In July, Everyman Theatre resident company member Paige Hernandez was tapped as the downtown playhouse’s new associate artistic director, helping to steer the company forward as it enters a new era. We caught up with the actor, director, choreographer, and now creative leader to talk about Everyman’s pandemic pivots and her next show, Pipeline, coming this spring.

How has it been taking on the new role?
My relationship with Everyman goes back to the ’90s. [I was able to] start my relationship and connection to this theater as a teenager [during high school at the Baltimore School for the Arts]. My first equity contract was through Everyman, and being asked to be a part of their resident company, I just felt like it couldn’t get any better. Then this summer, they offered me this role. Just the access to this world that I love is really a gift. To be in this place at this moment in time is tremendous.

How has Everyman pivoted since the pandemic shut your doors last March? A lot of thought has gone into how we make sure that our audiences still feel like we are connected. The piece after this month’s Cry It Out, which I’m directing, is Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau. That will be the first show of our digital experience that we created from scratch. There’s a lot of intention that goes into making sure that, while you enjoy this virtual experience, you’ll also want to see it in person.

Pipeline follows the story of a mother and son who clash with institutional racism in the education system—a story that seems especially relevant in Baltimore.
I am a proud product of Baltimore City Public Schools, from kindergarten through high school. [In Pipeline,] we get to hear multiple perspectives, which are just incredibly illuminating, and it’s done in a way that is not preachy. It doesn’t expect to pull this impossible empathy out of you. Instead, [Morrisseau] set up this very three-dimensional story that has in-depth characters that any audience member can resonate with.

What does it mean to you to share Pipeline with Baltimore students?
Oh, that means everything. I would almost say that this play might impact them the most. Not only will they see themselves, but I think they will hear stories that they’re so used to finally being told, finally being heard, in the hopes that change can come. I’m pumped to hear what students think of this production, whose side they take, what they agree with, and what their explanations may be for any given moment. That’s essentially what we want to do with theater. We want to cultivate critical thinkers. This is the perfect piece to do it with. I wish I saw this when I was in high school.

What do you want audiences to know about Everyman right now?
We are doing a lot of growing and introspective thinking so that things can be as equitable, accessible, and enjoyable as possible when we return. This is our 30th anniversary season. It’s bittersweet because things shut down, but then what a nice reboot to be able to say that we can use this very monumental year so that the next 30 years are even stronger.

[Editor’s note: We will continue to update this space as more information becomes available.]

Following an announcement by Governor Larry Hogan on March 12 that all gatherings of 250 people or more are to be postponed, many of Baltimore’s venues and art spaces have announced cancellations and rescheduled events. Here’s what’s still open, what’s coming later this year, and what to expect from the weeks ahead.

Visual Arts

The JHU Museums have announced that, as of March 16, all locations will be closed and public programs through April 12 are postponed or canceled. The American Visionary Art Museum has closed through March 31, with public programs and tours cancelled through April 12. The previously scheduled Logan Visionary Eco-Conference has been postponed to a later date.

Leadership teams are hoping that the BMA’s 2020 Vision Community Celebration and the opening for Brice Brown’s PROSCENIUM at Evergreen Library and Museum can be rescheduled for later in the year.

The Walters Art Museum and The Baltimore Museum of Art have closed to the public through March 31 and cancelled all events and programming through April 12. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is also closed to the public, and a reopening date has yet to be released.

Some options remain for viewing museum collections. The Walters’ St. Francis Missal can be viewed in full on the museum’s Ex Libris site along with many other precious manuscripts.

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & Arts announced that all galleries and attractions will be closed starting March 14.

Events related to Maryland Art Place’s Out of Order and Merkin Dream have been postponed, with new dates TBA. Y:Art Gallery has cancelled its March 21 artist talk with Maureen Delaney, Erin Raedeke, and Richard Townsend but will remain open for regular business. Please check with your local galleries for information on postponements and adjusted hours.

