Charm City Call Board: September 11-17

Welcome to Charm City Call Board for the week of September 11 - 17!   

If you have some news or an event you'd like added, please contact me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.

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.  

BROADWAYWORLD.BALTIMORE DISCOUNTS!

• Titanic: The Musical at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia: Click on "Titanic Discounts" above in Related Links for details!
• Saturday, September 15 BroadwayWorld Night at Toby's!  Half-price tickets!
• Wednesdays, September 19, 26 and October 3 Two for One Tickets!

CONTESTS!

There are no contests running currently.  Look for a new one soon!

ONSTAGE THIS WEEK!

A five star system will be utilized in order to differentiate between the various levels of success: artistry and entertainment value.  This system is not directly numeric, however.  That is, a 4 rated show isn't necessarily twice as good as a 2 rated show; neither is a 4 rated show a "B" or an 80%.

◊◊◊◊◊ - The absolute best theatre has to offer!  Missing this should not be an option!
◊◊◊◊ - This is excellent theatre!  Do not miss this show!
◊◊◊ - This is a terrific production.  Try to get to this one!
◊◊ - This is a fair production.
◊ - Save your money.

Be sure to contact the theatre directly for show times, dates and prices.  All shows subject to change.  

PREVIEWING!

• Arsenic & Old Lace at CENTERSTAGE.  9/14-10/14.  Review to be posted 9/20.  www.centerstage.org or 410-332-0033.  Look for an interview with stars Ian Kahn and Brynn O'Malley this week! See below for a related article!

CURTAIN UP!  Opening this week!

• ◊◊ The Wedding Singer at Hippodrome Theatre.  9/11-9/23.  Review posted 9/12.  www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or 410-547-SEAT
• ◊◊◊◊Dreamgirls at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore.  Through 11/18.  2 hours, 20 minutes, not including intermission.  Adult language and situations.  Review to be posted 9/17.  www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1-866-99TOBYS

CURTAIN DOWN!  Closing this week!

• ◊◊ Rooms by the Sea at Mobtown Players.  Through 9/15.  Review posted 9/9.  www.mobtownplayers.com or 410-467-3057
• Chicago at Phoenix Festival Theatre at Harford Community College.  Through 9/16.  410-836-4211.

NOW PLAYING!  Shows that are currently running.

 

Mrs. Farnsworth at RepStage and Sight Unseen at Everyman Theatre.

• ◊◊◊◊ Mrs. Farnsworth at Rep Stage.  Through 9/23.  90 minutes, no intermission.  Adult language.  Review posted 8/27.  www.repstage.org or 410-772-4900
• Naked at Everyman Theatre.  Opens 9/10.  Through 9/25.  Adult content and language.  www.everymantheatre.org or 410-752-2208.  See related article below!
• Fences at Vagabond Players.  Through 9/30.  Review to be posted TBA.  www.vagabonplayers.com or 410-563-9135
• ◊◊◊ Sight Unseen at Everyman Theatre.  Through 10/7.  2 hours, 15 minutes including intermission.  Adult language and situations.  Review  posted 9/4.  www.everymantheatre.org or 410-752-2208 
• Tom, Dick and Harry at Timonium Dinner Theatre.  Through 11/4.  Review to be posted TBA.  www.timoniumdinnertheatre.com or 410-560-1113
• ◊◊◊◊◊◊ Titanic: The Musical at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia.  Through 11/11.  2 hours, 30 minutes, plus intermission.  Review posted 9/10.  www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1-800-88-TOBYS.  See above for discount information!
• ◊◊◊ Menopause: The Musical at M&T Pavilion at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center.  Open Run.  Tickets currently on sale through September 2007.  90 minutes, no intermission.  Adult language, content and sexual themes.  Review posted 7/20. www.france-merrickpac.com or 410-547-SEAT

COMING SOON!  Shows opening later this month!

• Anna in the Tropics at Fells Point Corner Theatre.  9/21-10-21.  Review to be posted 9/22.  www.fpct.org or 410-276-7837
• And Then There Were None at Laurel Mill Playhouse.  9/28-10/20.  Review to be posted 10/8.  www.laurelmillplayhouse.org or 301-617-9906
• The Pillowman at Mobtown Players.  9/28-10/20.  Review to be posted 9/30.  www.mobtownplayers.com or 410-467-3057

BACKSTAGE BABBLE!  News, Best Bets, etc.

Jessica Ball as Kate McGowan, 3rd-class Passenger and Sam Ludwig as Fred Barrett, Stoker in Titanic: The Musical.

