CCBC Academic Theatre Presents THE BALD SOPRANO and NO EXIT, 10/21

Academic Theatre at the Community College of Baltimore County presents an evening of two one-act plays 8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 21-23, 10 a.m., Monday, Oct. 25 and 1 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 26 in the "B" Building Theatre at CCBC Essex, 7201 Rossville Boulevard. Tickets are $8 general admission and $5 seniors, students, CCBC faculty, staff and alumni and available from the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787).

"The Bald Soprano" by Eugene Ionesco, a seminal work in the development of Theatre of the Absurd, chronicles a seemingly normal evening in a seemingly mundane family home. But why is the Fire Chief there? And what is the meaning of the Bald Soprano? The unexpected and the unexplained compete for your attention in this absurdist comedy.

An ensemble student cast features Michael Smith of Baltimore, Md. (Mr. Smith), Nicki Seibert of Lutherville, Md. (Mrs. Smith), Shane Messick of Middle River, Md. (MR. Martin), Deanna Gilmore of Baltimore, Md. (Mrs. Martin), Rebecca Sacrey of Cockeysville, Md. (Mary) and Linus T. Owens of Baltimore, Md. (Fire Captain). Associate Professor Precious B. Stone directs. Scenic and lighting design by Terri Raulie and costumes by James J. Fasching.

Second on the evening's slate, Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialist meditation on human nature, "No Exit." Three strangers find themselves in a mysterious Waiting Room, and as the time wears on them, their tempers flare, secrets are revealed, and it eventually dawns on them where exactly they are. The most famous work by Nobel-winner Sartre, "No Exit" captures the fatalism of the existentialist philosophy in a surprisingly dramatic - and humane - fashion.

Sean Kelly of Essex, Md. (Cradeau), Jenny Hochberg of Reisterstown, Md. (Inez) and Lianna Brizzi of Freeland, Md. (Estelle) headline the cast. Supporting players are Samantha Trionfo of Parkville, Md. (Attendant), with Sean Brown of Parkville, Md., Courtney Maddox of Baltimore, Md. and Tani Efrom of Nottingham, Md. (Shadows/Mirrors.) Associate Professor Donald Ray Schwartz directs. Scenic and lighting design is by Terri Raulie and costumes by James J. Fasching.

For more information, visit http://www.ccbcmd.edu/.