Charm City Call Board – March 2007

The column will be updated as necessary, so check back often!  If you have any ideas to make it even better, or have items you'd like included, let me know at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.

• JUST ADDED! (1PM, 03/15/2007): Where Are They Now? - Several actors recently on the boards in Baltimore are appearing in new, major productions!  Catch up with them below!
• JUST ADDED! (11AM, 03/16/2007): Discount tickets for Fells Point Corner Theatre's production of Burn This!  Movie Extras Audition Notice: Jerry Bruckheimer's National Treasure 2, starring Nicholas Cage.  See below!
• JUST ADDED! (3PM, 03/16/2007): Everyman Theatre Names Firm to Renovate Town Theatre!  See below!
• JUST ADDED! (11AM, 03/20/2007): Everyman Specials for "Nightingale"!  Best Bet: Company on Broadway!
• JUST ADDED! (2PM, 03/23/2007): Where Are They Now?  Part 2: Jennifer Simard Goes to "The Bee" on Broadway!
• JUST ADDED! (12AM, 03/27/2007): Spotlighter's Offers new discount! for The Mineola Twins!
• JUST ADDED! (5PM, 03/30/2007): Toby's of Baltimore offers new discount for Fiddler on the Roof!

Discounts and contest notices are listed first.  Show listings follow in this order: current productions and upcoming productions.  Audition notices, news bites, and book/cd recommendations are at the end.  Best Bets are in RED.  Be sure to contact the theatre directly for show times, dates and prices.  All shows subject to change.

BROADWAYWORLD.BALTIMORE DISCOUNTS!

• Fells Point Corner Theatre's Burn This: 20% off!  $15.00 tickets for just $12.00!  Just mention BroadwayWorld.com at the box office to get your discounted tickets.  If you order by phone (410-276-7837), mention BroadwayWorld.com when you place your reservation.  You must mention BroadwayWorld.com to receive discount.
• Spotlighters' The Mineola Twins: 33% off!  $15.00 tickets for just $10.00!  Order them online at www.spotlighters.org, click TICKETS and enter code BWW-TMT.  Or, mention BroadwayWorld.com at the box office to get your discounted tickets.  If you order by phone (410-276-7837), mention BroadwayWorld.com when you place your reservation.  You must mention BroadwayWorld.com and/or use code BWW-TMT to receive discount.
• Toby's of Baltimore's Fiddler on the Roof: Buy One Dinner and Show, Get One Free!  Offer good for Thursday, April 5th's premiere performance only.  You must mention BroadwayWorld.com when ordering.  Go to www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or see the related article posted on 03/30/2007!

CONTESTS!

• Win one of 5 pairs of opening night tickets (04/10/2007) to Sweet Charity, starring Molly Ringwald at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre!  Look for the contest and rules on March 27th!

  ---

CURTAIN UP! - OPENING THIS WEEK!

• Catonsville Theatre Company: Driving Miss Daisy (Previews March 30, Opens March 31, Through April 15)
• Spotlighters: The Mineola Twins (Opens March 30, Through April 22)
• Baltimore Shakespeare Festival: All's Well That Ends Well (Opens March 30, Through April 22)

CURTAIN DOWN! - CLOSING THIS WEEK!

NOW PLAYING! 

Through April 1

Vagabond Theatre

410-563-9135    

Ah! Wilderness – Play

Through April 15

CENTERSTAGE

www.centerstage.org or 410-986-4000

Review posted 03/22/2007

See article below for discounts and special programs related to this production.

 Through April 15

Fells Point Corner Theatre

www.fpct.org or 410-276-7837

Review posted 03/19/2007

See above for BWW discount!

All's Well That Ends Well - Play

Through April 22

Baltimore Shakespeare Festival

www.baltimoreshakespeare.org or 410-366-8596

Review to be posted 04/02/2007

Through April 22

Spotlighters Theatre

www.spotlighters.org or 410-752-1225

Review to be posted 04/09/2007

See above for BWW discount!

And a Nightingale Sang – Play

Through April 29

Everyman Theatre

www.everymantheatre.org or 410-752-2208

Review posted 03/24/2007. 

George M! – Musical – Dinner Theatre  

Through June 10

Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia

www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1-800-88TOBYS

Review posted 03/05/2007

UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS!

April 5 – June 10

Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore

www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1-866-99TOBYS

Review to be posted TBA; related article posted 03/30/2007!

See BWW discount above!

Show: (FILM) National Treasure 2

Director: Jerry Bruckheimer

Audition Dates: Ongoing

Performance Dates: Late March - Mid-April

What to Do: Register with Carlyn Davis Casting at www.ExtrasNow.com

What They Need:  2,500+ extras.  All ages (they specifiacally list a need for 25 - 40 year olds, seniors and college age hack sackers), all types (from Librarians to Japanese diplomats, and George and Martha Washington look alikes!).

