography and Staging will be adapted by Jason M. Kimmell,  with Musical Direction by Tiffany Underwood. This production stars some of Baltimore's finest performers including: Jessie Carrey-Beaver, Les Diggs, Lilly Hayes, Andre Hinds, Chris Jehnert, Tyson Kopelke, Katie McIntyre, Vincent Kirk Musgrave, Anya Randall Nebel, Rob Oppel, Amy Pierson, Michael Rostek, Ricky Stakem, Christen Svingos, Alicia Sweeney, Joe Tudor, and ReBecca Vourvoulas. 

Pre-Sale Tickets: $18.00 for General Admission; $16.00 for Students/Seniors. Group discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.  Add $2.00 for all tickets purchased at the door. 

Performances will be Fridays, October 3, 10, & 17 at 8:00PM, Saturdays, October 4, 11 & 18 at 8:00PM, and Sundays, October 5, 12, & 19 at 3:00PM at The Q Theatre, CCBC Catonsville, located at 800 South Rolling Road, Q Theatre, Catonsville, Maryland 21228 

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.winterslaneproductions.org, call Anya Nebel at

1-877-718-7977 ext.701, or email: anebel@winterslaneproductions.org.

 

NEWS: Single Carrot Theatre Announces Second Season in Baltimore   

After its inaugural season in Baltimore, Single Carrot Theatre is proud to announce their eclectic 2008-2009 season, in addition to its first subscription campaign. This season Single Carrot will be taking another important stride on its path to becoming a professional theatre by aiming to pay one of the 11 company members a living wage by the end of the 2009 season. 

In addition to the exciting administrative growth, Single Carrot's upcoming artistic season will feature an array of dynamic works by award winning playwrights, including three Baltimore premieres and one World premiere. 

• October 9 - 26: The season will begin with Food for Fish, a comedy by Adam Szymkowicz, which delicately walks the line between the dream world that is created in our minds and the often mundane reality of day to day existence. The narrator of Food for Fish becomes intertwined with his own characters' lives throughout the play, eloquently blending the two worlds. 
• December 4 - 21: Single Carrot is proud to bring the late British playwright Sarah Kane's work to Baltimore for the very first time. Crave is devoid of the brutal on-stage violence that earned her notoriety in London in her earlier works, but instead, filled with poetic richness. Crave, her seminal play, is an exploration of humanity: the struggle between hope and despair.  
• February 19 - March 15: Killer Joe by Tracy Letts is alarming and addicting. It is easy to see why Letts' bold writing style and complex characterizations have made him a Pulitzer Prize and Tony award winner. Killer Joe has been produced in 15 different countries since it was first performed in 1993. It takes place in a trailer park in Texas and is an elaborate story of familial dysfunction taken to unnerving extremes. 
• April 30 - May 24: Does the truth set you free? Or is ignorance bliss? Henrik Ibsen's classic The Wild Duck poses these questions which are as relevant today as they were when it was first penned in 1884. One of Ibsen's lesser known works, but one of his most frequently produced, The Wild Duck follows two families and one buried truth, which if unearthed has the potential to shatter both worlds. 
• July 10 - August 2: Single Carrot Theatre's 2007 sketch comedy show Sects and Violins led to sell-out houses and critical acclaim, inspiring the creation of another original comedy show: Slampooned!. Varying in style from the short sketches of Sects and Violins, Slampooned! will be a full length, collaboratively written "mockumentary" about the world and culture of slam poetry. 

Subscriptions are available for Thursdays, Friday, Saturday nights and Sunday Matinees:

$50 for adults; $40 for students, seniors, and artists.  Call 443.844.9253 or visit www.singlecarrot.com.

PHOTOS: Phantom of the Opera and The Producers by Kirstine Christiansen; ACE by Stan Barouh; and A Time to Speak, courtesy of Performance Workshop Theatre.