Music

Creative Alliance has instituted a new full refund/exchange policy during the month of March and fully canceled the March 21 performance by the Marja Mortensson Trio. The annual Baltimore Old Time Music Festival has been postponed, and the leadership team is currently looking at new weekends, likely in the summer, to hold the event. Tickets will be transferred to the new date once it is confirmed, and refunds will be available at that time for those who do not wish to attend.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and other events scheduled at both the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and The Music Center at Strathmore are cancelled through March 21. BSO president and CEO released the following statement regarding the closure: “Of course, as recent history has shown us, the BSO has navigated challenging times thanks to the collective support and strength of our community. In addition to inviting patrons to exchange into future programs, we are also deeply appreciative to those patrons who would consider donating their tickets to support the BSO at a pivotal time in our transformation.”

The Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric has postponed all events through March 18, and some performances have already begun being rescheduled for this summer.

Horse Lords, Mdou Moctar, Versus, and Joy Postell have postponed their upcoming shows at the Ottobar, though the venue remains open at this time. According to the Ottobar Facebook page, “Our plan is to remain open this weekend in full capacity, and evaluate throughout. We’ll then start the new week studying the news and continue on from there…We will post online and our website any sudden changes that may arise. If you do not feel comfortable attending a show, you have the option to adjust or refund your ticket.”

Rams Head Live! has closed indefinitely in response to the 250+ gathering rule, and will work to reschedule impacted performances. Tickets for performances that are rescheduled will remain valid, and tickets for shows that cannot be rescheduled will be refunded within 30 days of an announcement of cancellation. Baltimore Soundstage and Metro Gallery have also postponed events through late March.

Sound Garden announced today that Record Store Day will be moved to June 20, 2020, affecting all area record stores.

Literature

Enoch Pratt Libraries has closed to the public, and all public programs, including the CityLit Festival, are postponed or cancelled through March 31.

According to a statement from Enoch Pratt CEO Heidi Daniel, the library is expanding programs for those stuck at home, including instituting a digital library card program to offer those without library cards the opportunity to register for instant access to online materials and databases. The Books by Mail program for homebound customers will also be expanding and can be initiated by contacting the library’s circulation department.

Greedy Reads has closed to the public and suspended all events through the month of March at both locations, but patrons can still make purchases via phone/email for pick up or delivery, or through bookshop.org and Libro.fm. Charm City Books announced that all events are cancelled. In addition, all Charm City Books stock will be available for purchase online, and delivery within Baltimore City is available for free. For those outside the city, delivery is still an option at the cost of $5 or less. Events at The Ivy Bookshop and Bird in Hand are cancelled through March 30, and updates will be posted as soon as new dates are scheduled.

Theater

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.”

Everyman Theatre has waived ticket exchange fees and upgrade charges for the remainder of the New Voices Festival, and the two remaining shows in the festival, Cry It Out and Berta, Berta, have been postponed to the summer. Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains will be suspended following the March 14 performance and resume on April 15. The theater’s annual gala, originally scheduled for March 14, has also been postponed. Center Stage has postponed the Baltimore Butterfly Session previously scheduled for March 14, but is organizing with local artists to hold a virtual discussion about responses to the current public health crisis within the creative community. More information about this online gathering can be found here.

Charm City Players’ production of Matilda originally scheduled for March 14-29 is postponed, and CCP has encouraged ticket holders to keep their tickets while they work to reschedule show dates. Announcements regarding the status of the show will be communicated over the next two weeks.

Baltimore Improv Group’s managing director Terry Withers announced on Thursday that it would suspend all performances starting March 16 and reevaluate the following week. This includes practices, meetings, and unofficial gatherings at BIG’s theater and training center. Classes will continue but switch to larger venues to enable distance between performers beginning March 16.

Vagabond Players will suspend the remaining performances of Constellations, which were originally scheduled through March 22. The Fells Point company will offer ticket holders refunds or exchanges for future performances.

Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, which had previously reduced seating capacity to promote social distancing, has suspended The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and March student matinees for Romeo and Juliet after March 15. Those with tickets to this weekend’s shows are asked to make responsible choices about their attendance. Options for ticket holders beyond those dates are outlined here, and the company hopes to continue with Studio classes.