Info.: www.ExtrasNow.com

BACKSTAGE BABBLE!

→ANNIE OFFERS "KIDS NIGHT ON BROADWAY" MARCH 22ND!

On Thursday, March 22 at 8pm, let your children experience the excitement of Broadway with Kids' Night, presented by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage! Purchase one ticket and receive one ticket FREE when you use the password CBKIDS. Not valid on previously purchased tickets. Available at the Hippodrome Theatre Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com or call 410.547.SEAT.

→CENTERSTAGE OFFERS SPECIAL PROGRAMS WITH AH, WILDERNESS!

CENTERSTAGE will be presenting Eugene O'Neill's classic comedy Ah, Wilderness! from March 16 - April 15.  In conjunction with this production, they will be presenting several special programs and discounts related to the production.

In March:

• Pay Your Age Previews: March 16 - 20: Patrons aged 35 and younger can buy the best available tickets - in person on the day of the show - for any preview performance at the price of $1 for each year of their age.  ID is required.
• Night Out: March 20th: Members of Baltimore's GLBT Community enjoy a pre-show happy hour.  Bar tips benefit Moveable Feast.  $5 cover; Free for Night Out subscribers.  Reception starts at 6:30PM.
• Live Audio Description: March 20, 8PM: For the visually impaired.  A live description of unspoken action through a small receiver.  Please request this service whem purchasing tickets.  Additional dates in April: 1st, 2PM; 7th, 2PM; 15th, 7:30PM.
• The Baltimore Sun LIVE! @ CENTERSTAGE: March 22nd: Join fellow young professionals for a pre-show party featuring hors d'oeuvres, blues/folk music and raffle prizes.  $25.00.  Reception starts at 6:30PM.
• Meet the Actors: March 23: Join PR Director Aaron Heinsman for a post-show Q & A with the cast.  Follows the performance which begins at 8PM.
• College Night: March 29:  Join fellow college students for a pre-show party, featuring a complimentary dinner and free raffle prizes.  Reception starts at 6:30PM.

On-going Programs:

• Senior and Student Discounts: Half-price tickets, sold the day of a performance.  Valid ID required.
• If your name is Miller, like the family in Ah, Wilderness!, receive $5.00 off your ticket!
• If you were born on the 4th of July, receive $5.00 off your ticket!
• If your name is Miller AND you were born on the 4th of July, receive a FREE ticket to Ah, Wilderness!

These discounts are only good at the box office; limit two discounted and one free ticket per person.  This offer does not apply to previously purchased tickets.

→WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Several actors that have been seen in recent seasons right here in Baltimore are currently appearing in new, major productions.

• Charlotte Cohn:  Seen in Baltimore in: CENTERSTAGE's The Boys from Syracuse and The Murder of Isaac.  Currently appearing in:  Ms. Cohn was cast in the play Coram Boy, which begins previews at Broadway's Imperial Theatre on April 16, with an opening scheduled for May 2nd.  www.telecharge.com
• Louisa Flaningam: Seen in Baltimore in: Little Women: The Musical at the Hippodrome.  Currently appearing in: She stars as the title character in Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy at the Delaware Theatre Company through March 25.  www.delawaretheatre.org
• Sarah Litzinger: Seen in Baltimore in: Evita at the Hippodrome.  Currently appearing in:  This former Broadway Belle is playing Cordelia in William Finn's Falsettos at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, April 10 - May 6.  www.GSPonline.org
• Michael Winther: Seen in Baltimore in: CENTERSTAGE's The Boys from Syracuse.  Currently appearing in: This former Mamma Mia! dad is Marvin in William Finn's Falsettos at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, April 10 - May 6.  www.GSPonline.org

PHOTOS: (L to R) Charlotte Cohn, Louisa Flaningam, Sarah Litzinger and Michael Winther. (File photos.)

→EVERYMAN THEATRE NAMES FIRM FOR TOWN THEATRE RENOVATION

Everyman Theatre has chosen the Baltimore-based architecture firm Cho Benn Holback and Associates for the design of its future home, The Town Theatre, located on the West Side of Baltimore City.

In November 2006, the Bank of America and The Harold A. Dawson Trust announced the gift of the historic Town Theatre to Everyman Theatre, a growing nonprofit professional theatre located in Baltimore City.  Everyman Theatre plans to complete renovations in the fall of 2009 just in time for the 2009-10 season.  Early estimates place the scope of the venture at $11.5 million dollars.  Everyman completed a fundraising feasibility study which was positive and the theatre is currently exploring a variety of funding options.

