Baltimore Center Stage Announces Updated 58th Season

Today, Baltimore Center Stage announced updates to their 58th season. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, this new season allows both the rehearsal process for cast and crew, as well as the delivery of the productions to audiences, to happen in the safest way while also best honoring the spirit of each production.

Baltimore Center Stage has added another production to begin the Mainstage Series, the world premiere of The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls by Keli Goff and directed by Bianca LaVerne Jones. A collection of monologues and scenes exploring the relationship women have with their hair, this show takes audiences on an intimate journey into the world of Black womanhood. Playwright Keli Goff is a multiplatform storyteller best known for chronicling the intersections of race, politics and gender in America. This is her first show at Baltimore Center Stage.

"A global pandemic is no match for the creativity, imagination and joy at Baltimore Center Stage," said Artistic Director Stephanie Ybarra. "We've spent months planning and adapting our season offerings while keeping folks safe and employed. The plays in our Mainstage Series represent the stories, the voices, and the conversations that will continue to shape our world for years to come. Keli Goff's new play, The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls, is the perfect addition to the series."

Baltimore Center Stage has made a variety of other adaptions to their season. The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls and A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction by Miranda Rose Hall and directed by Taibi Magar, will be delivered solely in virtual format. The shows will be rehearsed, performed, and filmed at Baltimore Center Stage, adhering to union guidelines to ensure safety for the cast and crew. The shows will run virtually for just over three weeks, and audience members will receive a digital version of the show that they will have access to for two weeks after their performance date. The Swindlers: A True-ish Tall Tale by Noah Diaz and directed by Will Davis and The Garden by Charlayne Woodard and directed by Patricia McGregor, the remaining shows of the season, will also be available virtually. Baltimore Center Stage intends for these two shows to be performed live as well, with considerations for the state and city social distancing protocols during the run of productions.

The Mainstage Series will begin on March 18th, the first day The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls is available virtually.

Virtual Membership Pass

Understanding that many will want to enjoy all theater this year from the comfort of their own home, Baltimore Center Stage is introducing a new virtual membership. For $100, patrons can receive one ticket to each show this season, guaranteeing virtual access. Patrons who choose to buy the virtual membership will also receive all other member benefits, such as free ticket exchanges, no service charges, and free admission to certain events, like the brand new Bridge Series. In addition to being a safe way to enjoy theater amidst the pandemic, the virtual membership expands access to the theater, so that audience members who may not have attended Baltimore Center Stage productions previously due to distance or cost will now get the opportunity.

Mainstage Series

The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls

By Keli Goff

Directed by Bianca LaVerne Jones

Virtual Only

March 18-April 11, 2021

Journalist, screenwriter, Emmy nominated producer, and playwright Keli Goff brings this timely world premiere to Baltimore Center Stage. In the tradition of The Vagina Monologues and For Colored Girls..., The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls is a collection of monologues and scenes exploring the complex relationship women have with their hair. From afros to braids, weddings and funerals, falling in love, to grieving a loss, these stories serve as a powerful reminder that for Black women in particular, hair is both deeply personal and political. Perfect for the virtual stage, these intimate stories will take audiences on an unparalleled journey into the world of Black womanhood.

A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction

By Miranda Rose Hall

Directed by Taibi Magar

Virtual Only

April 15-May 9, 2021

Baltimore's own Miranda Rose Hall returns to BCS with this darkly comic world premiere play. The Zero Omissions Theater Company desperately wants the audiences of their climate change play to WAKE UP! But when things don't go as planned, it's up to their stage manager/light board operator/dramaturg Naomi to find a new way of telling their story. In this interactive, communal experience like no other, the play becomes an awakening about how to be human in an era of man-made extinction.

The Swindlers: A True-ish Tall Tale

By Noah Diaz

Directed by Will Davis

Live Dates: April 8-May 2, 2021

Streaming: April 29-May 13, 2021

The author of last season's critically acclaimed Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally is back with a Baltimore Center Stage original. Marie is plagued by the winter blues. Her boyfriend's a dud, her bank statements are piling up, and her house suddenly foreclosed. Oh, and the FBI is looking for her father, a notorious con man on the run for swindling families and businesses out of their money. When Marie discovers that her house is foreclosed because of him, she tracks him down and blackmails him into a cross-country road trip to return the stolen funds before the foreclosure is finalized. Loosely inspired by the real-life exploits of the playwright's grandfather, this raucous new road-trip comedy explores redemption, reconciliation, and the unspoken rewards of surviving time with family.

The Garden

By Charlayne Woodard

Directed by Patricia McGregor

A Co-Production with La Jolla Playhouse

Live Dates: June 3-June 27, 2021

Streaming: June 24-July 8, 2021

Written by and starring the Tony Award nominated artist Charlayne Woodard, this moving world premiere play explores the complex relationship between two "alpha" women: Claire Rose, an elderly Black woman and her middle-aged daughter, Cassandra. After not speaking to each other for the past three years, Cassandra shows up unexpectedly at her mother's garden gate, attempting to reconcile old wounds. Both women give as good as they get, taking us on a rollercoaster ride unearthing conflicts and secrets of the past, and creating magic in the process.

For more information about the season and to purchase tickets, patrons can visit https://link.zixcentral.com/u/49737a6b/4K2gGA1V6xGcjtwth3soMg?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.centerstage.org%2Fplays-and-events%2Fmainstage%2F.