The closing weekend of The Mineola Twins at Fells Point Corner Theatre has been suspended, and plans for the upcoming production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf are to be determined. Tickets for the current production can be exchanged for future performances.

Arena Players is suspended through March 27 and has also reduced seating capacity for its shows effective immediately. Spotlighters Theatre has delayed the opening of its Dogfight until March 26. The Strand remains open with increased sanitation measures.

Film

The SNF Parkway Theatre is closed from March 13-March 26, and the theater will be deep-cleaned before staff and patrons return at the end of the month. The Charles, CinéBistro at The Rotunda, The Landmark Harbor East, and The Senator Theatre will be closing by end of day March 16 in response to the latest announcement by Gov. Hogan.

There’s no shortage of risk-taking theater in Baltimore, but there’s only one troupe that features sword tricks, belly dancing, and actors humping toilets. That would be the Charm City Kitty Club (CCKC), a local queer theater cabaret that will celebrate its 17th season this month with a no-holds-barred show called Claws Up, Walls Down!

Formed in 2002, CCKC started as a queer cabaret based out of the Creative Alliance in Highlandtown. “We set out to create a space where queers could come together that was organized around art rather than alcohol, and it was really effective,” says longtime member Rahne Alexander.

Since then, CCKC has evolved into a volunteer-based organization for people of all races, genders, sexualities, and performance abilities to express themselves on stage. The “Kitties” only perform one to three times per year, but once the curtain rises, they push the boundaries of sex-positive theater with poetry, stand-up comedy, and musical acts that deconstruct gender politics and identity.

After putting on 45 shows, with themes ranging from fairytales to The Golden Girls, the collectively run cabaret has created a community of queer local artists that continues to grow with each performance. Whether volunteers contribute to the show by creating publicity posters or bartending, they’re always welcomed into the group with outstretched paws. “After a while of supporting each other, you become a family,” says longtime member Abby Cocke.

But it’s not just the Kitties that get to have all the fun—CCKC is open to audience participation, too. During the 2005 show Escape to Mortville, non-binary performer Glenn Marla went onstage and, claiming to be “the fattest person you know,” stripped down to nothing and invited onlookers to paint their naked body. “There were respondents saying they really had to challenge their own internal biases in watching that performance,” says Alexander.

From June 28-29, the Kitties will return to the Baltimore Theatre Project stage to take on the much-discussed topic of walls during Claws Up, Walls Down! With four to five acts per show, audiences can expect to see the troupe’s signature weirdness applied to narratives surrounding historic barriers such as the Berlin Wall, as well as community divisions within Baltimore.

“As a black queer artivist from Baltimore, I am truly honored to lend my voice and talent to the theme for this year’s show,” says featured artist Unique Robinson. “It’s apparent that the mask of the nation is off; it’s fully up to us to weave a new cloth.”

It’s finally happening. Hamilton, the award-winning, record-breaking musical about one of America’s most fascinating founding fathers, is on its way to the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore.

Those who signed up through the one-week Ticketmaster Verified Fan registration will have the jump on getting their shot at seats, but that’s not the only way to make sure you see this Broadway smash. For those willing to do things the old-fashioned way, there will be a limited number of tickets available at the Hippodrome box office. Get there early to try to avoid those high(er)-priced resale tickets online.

Hamilton won’t take the stage until June 25, but in the meantime, we caught up with cast member Olivia Puckett, who plays Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, to talk about touring, telling stories, and what it’s like to have history’s eyes on you.

What has it been like to tell this story?
It has been an honor and, honestly, a dream come true. This show has shifted the global impact of musical theater and made the medium accessible in an unprecedented way. It’s always exciting when I meet people after the show and they normally don’t see musicals but they felt compelled to see Hamilton.

What are you looking forward to in bringing Hamilton to Baltimore?
It’ll be exciting to bring Hamilton to a city that hasn’t yet hosted the show, especially a city with as rich a history as Baltimore. Plus I want to eat all the seafood—all day, every day.