BEST BET: Titanic: The Musical at Toby's Columbia!

A rarity, indeed!  This production actually improves upon its Broadway version.  The lush score, the vibrant staging, and the emotionally charged finale combine to make the single most thrilling theatre this year! 

The good news, readers, is that Toby's has extended a generous discount offer to you for being such loyal patrons!  Beginning next Wednesday, September 19th and for the following two Wednesdays, September 26th and October 3rd, all seats are HALF-PRICE, BUY 1, GET 1 FREE!  All you need to do is call the theatre and mention code BWW-TITANIC and the discount is yours!

Finally, there are still seats available for BroadwayWorld Night at Toby's, this Saturday evening, September 15th!  Tickets are just $24.50 each, and include the show and all you can eat buffet.  Plus, we will have a fun trivia game for Broadway related prizes!

For more information on these offers click on the "Titanic Discounts" Link above.

EVERYMAN'S EXPLORE! KICKS OFF WITH SLAM POET'S "NAKED"

Everyman Theatre's new Explore Everyman! Series begins September 10th with the premiere of an unforgettable one-woman masterpiece performance by Gayle Danley. NAKED runs at Everyman Theatre on Monday and Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm, from September 10th to September 25th.

Danley, an award-winning slam poet, author, performer, and educator, will collaborate with Everyman Theatre artistic staff to adapt selected poems taken from her canon of work. After Gayle appeared on her Maryland Public Television show ArtWorks, the host Rhea Feiken called Everyman Theatre Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi, to encourage him to check out Danley's work. "Gayle Danley is a star-- as a writer, and an actor, and I am moved every time I watch her", says Rhea Feiken.  "When I first saw Gayle Danley perform, she took my breath away", says Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi.  "I just knew our audiences would love her.  She is dynamic, hysterically funny, and she surprises with facile turns from side splitting humor to gut wrenching drama in a single phrase.  Her poetry is the poetry of life, of immediacy, of theatre - a true tour de force." Danley's poetry has the ability to touch her audience through real-life universal experiences, leaving a lasting emotional impact which lingers with her audience.

The show is placed in the talented hands of director James Bunzli, who brings with him over ten years experience in solo performance.  Dr. Bunzli also works as a professor of Theatre at Loyola College.  Everyman Theatre Resident Designers Daniel Ettinger (Sets), Jay Herzog (Lights), and Chas Marsh (sound) complete the artistic team which will create the vivid world imagined by Danley.

NAKED Performances run Mondays and Tuesdays from September 10th to September 25th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20 ($15 for subscribers) and are available via the Everyman Theatre Box Office at 410.752.2208 or online at www.everymantheatre.org.

Explore Everyman! offers the theatre a laboratory to present new work, new genres, new events…to go where Everyman hasn't before. Everyman Theatre is a professional Equity theatre company with a resident ensemble of artists from the Baltimore/DC area dedicated to presenting high quality plays that are affordable and accessible to everyone.

WESTERN MARYLAND'S SEPTEMBER SONG PRESENTS ANYTHING GOES!

September Song (see info below) will be presenting the classic Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, playing September 14, 15, 21, 22 at 8:00PM, and  September 16 at 2:30PM in the Century High School Auditorium, located at 355 Ronsdale Road, Eldersburg, MD.  The production is being produced by Joan Eichhorn, directed by Mo Dutterer , with musical direction by Erin Kauffman, and choreography by Tina DeSimone.  Tickets for this annual event are $12.00 in advance and $14.00 at the door.  All tickets are general admission.

The cast of Anything Goes in rehearsal.  Photos courtesy of Allen Cross.

There are a number of outlets to purchase advanced tickets and to get information: 410-848-7272 or www.carr.org/arts; or 410-795-8535 or www.littleprofessor.com/eldersburg.  Groups of 10 or more should contact 410-876-2179.

September Song Community Theatre in Westminster, Maryland has organized and performed a Broadway musical at Westminster High School in each of the past 30 years. The brainchild of school teachers Arnie Hayes and Robert "Doc" Kersey, profits earned by these productions have been given to local charities to the tune of more than $300,000 over that span. Current beneficiaries of this annual effort are CHANGE, Inc. and the Carroll County Therapeutic Recreation Council: organizations that provide services to citizens with developmental disabilities.

This late September event, ergo the name, engages a wide segment of the Carroll County community, and now regularly includes volunteers from Baltimore, Howard and Frederick Counties, as well as nearby Pennsylvania. Thrivent for Lutherans, formerly known as the Lutheran Brotherhood, matches a portion of our ticket sales, and until 2004, the 50-60 page program was printed without charge by the Carroll County Times Newspaper.

