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The Strand Theater will mark its second anniversary with Open House: Celebrating Community on Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. During its short tenure, the Strand has seen great success, producing eight full-length season plays, all of which were Baltimore premieres. With a focus on community, the Strand has made its mark by providing affordable theater space to over 15 organizations, serving more than 5,000 patrons, and playing an integral role in the revitalization of the Station North Arts & Entertainment District.
"Everyone keeps telling me that the first two years of a new nonprofit are the most difficult," notes Jayme Kilburn, Artistic Director. "The Open House marks the end of our second season and the beginning of our third. We made it! And now it is time to celebrate!" The Strand's operating budget has more than doubled since opening its doors in July 2008. The annual Open House is the Strand's largest fundraising effort of the year. Proceeds from the Open House will go towards securing script rights for next season, developing a promotional brochure and performance playbills, and the purchase of new lighting equipment and sophisticated box office hardware.
Open House: Celebrating Community will begin at 4:00 p.m. with an hour dedicated to families. Children will be invited to participate in the creation of a mural on the Strand's interior wall. Also during "family hour," face painters, clowns and balloon artists will delight the children, while parents can enjoy drinks in the courtyard. At 5:00 p.m. the Strand will turn the stage over to singer/songwriter ellen cherry, who is the talent behind the recently featured commercial on FOX45: We are Baltimore. At 6:00 p.m., see a short and sweet 20-minute re-cap of the entire 2009-2010 Strand season featuring the same actors who performed throughout the year. At 6:30 p.m. Ian Jones will take the stage with his pseudo-psychedelic rock stylings, last seen at the Wind Up Space's New Year's Eve Bash. To close the evening, Kate Guntermann, who was the highlight of last year's Open House and always delights, will eat fire in the back courtyard. Free refreshments (food and alcohol), donated by local restaurants, will be available throughout the event. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and can bid on everything from headshots to dinner certificates to a wine tasting to Strand paraphernalia.
The Strand Theater is a community theater dedicated to providing opportunities for women artists, writers, designers and directors. With a focus on producing original works, the Strand hopes to foster a love of theater for a new generation of patrons.
WHAT: An evening of fun and fundraising for the entire family in celebration of the Strand Theater's 2nd Anniversary and in support of the Strand's theatrical and community endeavors.LOCATION: The Strand Theater, 1823 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201TICKETS: FREE
DATE / TIME: Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
PERFOMERS: ellen cherry, Kate Guntermann, Ian Jones SCHEDULE: 4:00 p.m. - Family Hour, including face painting, clowning, and children's art project. 5:00 p.m. - ellen cherry performs 6:00 p.m. - Reduced Strand season performance 6:30 p.m. - Ian Jones Band 8:00 p.m. - Kate Guntermann fire eater
Performer Bios
ellen cherry: Baltimore-based singer/songwriter ellen cherry is a full-time touring and working performer. She has licensed her music to the Oxygen Network, MTV, and Soap.net. In 2009, she wrote, recorded and performed a TV campaign for FOX Networks (which is being submitted for consideration for an Emmy!) She was hand-picked to share the stage with Boyz II Men on their reunion tour in August 2009. She has been awarded two Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awards. Recording continuously since 1997, her newest disc, "(New) Years" crosses genres, artfully displaying her talents in folk, pop, jazz, instrumental music and powerful storytelling. ellen cherry mesmerizes her audience with her resonant voice and her keen, on-the-fly sense of humor.Kate Guntermann: Kate Guntermann, aka Sensoriel, is bringing what has been described as an "eye-popping fire-eating act" that is often "the highlight of the event" back home to Baltimore. A member of the acclaimed Cheeky Monkey Sideshow and previous member of such performance groups as Terra Incognita and Thundersmith Industries, Kate has a unique relationship with fire which blends a deep philosophical approach, interpretation and respect for fire with her love of movement as a favored means of communication that transcends all language and cultural barriers. Yeah, she was trained as a mime from a very young age, but she also received her BFA from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago where she concentrated in Robotic and Kinetic Art.
Her vast experience includes building fire effigies (sculptures) for the Regional Burning Man event, Playa del Fuego, where she was an active part of the planning committee and served on the Board of Directors, as well as instigating and chairing an arts grants program to inspire more Art. She has gained vast insight into the physics and nature of fire, which allowed her access to work with and consult for a local stunt-man group. There she learned Full Body Burn and also acted as an integral part of the Safety Crew for Mark Mosier's World Record Full Body Burn. Her knowledge of fire has earned her national recognition and well-earned respect for her fire arts skills.Ian Jones: Baltimore -based musician and producer Ian Jones creates a good feeling on stage and a natural sound in the studio. A child of the DIY punk ethic, he co-founded indie-rock studio Evil Genius Audio Labs in 1993 and label Sun King Records in 1996. The Arlington, VA-based recording studio produced tracks for Teenbeat Records (notably Tuscadero's "The Pink Album") and other national indie labels.
As a singer and guitarist, solo acoustic and with his rock trio Bombardier Jones, Ian has performed live on both coasts and a few places in the middle, and toured with the Teenbeat bands Eggs and Viva Satellite. Sun King Records released his CDs "This Is The King of Suck" in 1996, "Dustbowl" in 1997 and Jonesamatic's electronic-infused "Cha Cha Cha" in 2003. In 2007 Ian launched the comeback of roots reggae founder Claudius Linton on Sun King Records, releasing a CD of long-lost ‘70s reggae classics "Roots Master." Together as Kingman & Jonah, Jones and Linton produced the duet CD "Sign Time" in 2008 and performed at SXSW in 2009. The CD was considered for nomination in the Grammy Awards "Best Reggae Album" category. Trying to capture the ‘90s nostalgia market in advance, Ian performed a set of indie-rock "hits" on New Years Eve 2009. Night World Records will release his new solo album "Can't Conquer Me" in September 2010.