What challenges are there in touring with the show as opposed to performing in one place for a prolonged period of time?
Tour definitely comes with a unique set of challenges. The constant moving around can be a shock to the system, so I have to be diligent about establishing routines and finding even a tiny bit of stability when possible. Having my dog, Queen Esther Solange Puckett, on the road with me certainly helps. This is my third time touring, and even though I’ve gotten pretty used to the challenges that come along with it, it’s always exciting getting to explore cities I might not have otherwise.

How is this show different from your previous experiences?

The diversity, inclusivity, and representation in this show is different from so many of my experiences in the past. It’s rewarding and gratifying. I get to really own my space as a brown woman, and it rocks.

Why do you think Hamilton resonates with so many people?

It is a fundamentally an American story that people are somewhat familiar with, but the modern music and diverse cast that reflects the American experience today make it accessible to audiences and makes them interested in history in a new way.

What have you learned from this show?

I won’t lie and say I knew a ton about U.S. history prior to joining this cast. If I had to take a test on Alexander Hamilton’s life, I would hopefully get an A now!

What parts of your character do you most identify with?

I definitely relate to Peggy’s sassiness and anxiety. Maria is a bit of a stretch for me, but I love her tenacity and willingness to do what she must to survive in this crazy world. I hope people are inspired by the women in this show. Without female figures, none of these men would have accomplished even half of what they did.

After 12 seasons, alternative theater company Single Carrot Theatre will perform their final show at their Remington home this June. But while the theater on North Howard Street will be closing, the ensemble isn’t going anywhere. Well, rather, they’re going everywhere.

In an effort to continue their socially relevant shows without being tied to one location, Single Carrot Theatre will start performing in various spaces—early ideas include private homes and abandoned school buildings—around the city. The idea of incorporating unique aspects of each venue into the experience is not a foreign concept to the experimental company, which once performed Promenade on various city streets while the audience rode a bus from location to location.

“We’re just honing in on the elements of the work we’ve been doing that excite us the most and that we think have been the most exciting for audiences,” says artistic director Genevieve de Mahy. “We’re thinking about social relevance and activating neighborhoods in different parts of the city that may be less seen.”

Single Carrot Theatre now has a brand-new mission and format, but before they move into this new era, there’s one more story to tell in Remington. On April 26, the company will premiere Pink Milk, a reimagining of codebreaker Alan Turing’s life story from Chicago-based playwright Ariel Zetina, who is working with Single Carrot to revisit the play’s text and score for the first time since writing it in 2014.

“It’s a piece about Alan Turing and the parts of his life outside of his work, who he might have been internally, and the interpersonal relationships in his life,” says director Ben Kleymeyer. “The play is a look back at Turing as this queer figure from history through the eyes of a modern trans woman who is now reclaiming the history that has been erased.”

That Pink Milk will be the last piece performed on the Single Carrot stage is no coincidence. The play not only epitomizes the types of experimental, inclusive theater that the company has become known for, but its psychedelic, Technicolor setting offers a final chance to use their performance space to its fullest potential.

“This felt like a really good fit in terms of the tricks we’ll be pulling out of our sleeves for lights and sets and things like that,” says de Mahy. “It felt right for this to be the last show we do in a traditional theater space for a while.”

Fleetwood Mac
March 24. 8 p.m. $73.50-207.50. Across its 50-year history, legendary rock-blues band Fleetwood Mac has had a revolving door of guitarists and singers, but despite its rotating crew, it has cemented its place as one of the world’s bestselling bands. During this one-night stop on the group’s 50-city tour, hear original bandmates Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, longtime members Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, and newcomers Mike Campbell and Neil Finn rock the Royal Farms Arena with classics such as “The Chain” and “Dreams.”

