CENTERSTAGE Joins Shinsai: Theaters for Japan

This week, CENTERSTAGE will take part in Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, an international event coordinated by the Theatre Communications Group, to mark the one year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake in Japan and raise funds for Japanese theater community affected by the disaster. On March 11, organizations nationwide will stage fundraising events featuring plays and songs from American and Japanese artists. 

“In an ongoing endeavor to build international relationships, and an awareness of the growing impact of global events,” said Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, “we at CENTERSTAGE will be participating in this event in the form of a video installation inspired by the plays [being produced nationally], and which will play on the screen in the lobby of the theater throughout the weekend.” The video will be screened on Friday, March 9 – Sunday, March 11, with a docent present on Sunday, to talk more about the event. Audiences attending Into the Woods that day will have the opportunity to donate to the Japan Playwrights Association. 

The Dramatists Guild Fund has generously stepped forward to arrange to send 100% of the funds donated through Shinsaidirectly to the Japan Playwrights Association for distribution to help restore the conditions that surround the Japanese theater, including buildings, companies, rehearsal spaces, education and audiences. Those not attending a show can send donations by cell phone or online. Donations will be collected by the Dramatists Guild Fund (DGF) until May 1, 2012. DGF is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.

For more information about the event, please visit: www.tcg.org/shinsai.

The State Theater of Maryland, CENTERSTAGE will soon announce its 50^th Anniversary Season. The not-for-profit company serves as a local hub and national leader for smart, provocative, and entertaining theater and as a catalyst for conversation with the community. Each year, a consistently broad range of productions in two intimate performing spaces attracts highly diverse audiences of more than 100,000 people—including more than 8,000 fiercely loyal members, many of whom have been with the theater during its entire history. Additionally, CENTERSTAGE offers a variety of dramaturgical, community, and educational programs to broaden access and enhance the theatergoing experience.