The Maryland Theatre Collective Announces 2023/2024 Season Featuring FREAKY FRIDAY THE MUSICAL & More

The Maryland Theatre Collective has announced their full 2023/2024 season of shows to the public. The group's entire inaugural mainstage season is to run March 2023 through May 2024 and will take place in various venues at The Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park, MD.

The season opens next month with Disney's Freaky Friday the Musical in Studio 194 at The Chesapeake Arts Center. When an overworked mom and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again. A new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, Freaky Friday is a heartfelt & comedic update on an American classic. By spending a day in each other's shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another's struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love & mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.

This magical, soul-swapping production debuted in the DMV at Signature Theatre and has continued to delight audiences throughout the US ever since. Freaky Friday features music & lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal, If/Then), with a book by Bridget Carpenter (Friday Night Lights, Dead Like Me). The cast includes Alyssa Wellman Houde as Ellie and Jamie Miller as Katherine, as well as a dazzling ensemble cast featuring Derek Anderson, Scott Armiger, Alyssa Bell, Danny Bertaux, Katelyn Clay, Mary Converso, Amy Haynes-Rapnicki, Ciahna Heck, Todd Hochkeppel, Ryan Holmes, Emma Kessler, Bridget Makowski, Mckenzie Nace, Parker Bailey Steven, Anwar Thomas, and Rachael Wooden. This production is directed by Atticus Cooper Boidy and Tommy Malek, and Music Directed by Rachel Sandler. Freaky Friday runs March 23 through April 2. Get Tickets here: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/68550

Next up, MTC brings in a darker psychological piece with John Pielmeier's celebrated drama/thriller Agnes of God. Summoned to a convent, Dr. Martha Livingstone, a court-appointed psychiatrist, is charged with assessing the sanity of a novice nun accused of murder. Sister Miriam Ruth, the Mother Superior, determinedly keeps young Agnes from the doctor, further arousing Livingstone's suspicions. The doctor's questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love, leading to a dramatic, compelling climax in this taut, three-person powerhouse drama. Agnes of God will run July 28 through August 13 in Studio 194 at The Chesapeake Arts Center.

For the third show of the season, The Maryland Theatre Collective is thrilled to bring the sound of a big Broadway musical to the stage in a full concert production: Ragtime the Musical! At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing... and anything is possible. Set in the volatile melting pot of early 1900s New York, three distinctly American tales are woven together - those of a stifled upper-class wife, a determined Jewish immigrant, and a daring young Harlem musician. United by their courage, compassion, and belief in the promise of the future, they confront history's timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair... and what it means to live in America. Backed by a 28-piece live orchestra and chamber choir, this concert is sure to thrill, inspire, and touch your heart. Ragtime the Musical: In Concert runs October 26 through November 5 in The Hammonds Lane Theatre at CAC.

And for the final show of the collective's inaugural season, MTC brings you the quirky & heartfelt musical Falsettos with music & lyrics by William Finn and a book & additional lyrics by James Lapine. Falsettos is the tale of a neurotic New Yorker named Marvin, who leaves his wife Trina and young son Jason to live with his lover, Whizzer. In time, Marvin learns with the help of his psychiatrist, his family, his lover, and some very good friends what it means to grow up, live authentically, and love unconditionally. Falsettos runs April 19 through May 5, 2024 in Studio 194 at The Chesapeake Arts Center.

Everyone at The Maryland Theatre Collective is excited and ready to bring these one-of-a-kind theatrical experiences to local audiences, and they hope you will consider joining in on the fun! Season audition information, as well as announcement of full production teams, is coming soon. Keep an eye out here and on their socials (Facebook: facebook.com/mdtheatrecollective, Instagram: @mdtheatrecollective), and don't forget to sign up for their mailing list (www.mdtheatrecollective.com) to be kept up to date on all the latest from them. See you at the theater!