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Ed Schrader’s Music Beat
March 2. 9 p.m. $13-15. We’ve been following this post-punk duo’s climb through the city’s DIY scene for years and, following the release of Riddles last spring, have watched them finally get the kudos they deserve. To tie up a year of touring around the U.S. and Europe, frontmen Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice will rock this hometown show with crowd favorites such as “Dunce” and “Kid Radium,” following sets by up-and-coming acts Param Anand Singh and Infinity Knives + Randi.

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Jonathan Van Ness
March 2. 7 p.m. $55-318.30. Whether you recognize his flowing locks and gut-busting catchphrases from the popular Netflix series Queer Eye or his parody web series Gay of Thrones, you know Jonathan Van Ness. This month, the grooming guru is bringing his pop culture quips to the Hippodrome Theatre as part of his first-ever stand-up comedy tour, where fans can laugh along with “America’s sassiest sweetheart.” Can you believe?

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Expressions
March 2-3, 5. $20-375. The Baltimore School for the Arts has long been heralded as a shining star in the city’s arts community, and its annual fundraiser, Expressions, has become a can’t-miss event. This year, the series of performances—along with the traditional gala and cocktail party—is dedicated to the beloved creator of Expressions, Sally Michel, who passed away in August. Support the esteemed local art school during this honorary benefit and celebrate the memory of one of BSA’s longtime leaders.

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Love Thy Self
March 7. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. In our February issue, we featured a few of the love-inspired letters and drawings included in Beyond Beautiful: One Thousand Love Letters, an exhibition by Baltimore-based artist Peter Bruun that explores expressions of love. In conjunction with the final days of this heart-stirring exhibit, hear testimonials and performances from exhibit participants, including singer-songwriter ellen cherry and artist Phylicia Ghee, during this one-night event. Arrive to Maryland Art Place early to hear local jazz keyboardist George Spicka perform during the opening reception.

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Dinner with Friends
March 12-April 7. Times vary. $43-52. With serendipitous timing to our Best Restaurants issue, the latest production from Everyman Theatre takes on a tension-filled dinner party thrown by two food writers whose guests are grappling with loyalty and commitment issues. Head to the downtown theater to see resident company actors Megan Anderson, Danny Gavigan, and Beth Hylton bring this Pulitzer Prize-winning drama to life and prove that even a picture-perfect dinner can get messy.

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National Cherry Blossom Festival
March 20-April 14. Times and prices vary. In the DMV, spring has not officially sprung until the trees surrounding D.C.’s Tidal Basin turn pale pink and white with an abundance of cherry blossoms. Celebrate the nearly four weeks that these famed trees are in bloom with springtime festivities such as a pink-tie party, a kite festival, a lavish parade, and an all-out festival along the National Harbor.

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Burn Baby Burn
March 23. 12-4 p.m. $25-85. On the first day of spring in 1978, Annapolis boatbuilder Bob Turner decided he was sick of wearing his “oppressive” winter socks and invited his fellow sailing enthusiasts to join him in burning his socks to celebrate the start of another sailing season. Although Turner moved south in 1994, the sock-torching tradition lives on through the Annapolis Maritime Museum’s annual Oyster Roast & Sock Burning (this year on March 23), where locals and visitors alike recite the poem “Ode to the Equinox” before tossing their mid-calfs into the bonfire. “Let’s face it: We all have socks that have gotten worn out by March,” says AMM executive director Alice Estrada, middle. “That moment when socks of all different sizes and colors are cascading onto the fire just fills my heart.”

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The Big Baltimore Kite Fest
March 30. 12-4 p.m. Blowing into Patterson Park for the first time, this high-flying festival invites artists, kids, and kite-lovers to enter nontraditional kites in its park-wide contest. For a birds-eye view, watch the vibrant sky-flyers from the top of the Pagoda. Back on the ground, enjoy live music and the chance to be a part of this brand-new springtime tradition.

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The Ghost of Johns Hopkins
March 24. 4-5:30 p.m. $10. There’s no debating that the philanthropist Johns Hopkins and his namesake institutions have shaped modern-day Baltimore. In his latest book, The Ghost of Johns Hopkins, longtime Baltimore Sun journalist Antero Pietila examines the effect they’ve had on the racial patchwork of our city. Hear the well-regarded writer at The Engineers Club in Mt. Vernon for an in-depth discussion about what has been deemed the first real biography of Hopkins and how it explores the city’s complicated relationship with race and community.

