Kwame Kwei-Armah News

It's always fun, educational, and entertaining to sit down with actors after a performance to discuss a play...a Center Stage tradition for many years.

Pumpkin Theatre continues its 46th Season Discovering New Friendships Through Familiar Tales in our NEW HOME with The Young Playwrights Festival. Part of our "Kids for Kids" series, this partnership with Center Stage's Young Playwrights Festival is a program that features award winning plays written by children, for children, and performed and designed by the Pumpkin Professional artistic staff. 'YPF is all about kids making theatre, and how transformative that can be. We're thrilled to partner with Pumpkin Theatre to expand the reach of these remarkable plays by some very talented young people,' says Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director of Center Stage. This year's plays feature, The True Story of How The Chicken Crossed the Road by Kendall Archer (written in 6th grade), Brightly and Jade, a story of Friendship and Bravery by Phoebe Taylor (written in 1st grade) and When Pigs Fly by Belle Dallam (written in 6th Grade).

For a limited time only, A RAISIN IN THE SUN REVISITED: THE RAISIN CYCLE AT CENTER STAGE, the fascinating and Revealing documentary tracing the recent theatrical coup of mounting both Lorraine Hansberry's seminal drama A RAISIN IN THE SUN and its contemporary cousin, Bruce Norris's CLYBOURNE PARK at the Center Stage in Baltimore, is now available to view in full courtesy of PBS.

PBS' new performance documentary A RAISIN IN THE SUN REVISITED: THE RAISIN CYCLE AT CENTER STAGE explores the history and legacy of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking 1959 play through the lens of a culturally significant milestone: the staging of two contemporary, issues-oriented plays that Raisin inspired: Bruce Norris's Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park and Beneatha's Place by Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of the State Theater of Maryland, Baltimore's Center Stage. The program premieres tonight, October 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of the PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL, which highlights artists and performances from around the country and invites every American into the worlds of music, theater, opera and cultural history.

I cannot honestly report I saw much profundity in what was said here. We learn next to nothing about Oscar's need to walk out the door, where it came from, why he yields to it so willingly and thoughtlessly, why he is so stubbornly resistant to his family's promptings to man up, stick around, and step up to the plate on occasion.

This holiday season, Center Stage brings to Baltimore a new holiday classic for the entire family with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel's A Civil War Christmas. Casting has just been announced for this production, led by director Rebecca Taichman and choreographer Liz Lerman.

Center Stage celebrates the Opening Night of Marcus Gardley's dance of the holy ghosts on Wednesday, October 16. Under the direction of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, the production runs through November 17. Check out the opening night photos below!

Pumpkin Theatre continues our 46th Season Discovering New Friendships Through Familiar Tales in our NEW HOME with The Young Playwrights Festival. Part of our "Kids for Kids" series, this partnership with CENTERSTAGE's Young Playwrights Festival is a program that features award winning plays written by children, for children, and performed and designed by the Pumpkin Professional artistic staff. 'YPF is all about kids making theatre, and how transformative that can be. We're thrilled to partner with Pumpkin Theatre to expand the reach of these remarkable plays by some very talented young people,' says Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director of CENTERSTAGE. This year's plays feature, The True Story of How The Chicken Crossed the Road by Kendall Archer (written in 6th grade), Brightly and Jade, a story of Friendship and Bravery by Phoebe Taylor (written in 1st grade) and When Pigs Fly by Belle Dallam (written in 6th Grade).

Continuing its commitment to bringing Shakespeare to the community and strengthening audience engagement with the arts, The Public Theater will mount its MOBILE SHAKESPEARE UNIT again this November with a free three-week tour to the five boroughs of Shakespeare's comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and featuring choreography by Chase Brock. The three-week mobile tour (November 4-22) will bring free Shakespeare to audiences who have limited or no access to the arts by visiting prisons, homeless shelters, centers for the elderly, and other community venues, including stops at our Public Works community partner venues: Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn, Fortune Society in Queens and DreamYard Project in the Bronx.

Center Stage celebrates the Opening Night of Marcus Gardley's dance of the holy ghosts on Wednesday, October 16. Under the direction of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, the production runs through November 17.

PBS' new performance documentary A RAISIN IN THE SUN REVISITED: THE RAISIN CYCLE AT CENTER STAGE explores the history and legacy of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking 1959 play through the lens of a culturally significant milestone: the staging of two contemporary, issues-oriented plays that Raisin inspired: Bruce Norris's Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park and Beneatha's Place by Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of the State Theater of Maryland, Baltimore's Center Stage.The program premieres Friday, October 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of the PBS ARTS FALL FESTIVAL, which highlights artists and performances from around the country and invites every American into the worlds of music, theater, opera and cultural history.

Center Stage open house includes a Q and A with the cast of ANIMAL CRACKERS cast and a sneak preview of the next play DANCE OF THE HOLY GHOSTS.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust today announced it will honor playwrights Annie Baker and Rajiv Joseph at the Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright 'Mimi' Awards on Monday, November 18, 2013 at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York. The 'Mimi' Awards are presented biennially to honor the accomplishments of some of the most gifted up-and-coming American playwrights and to recognize the promise they hold for the future of American theater.

The Baltimore Book Festival arrives in Mount Vernon on September 27, and Center Stage will participate all weekend long. On Saturday, September 28, the Theater will once again open its doors during the festival for Backstage @ Center Stage. Families can join Center Stage staff, artists, and volunteers for the annual, free open house that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the theater.

Center Stage is excited to announce casting for Marcus Gardley's dance of the holy ghosts, which begins previews on October 9 and is directed by Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. Leading the cast are veteran stage and screen stars Michael Genet and Denise Burse.

TimeLine Theatre Company begins its 2013-14 season with the award-winning play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Ron OJ Parson, now through November 17, 2013 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave, Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Center Stage announced this week a new artistic initiative, Third Space(s), a series of performances that bring new and experimental work and unconventional stagings of classics into unexpected locations. Three Third Space(s) productions are planned during the 2013-14 Season.

TimeLine Theatre Company begins its 2013-14 season with the award-winning play that 'changed American theater forever' (The New York Times). A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Ron OJ Parson, runs August 28 - November 17, 2013 (previews today, August 20 - 25) at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave, Chicago.

The Public Theater announced the September line-up today for NEW WORK NOW!, the free reading series that allows audiences an opportunity to experience new work by a diverse selection of established and emerging theater artists. NEW WORK NOW! will run September 9 to September 21 in The Public's Martinson Theater (425 Lafayette Street). Now in its twentieth season, NEW WORK NOW! is an important part of The Public Theater's ongoing commitment to developing and mentoring new voices for the American Theater.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust today announced that the Sixth Annual Steinberg Playwright 'Mimi' Awards will be presented on Monday, November 18, 2013. The 'Mimi' Awards are presented biennially to honor the accomplishments of some of the most gifted up-and-coming American playwrights and to recognize the promise they hold for the future of American theater.