September Song has presented many shows over the years: Virtually every major musical from "Li'l Abner", to "My Fair Lady", to "Show Boat," to "Anything Goes," to "42nd Street," to "Oklahoma," and "Annie" has been undertaken.

Traditionally, the cast includes 60-70 performers with another 50 or more volunteers handling the backstage and off-stage duties that are critical to the success of any show.

CENTERSTAGE OFFERS SEPTEMBER PROGRAMS WITH ARSENIC & OLD LACE!

With previews beginning this week of the classic Arsenic and Old Lace, CENTERSTAGE is offering the following events in conjunction with performances:

Pay Your Age Previews :Friday–Tuesday, September 14th–18th

• Patrons age 35 and under can buy the best available tickets—in person on the day of show—for any preview at the price of $1 for every year of their age; ID required.

Night Out : Tuesday, September 18th; party starts at 6:30 pm

• Members of Baltimore's GLBT community enjoy a pre-show party, sponsored by Classic Catering. Bar tips benefit a local charity.
• $5 cover; free for Night Out subscribers.

College Night : Thursday, September 20th; party starts at 6:30 pm

• Join fellow college/university students for a pre-show party featuring complimentary food from Akbar, pre-show entertainment, and a raffle with prizes from local businesses and attractions.

LIVE! @ CENTERSTAGE : Friday, September 21st; happy hour starts at 6 pm

• Join fellow young professionals for a happy hour featuring complimentary hors d'oeuvres and entertainment. Then stay for the show and Meet the Actors, or return on a future date with a specially discounted $25 ticket.  

Meet the Actors: Friday, September 21st, 8 pm

• Join Public Relations Director Aaron Heinsman for a post-show Q&A with the cast on the Marilyn Meyerhoff Mezzanine.

SPOTLIGHTERS YOUNG ACTORS SCENE STUDY PRESENTATION
Celebrate the excellent work our young actors have accomplished this summer on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 8PM at the Performing Arts Theatre at University of Baltimore on 21 West Mount Royal Ave - 5th Floor.  During the five week Young Actors' Academy at Spotlighters, several young actors studied various acting methods and techniques, explored ancient theatre styles and the progress of theatre into its modern form. They also participated in workshops on topics from Stage Combat, to Dance & Movement, to Voice & Musical Theatre, to Make-up Design. The culmination of their study and work is the presentation of specific scenes that each actor chose for their scene study and presentation.

Information on the scenes and participants as well as tickets ($15) can be found at www.spotlighters.org.

BALTIMORE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL OFFERS "AUTUMN REVELS"!

Baltimore Shakespeare Festival takes it annual fall fundraising event to new heights with this year's Autumn Revels – Unleash Your Inner Tempest on September 28th. In keeping with the "Season of Defiance" this night features a three course supper, silent auction, and brazen entertainment. The evening culminates in the presentation of The Muse Award to Ms. Judy Rousuck formerly of the Baltimore Sun, and The Golden Fan Awards, to Laura Hackman and Rachael Wilkinson. The event takes place from 6pm to 10pm at The Carriage House at the Evergreen Museum and Library, 4545 N. Charles Street. Tickets are $150 ($75 tax-deductible) and information is available by visiting www.baltimoreshakespeare.org or call 410 366 8596.

Autumn Revels is not only a time to celebrate the accomplishments of Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, but to honor those who have served the theatrical communities of Baltimore and the surrounding areas.  Ms. Judy Rousuck has contributed reviews of thousands of productions over the years and has encouraged and inspired the Baltimore community to support local theatre.  Ms. Laura Hackman served as BSF Education Director from 2005 to 2007 and has been a resident director with BSF since 2001.  Consistently going above and beyond the call of duty, Ms. Rachel Wilkinson has been our most dedicated volunteer for the last four years.  Come and help us celebrate these remarkable women.

Silent auction items include:

• A four day beach-house retreat to Rehoboth Beach Delaware

Brazen performances by:

• Sensoriel and the Amazing Trinket, courtesy of Cheeky Monkey Sideshow! 

This is Baltimore Shakespeare Festival's fourth annual Autumn Revels Event. For more information please call 410 366 8594 or visit www.baltimoreshakespeare.org

SCHOOL'S BACK!  LOCAL THEATER OFFERS ACTING CLASSES!