Plenty of theater-loving kids belt out show tunes in the car and spend their time at musicals dreaming of one day being the one on stage, but not many get the chance. Bryn Mawr School alumna Annie Sherman is one of the lucky ones.

Now based in New York and fresh off a national tour of The Sound of Music, Sherman is now gracing the stage in another Rogers & Hammerstein classic, The King and I. Sherman is donning Anna’s iconic hoop skirt to star as the plucky governess tasked with teaching in the court of the King of Siam in select performances throughout the show’s national tour. We caught up with her ahead of the show’s run at the Hippodrome from February 19-24.

How has The King and I’s tour been going thus far?
It’s been amazing. I was on a different tour last year and I didn’t expect to be on another one so soon, so it’s such a lovely surprise. But it certainly feels different. This production, I saw it on Broadway with Kelli O’Hara a couple of years back, and it made such an impression on me. To be able to now step into that production, and of course into that role, is a total dream. We’ve been going for about two months now and the group of people that we have is just so amazing, so unparalleled. It’s really special. So many of our cast members are international as well. So I now have all these new friends from all over the world, which is awesome. And I’m able to tell this really poignant, beautiful, and still quite relevant story.

This story includes romance, but it’s not quite a love story, right?
It’s fascinating because our director, she kind of doesn’t allow us to use the words “love” or “romance.” And in my mind, because I used to watch this movie all the time when I was little, I always thought of it as a love story between the king and Anna. But when you examine it today, it really isn’t. It’s not like it doesn’t go into romance at all, but what our director wants to focus on is really the charged relationship between them. It does kind of dance around [romance] in that one scene, which is fascinating, but they are so at odds the whole show. It’s just so different from what I remembered as a kid.

What does it mean to you to bring this show home to Baltimore?
On a personal level, I’m just so excited to be able to show this to the people who trained me. I have a whole bunch of teachers coming who had a part in my development and people from all parts of my upbringing who are going to be able to see this. And I’m so, so proud to be able to show them what we’ve been working on. Then to be performing at the Hippodrome for the first time—it’s going to be amazing. I grew up going to shows there, I saw Avenue Q and Wicked there, just sitting in my seat looking out at the performers and wishing I could be up there on the stage. So that’ll be really special. I also think people from Baltimore are going to love this show. It’s such a classic and it’s also about a clashing of cultures, which I know that Baltimore is very familiar with.

Do you find yourself identifying with Anna at all?
I do feel I identify with Anna. I love to travel. I took time off before I went to college to go travel around, and a lot of that I did on my own. What I love so much about Anna is that she is so fiercely independent. She traveled to a country that she had never been to in 1862 as a woman alone, just with her son. Just to get there was such a feat, let alone to stay for as long as she did and have such a hand in the development of the country. She also has really inspired me to stick up for myself more. You know, she’s such a feminist in a time when “feminist” wasn’t even a word that was being used. Her gumption and her belief in sticking up for not only what she believes women deserve, but what she deserves, that has been inspiring to me.

She’s definitely not the damsel in distress you get in a lot of classics.
Oh, absolutely. I’ve played my fair share of those, and you always have to kind of, in some senses, swallow a pill and be like, “Okay, I know I’m portraying the person. It’s part of the history of the show.” But it’s cool to really be able to stand behind what this woman is practicing and saying. One of my favorite moments is right before “Hello, Young Lovers.” She basically learns that these women do believe that women are more lowly than men. And she immediately takes action and helps these women to know that women are just as good as men and they are as important and as intelligent, which is of course mind-blowing to these women at that time. And that is really what launches her into singing, “Hello, Young Lovers.” This is her way of trying to connect with women from a completely different culture. She thinks, “How can I get on the same page with them?” Love is something that universally we can connect about.

