Editor’s note: As cancellations and postponements due to COVID-19 precautions continue to roll in, please remember to check with venues about changes to events and procedures. A running list of changes to programs and events can be found here.

Visual Art

Too Long, Didn’t Read

South African-born artist Candice Breitz examines privilege and visibility through two vastly different groups in this new video installation at the BMA. TLDR highlights the treatment of workers in her home country and the power structures that keep them from the rights they deserve, while Love Story features Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin joining six refugees in the retelling of their experiences. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr., March 15 through July 12.

News

2020 Baker Artist Award Finalists Announced
Keep an eye out for upcoming showcases from the finalists for the 2020 Baker Artists Award, which will take place throughout the city over the coming months. The winners from this talented pool of 31 Baltimore creatives will be announced later in the spring. The finalists are:

Literary: Maria Adelmann, Pat Montley, Timmy Reed, Pamela Woolford, Jung Yun

Film/Video: Chung-Wei Huang, Amy Oden, Matthew Porterfield, Lynn Tomlinson

Interdisciplinary: Laura Amussen, ellen cherry, Hosey Corona, FORCE, Phylicia Ghee

Performance: Anna Fitzgerald, Ryan Johnson, Lola B. Pierson, Glenn Ricci, Allen Xing

Visual: Larry Poncho Brown, Michael Kirby, Christine Neill, Lauren Schott, René Treviño, Susan Waters-Eller

Music: Abdu Ali, Andrew Bernstein, Ami Dang, Lura Johnson, Outcalls, Meng Su

Coronavirus News:

Update: Following an announcement by Governor Larry Hogan on March 12 that all gatherings of 250+ people are to be postponed, most theaters are in the process of cancellation or rescheduling procedures. Check with box offices for information concerning tickets and new dates.

The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and the JHU Museums have announced that all public programs through April 12 are postponed or canceled, though they remain open during regular hours. Enoch Pratt Libraries will remain open, but all public programs, including the CityLit Festival, are postponed or cancelled. Greedy Reads has also suspended all events through the month of March.

As of March 12, the Hippodrome Theatre has cancelled the upcoming Celtic Woman and The Band’s Visit touring dates and shared the following: “If you are a ticket holder for one of these events, please hold onto your tickets as we work to reschedule their performances in Baltimore. We will be in touch in the next 7-14 days with more information on the status of this event.”

Similar statements regarding increased sanitation measures and continued monitoring of the situation have been issued by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore Improv Group, The Strand, Arena Players, Vagabond Players, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Rams Head Live!, Fells Point Corner Theatre, the SNF Parkway Theatre, and Creative Alliance.

In addition, Creative Alliance has instituted a new full refund/exchange policy during the month of March, postponed the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival (likely until the summer), and fully canceled the March 21 performance by the Marja Mortensson Trio. Everyman Theatre has waived ticket exchange fees and upgrade charges for the remainder of the New Voices Festival. Charm City Players has suspended pre-show activities, but performances will continue as scheduled.

News

Theater Renovations on the Horizon for Arena Players

On Dec. 4, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $300,000 grant for improvements to the Arena Players theater—the oldest continuously operating African-American theater in the country. Designated for “the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, site improvement, and capital equipping of Arena Players theatre,” the funds will go toward infrastructural updates to the beloved local cultural space.

Hamilton Returns to the Hippodrome

There’s good news for those that missed their shot to see Hamilton during its first visit to Baltimore this fall. The Hippodrome announced this week that the hit musical will return in summer 2021, taking the Eutaw Street stage from June 8-July 3.

Visual Art

Necessity of Tomorrow(s): Future Histories

Filling in the blanks in the stories of our past can help us create a better informed future. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project,” will explore this idea alongside activist and art collector Pamela J. Joyner and Baltimore artist Zoë Charlton at this latest installment of the BMA’s groundbreaking conversation series. 6-10 p.m. Dec. 17. The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.

Current Space’s 7th Annual Art Market

The holidays are creeping up quick, but this annual market featuring dozens of local artists and crafters can help you find the perfect thing for the art-lover on your list. Meet the people behind the works and browse items from talented local creators such as Press Press, Dana Bechert, and James Bouché. Dec. 14. Current Space, 421 N. Howard St.

Literature

Book Signing: Lost Restaurants of Baltimore

Restaurants come and go so quickly that it’s often hard to keep track of what used to be where. Some places, however, stick with us. Stop by Eddie’s of Roland Park to pick up a signed copy of Suzanne Loudermilk and Kit Waskom Pollard’s exploration of the places and plates that helped build Baltimore into the food city it is today. 2-4 p.m. Dec. 14. Eddie’s of Roland Park, 5113 Roland Ave.