Cho Benn Holback + Associates is a Baltimore-based firm committed to continuing a tradition of excellence in design and client service. While seriously considering budget, function and construction issues, the firm searches for timeless solutions that transcend immediate use and reinforce a sense of place and community. By fostering a multidisciplinary approach across the broad spectrum of planning, architecture and interiors projects thereby informs design at all levels. Recent projects span from The Patterson Center for the Arts, expansion projects at The Visionary Arts Museum, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Improvements, and the Baltimore School for the Arts renovations.

Principals heading up the Town Theatre renovations include Diane E. Cho, George N. Holback, and Rima Namek. Additionally, the office is a woman/minority-owned business with MBE, WBE or M/WBE certifications in numerous jurisdictions.

The renovated building will offer a new artistic home within a developing neighborhood, directly across the street from the extremely popular Hippodrome Theatre, another anchor of the revitalization effort on Baltimore's West Side. The Town Theatre, which sat unoccupied for the past 16 years, will require internal demolition along with new construction of a 250-300 seat theatre and support facilities (rehearsal rooms, shops for artisans, offices, and dedicated classroom space for students of all ages).  In addition to increasing the theatre's visibility to the greater Baltimore Area, tourists and the theatre community nationwide, renovations will provide facilities to support artistic and educational programs as well as to grow and develop in future years.

Vincent Lancisi, Founder and Artistic Director of Everyman Theatre, remarks "I am absolutely thrilled with the selection of Cho Ben Holbach & Associates as architects for the theatre's renovations of the Town Theatre. Diane Cho and her creative team are a perfect fit for Everyman.  They have a keen understanding of our mission and our needs for an intimate off-Broadway style theatre. Their artistry, integrity, and impressive experience in adaptive re-use of buildings will create the perfect home for Everyman in the exciting and historic Town Theatre." The theatre's leadership has started to interview theatre consultants to work with Cho-Ben Holbrook and Associates.

→WINNERS OF THE ANNIE CONTEST ANNOUNCED!

Over 100 people entered the contest for tickets to the opening night performance of Annie  at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore. Winners were selected from the over 60 responses that had all of the correct answers to the contest questions.  The correct answers have been posted on the contest page.  There were entries from all over the Baltimore/DC area, but also entries from New York, New Mexico, Canada and even one from Brazil!  Now, there's an Annie fan!

The winners are: Adele Russell, Eric J.Potter, Stacey Needle and Nathan Rawe all from Baltimore, and Dan Pollis from College Park, Maryland!  Congratulations winners, and thank you to everyone who entered! 

The Sweet Charity contest will be posted on March 27th!

→EVERYMAN'S SPECIAL PROGRAMS WITH "NIGHTINGALE"!

• March 20: Pay-What-You-Can Preview: Buy these tickets at the box office on March 20th!
• April 26: Post-Show Discussion: After the performance, talk with the play's actors about the show.  Tickets required for the 4/26 performance.

→BEST BET: "COMPANY" REVIVAL - THE SHOW & THE CD!

People often ask what I can recommend in New York in terms of theatre.  Right now, I can recommend the best musical revival currently on Broadway - Company at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.  It is apparently also NY's best kept secret - the recent matinee I attended was about half full.  Most of the Broadway websites are offering discounts and it is frequently on the TKTS board.  It got rapturous reviews, especially for Raul Esparza's Bobby and BarbaraWalsh's Joanne.  It is a completely classy affair, and don't think this is a mere copy of last season's Sweeney Todd, which employs the same device of having the actors play the instruments.  In many ways, it works even better here.  Like before, part of the fun of it is watching the staging.  Here there are several memorable moments in a totally memorable tapestry - I may never forget Walsh's "Ladies Who Lunch" as she ends the song screaming "Rise!" long after the music is over, or Esparza's thrilling "Being Alive".  Get your tickets now - you'll be sorry after the Tonys are announced and seats are scarce.  Both performers and the show itself are breaking new ground with an always groundbreaking show.

If you can't get to the theatre or can't wait to hear this version, I can also recommend the CD (Nonesuch Records).  True you don'r get to see the actors play the instruments, but you CAN hear the amazing orchestrations and riveting vocal performances.  And you get a great deal of the dialogue that goes with each song.  The CD comes with a large booklet, full of photos, all of the lyrics and included dialogue.

→WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Part 2

• Jennifer Simard (far right with the Spelling Bee touring cast), who originated the role of Rona Lisa Piretti in the First National Tour of  The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee when it debuted right here in Baltimore, will graduate to the Broadway Company, beginning April 17th!  Simard was named a Best Supporting Actress by BroadwayWorld.com/Baltimore in 2006! C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S!