Joseph Ritsch News

The Victorians are very confused in this vivid and animated version of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at The Everyman.

REP delivers a punk treatment of Sweeney Todd that is astoundingly compact, hideously dynamic and impressively submersive. The set is efficiently arranged, a versatile, vertically integrated playing space, full of grunge and London-isms. The Company members display powerful, accurate and impressive vocal prowess. Every one of them is physically precise, flexible and compelling. Director Joseph Ritsch has confidence in his cast's ability to manage multiple roles, so they form the Ensemble as well. This retro-modern treatment of Sondheim's popular opera makes salient points about who are the most fragile and disenfranchised people of a community and the destructive powers of a personal agenda.

Just imagine going to a nightclub today and getting the chance to see the iconic Billie Holiday (also known as 'Lady Day') perform, as she did in 1959. Well, you now have that chance thanks to the Rep Stage in Columbia as they bring her talent to life. Yes, Billie Holiday is alive and well and performing at Rep Stage.

The play has aged well. Women are, of course, still grappling with some of the issues that Heidi confronts. But it is not the specific issues that make the play last and lead me to predict that there will be revivals a century hence. One thing is for sure: the pop culture time-stamps like specific songs redolent of particular years will surely almost certainly elude our grandchildren. But the interplay between bright, somewhat idealistic people and their times is bound to continue, and stories about that interplay are bound to go on holding the attention.

The second annual Women in Theatre Conference has been rescheduled to June 3, 2017. The regional conference is an opportunity for women working in theatre and for college students exploring the theatre profession to share experiences and expertise. Sponsored by Rep Stage, Howard Community College Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, and 4 Wall Entertainment, the conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Horowitz Center on the campus of Howard Community College.

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Joseph Ritsch, with book and lyrics by Richard Mailman and music by Ryan Haase, DORIAN'S CLOSET is a fictionalized account of Buffalo native Dorian Corey who headed to New York City for a life as a 'female impersonator' and 'performer' and became a huge hit. One may think of such Broadway hits like LA CAGE AUX FOLLES or KINKY BOOTS which both deal with the life of male performers dressing as females. And as in those two monster hits, a musical to succeed needs one heck of a star and Director Ritsch has found such an individual in Stephen Scott Wormley who is absolutely astonishing in his role as 'Dorian' . I recall seeing his former performances in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (Olney Theatre Center), HAIRSPRAY at Signature Theatre, and in the HAIRSPRAY concert version with the Baltimore Symphony where he excelled as 'Seaweed'.

Rep Stage, the professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, will premiere a new musical, 'Dorian's Closet,' based on the life of legendary female impersonator Dorian Corey. Directed by Co-Artistic Director Joseph Ritsch, with book and lyrics by Richard Mailman and music by Ryan Haase, 'Dorian's Closet' runs April 27-May 14, 2017.

Rep Stage, the professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, announces its 25th anniversary season lineup of three contemporary classics-'The Heidi Chronicles,' 'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill,' and 'True West'-and a world premiere play about Baltimore's eccentric Cone sisters in Susan McCully's 'All She Must Possess.'

Rep Stage, a regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, announces the full casting for its world premiere production of 'Dorian's Closet,' a new musical based on the life of legendary female impersonator Dorian Corey. Directed by Co-Artistic Director Joseph Ritsch, with book and lyrics by Richard Mailman and music by Ryan Haase, 'Dorian's Closet' runs April 26-May 14, 2017, with previews on the first two nights and opening night on April 28.

Rep Stage, a regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, announces the full casting for its world premiere production of "Dorian's Closet," a new musical based on the life of legendary female impersonator Dorian Corey. Directed by Co-Artistic Director Joseph Ritsch, with book and lyrics by Richard Mailman and music by Ryan Haase, "Dorian's Closet" runs April 26-May 14, 2017, with previews on the first two nights and opening night on April 28.

Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), continues its 24th season with Jane Martin's "H2O," directed by Kasi Campbell. "H20" transports audiences into the reclusive, madcap world of Jane Martin's drama/comedy/love story about self-destruction, notoriety, and the dark journey to purity and salvation. "H2O" opens February 15, 2017, with a limited run through March 5.

Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), continues its 24th season with Bess Wohl's "American Hero," directed by Suzanne Beal.

The International Centre for Women Playwrights has honored Rep Stage with its 50/50 Applause Award, which is given to theaters that produce fifty percent or more plays by women playwrights in their 2015-2016 season. Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), only produced work by women playwrights during the 2015-2016 season, including participating in the DC Women's Voices Theatre Festival. Rep Stage is among 107 theatres around the world to receive the 50/50 Applause Award.

Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), continues its 24th season with Bess Wohl's "American Hero," directed by Suzanne Beal.

The International Centre for Women Playwrights has honored Rep Stage with its 50/50 Applause Award, which is given to theaters that produce fifty percent or more plays by women playwrights in their 2015-2016 season. Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), only produced work by women playwrights during the 2015-2016 season, including participating in the DC Women's Voices Theatre Festival.

Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), opens its 24th season with Sharr White's "The Other Place," directed by Joseph W. Ritsch.

Rep Stage, the professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, announces its 2016-2017 season lineup. With two regional premieres and a world premiere new musical, Rep Stage continues to bring engaging and evocative work to Baltimore/Washington, DC regional audiences.

Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), opens its 24th season with Sharr White's "The Other Place," directed by Joseph W. Ritsch.

Rep Stage, the regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College (HCC), opens its 24th season with Sharr White's "The Other Place," directed by Joseph W. Ritsch. The play tells the story of Juliana Smithton, a successful neurologist whose life seems to be coming unhinged. Her husband has filed for divorce, her daughter has eloped with a much older man, and her own health is in jeopardy. But in this brilliantly crafted work, nothing is as it seems. Piece by piece, a mystery unfolds as fact blurs with fiction, past collides with present and the elusive truth about Juliana boils to the surface.

Rep Stage, the professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, announces its 2016-2017 season lineup. With two regional premieres and a world premiere new musical, Rep Stage continues to bring engaging and evocative work to Baltimore/Washington, DC regional audiences.