Music

The High & Wides Album Release Show

This rip-roaring group from the Eastern Shore is back with a brand new album, Seven True Stories, and they’re ready to celebrate with Baltimore’s bluegrass-loving crowds. Pack into Creative Alliance to hear live renditions of new tracks such as “Reverie” and “Real America,” then grab your copy of this DIY collection of mostly true tales. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon with Amy Reid and Infinity Knives

Catch up with Catonsville’s Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon post-American Idol at this full night of local talent. Settle in and enjoy the good vibes from electronic artists Amy Reid and Infinity Knives before Harmon takes the stage with dreamy tracks such as “Almost Heaven” and “Learn to Love.” Doors 6 p.m. Show 7 p.m. Dec. 17. Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Theatre

The Wiz

There really is no place like home. Celebrate ArtsCentric’s new space by joining the company for their first show in Remington, a fitting trip to the land of Oz with The Wiz. This retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic tale featuring an all-black cast swaps out the 1939 movie’s show tunes for a soul, R&B, and pop soundtrack you’ll be humming all the way home. Dec. 13 through Jan. 12. ArtsCentric, 2600 N. Howard St.

Film

Beyond Video Anniversary Party

Celebrate your friendly neighborhood video store’s first birthday with a party at Ottobar featuring vintage dance tunes and tons of giveaways from cinephile favorites such as A24 and Criterion. A few dollars gets you entry to the festivities, but generous partygoers can bring in a movie or two off the wish list in exchange for admission and raffle tickets, as well. 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Dec 13. Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

ArtsCentric’s latest production, Black Nativity, will have you rockin’ and rollin’ in your seat during its run at the Motor House’s black box theater.

At a packed crowd during a Saturday matinee, there wasn’t a soul in the audience who wasn’t stomping their feet, clapping along, and, in some cases, singing. Some even got out of their seats to sway along during this Christmas musical of folk, blues, soul, jazz, and African-American spirituals. The show runs through December 29.

This retelling of the nativity story features an all-black cast and pairs the poetry of Langston Hughes with original musical adaptations that change with each newly launched production. The original music produced by each new theater troupe ensures a unique listening experience based on each troupe’s musical direction, instrumentation, and vocalists. ArtsCentric’s show features the original music of Cedric D. Lyles, performed by a live band—with piano, keys, electric guitar, bass, and drums—behind the set. Some of the songs are new takes on Christmas classics, such as “The Drummer’s Song,” a spinoff of “The Little Drummer Boy” that includes a bongo drum.

The production is an ideal one for ArtsCentric, a self-described color-conscious organization that was founded in 2003.

The play, directed by Kevin S. McAllister, is based on the Gospel of Luke and begins with a young boy singing “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” on the street, panhandling for change. Several people pass by, dropping money into his bucket and continuing about their day, until a large, white-winged angel appears on set, nudging one last onlooker to give the boy what he really needs: a scarf to keep warm, company during the holidays—in short, love.

Then a full choir enters the stage, donning robes and setting the lively tone for the rest of the play. The chorus of singers lights up the space with song and gives an overview of what’s to come.

Next, we see a shift in time, as the 20-some actors are costumed in traditional African garb—loose robes in African-print patterns and sequins, which adds another dimension to the rich cultural fabric brought to the stage. Act I follows the story of Mary and Joseph, as they prepare for the birth of baby Jesus, give birth, debate on a name, and ultimately celebrate the coming of the savior.

After a short intermission, Act II transports its audience back to the 21st century. Set inside a black church, testimonials about a Christian life are interspersed with soulful renditions of contemporary worship pieces sung energetically, from the poetic to the funky, with songs like The Staple Singers’ famous “I’ll Take You There” (that one really got the crowd moving).

All the while, the young boy in the first scene wanders through the set, taking in each song with innocent eyes and watching the story unfold.

“It shows how belief in the nativity story has actually changed lives,” McAllister says in a release. “It sends a message of hope, endurance, and acceptance, in the spirit of the African griot tradition passed down through generations.”

While Black Nativity is certainly theatrical—with a narrative that moves through the birth of the Christ child and then into the 21st-century aftermath—it also plays out like an epic poem come to life: less musical and more gospel choir performance, with very little dialogue between its roughly two dozen songs. We have the legendary Hughes to thank for that, but also the strong, surging voices of the ArtsCentric vocalists, who give mind-blowing performances.

In the end of the play, as in its beginning, the message resonates: that Jesus is love, and love can save you. And more than 50 years after Black Nativity’s initial run, it’s just as timeless a message as ever.