Spotlighters Theatre will be offering a series of acting workshops this Fall. The first will be a three hour Actors Workshop that will focus on Character Development, Comedic Acting and Emotional/Relationship Acting. This is being offered through the FreeFall Baltmore program of the Mayor's Office and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts. There is no charge for this program, and it is open to actors of all levels of training or experience.

Acting Workshops will be held on Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 7PM, and Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 12:30PM at Center for Student Involvement - University of Baltimore.

To register, send an email to INFO@spotlighters.org and include your NAME, ADDRESS, and CONTACT NUMBER. There are limited number of spaces in each workshop, or register early. Workshop participants will be invited to participate in two staged reading performances later in October.

The second program is an ACTORS INTENSIVE.

This is a six week program from October 13 through November 17, 2007. Actors will spend 4 hours each Saturday working on developing and expanding their skills and talents. A workshop in which each actor is challenged to stretch their entire instrument physically, mentally, and emotionally through scene study. Come have that breakthrough in your work you're dreaming about.

The instructor will be Alexander D. Carney, a local area actor, director, and teacher. His teaching is a synthesis of the work of Meisner, Strasberg, as well as Grotowski and Shakespeare & Company. Alex believes that each individual actor has a unique "method" and that his job as a teacher is to help the actor-in-training to discover that method. Alex directed the critically acclaimed Angels in America: Perestroika at SPOTLIGHTERS in August 2007.

See the Spotlighters website for an application and deadline information.  www.spotlighters.org.

FROM LAST WEEK'S BABBLE…

FREE READING OF NEW GURNEY PLAY AT REPSTAGE!

Rep Stage Reading Series presents A.R. Gurney's "Screen Play," on Monday, September 17, 2007 at 7 p.m. in the Monteabaro Recital Hall, Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College. The Rep Stage Reading Series is free and open to the public, and includes a post-reading discussion with the cast and director.  For more information, contact the Box Office at 410-772-4900

A.R. Gurney's first critical and popular success was in 1982 with "The Dining Room," and subsequent plays have included "Love Letters" and "Sylvia." "Screen Play" is set in Buffalo, New York in the year 2015. Cynical bar owner Nick nurses his broken heart with help from pianist Myrna until his old flame, Sally, walks into his bar and re-ignites the passion they felt during ... the 2000 Gore campaign. They'll always have New Hampshire in this barbed look at a post-election American landscape littered with liberal exile-seekers, idealistic freedom fighters, and corrupt border patrols. Gurney's riff on the 1942 film classic Casablanca describes a future America in which the ruling religious majority tries to close the borders to fleeing liberals, just as the film's Nazi forces attempted to stop Resistance workers. Like Gurney's play Mrs. Farnsworth, currently being produced on the Rep's main stage, Screen Play explores, in a comic key, the drive for activism and idealistic values in the face of corrupt political practices.

"Screen Play," directed by Lisa A. Wilde, features Elizabeth Darby; Michael Stebbins, producing artistic director of Rep Stage; Tim Pabon last seen at Rep Stage in "Two by Pinter: The Collection and The Lover."  The Rep Stage Reading Series extends the theatrical experience of the Rep Stage, Howard Community College and Howard County community by presenting free staged readings outside the Rep's production schedule. With minimal production values and the opportunity for open discussion among artists and audience, these readings provide a rare opportunity to focus on the words and ideas of the playwright.

REMINDER: A NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS TO BENEFIT CHILDREN'S PLAYHOUSE

A reminder from August's Call Board:

"A Night of a Thousand Stars" is being held on Saturday, September 15, 2007 at 8PM at CCBC (Essex Community College) and all proceeds are going to The Children's Playhouse of Maryland.

Children's Playhouse of Maryland, Inc. is a nonprofit community theatre organization dedicated to youth performers ages 18 and under. The Children's Playhouse was founded in 1986 by Diane Smith where it set up residence in The Towson Dinner Theatre. In November of 2004 CPM was offered and accepted a residency on the campus of CCBC Essex where they moved into a newly renovated performance space with new lighting and sound systems.  This is where CPM resides and performs today.

The evening features Margie Willbanks, who has performed in film, regional theatre and on Broadway, most recently in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. In addition to her considerable musical theatre and acting talent, Margie is currently studying opera and has received accolades for her operatic interpretations.

For A Night of a Thousand Stars, she will be joined by five of Baltimore's most highly regarded musical theatre performers - Edward J. Peters, Rob McQuay, Jeff Burch, Liz Boyer Hunnicutt, and Elieen Aubele - for an evening of musical theatre not to be missed.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 410-780-6369 (Tuesday through Friday, 9AM to 3PM)