Do you have a favorite number in the show?
Oh my gosh. It’s “Getting to Know You.” It holds all of the sentimental value for me. I mean I sang that song with my mom in the car growing up. But also just to be on stage with all the children and all the female ensemble, just truly enjoying ourselves, is wonderful. They’re dancing, they’re singing, I get to pick up children. I think that that song really embodies a lot of what the show explores and preaches, really coming to understand people who are very different from you and learning to love, and maybe more importantly, choosing to learn.

What part of this show are you most excited for Baltimore to see?
I’m excited for people to see the show with fresh eyes. I think a lot of people will come into it expecting kind of a sing along, but I’m really excited for them to see it now in 2019 and realize how incredibly poignant and groundbreaking it was and how we still need it to be learning from this story.

A new performance of The Little Match Girl in Baltimore breathes entirely new life into the Hans Christian Andersen story. Baltimore Choral Arts Society (BCAS) director Anthony Blake Clark combines David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning composition The Little Match Girl Passion with Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion oratorio, which inspired Lang’s piece, to create a whole new production, weaving the story of a young girl living on the streets with the story of Christ’s death. Interspersing both pieces provides context, as pivotal moments of the Bach piece are interspersed throughout the predominately a cappella performance.

But the production, which will be held at Falvey Hall in the Brown Center on February 10, takes this innovation one step further. BCAS partnered with MICA students and faculty to enhance the musical performance with artistic elements that engage nearly all five senses. Billed as an immersive, multi-sensory performance, the show features video projects behind the chorus (comprised of about 30 vocalists).

Each video depicts illustrations and photographs of homelessness and other themes in the story, as well as lyrics to the pieces—some interpreted more broadly rather than straight subtitles. St. Matthew Passion is sung in German and even Lang’s piece in English can be difficult to decipher at times, as the lyrics are often sung abstractly, sometimes extremely long and drawn out, other times extremely staccato. The images and words not only make the story easier to follow but are visually intriguing, essentially act as a multimedia set.

A beautiful moment comes when the chorus begins to strike matches and hold the tiny flames up in the air. The sound of friction and sparks, the image of burning flames and smoke, and the scent of sulphur aids in placing the viewer into the world of the little match girl. And she herself is onstage as well, subtly acting the storyline silently—trying to sell matches on the street—to provide a visual while not detracting from the chorus and moving images overhead. MICA’s interactive arts students had partnered with other groups in the past, including the Towson University theater department and an annual collaboration with Peabody Institute, but The Little Match Girl marks their first collaboration with BCAS.

MICA and BCAS are just down the street from each other so, when Clark wanted to try something new stylistically, he approached James Rouvelle, chair of the Interactive Arts Department at MICA, who got onboard right away.

“I was really interested in it partly because I have a background in musical performance,” Rouvelle says. “I think it was a good experience for everyone involved.”

The cross-pollination concert took months of work from both parties. Clark came to the media performance class at MICA several times during the process. And while it’s unusual for an instructor to participate in the creative process alongside the students, Rouvelle wanted to show his students what a professional experience felt like.

“I encouraged the students to take a risk. We’ve been hired to do something,” he says. “They took a lot of risks. Our hearts are starting to beat faster and faster, the closer we get to the show.”

The music in and of itself is enthralling, chilling at times. At one point, the chorus walks offstage and into the aisles, lining the length of the auditorium to sing a moving piece that fills the space with gorgeous textures in surround-sound. Another time, Canadian composer Stephen Chatman’s “How Sweet and Fair” features a clarinet amid the audience, representing a solo voice in the story. The piece revolves around a flower, symbolizing the fact that we all fade away, and sonically serves as a palate cleanser.

There are a few other surprises that will engage the audience’s five senses, but we don’t want to spoil the show by revealing everything here.

Choosing to work with The Little Match Girl story—both Lang’s and Bach’s pieces—and to make it engaging and provide as much context was very intentional on the part of Clark. The story highlights homeless, poverty, and human suffering, themes he felt important to bring to the forefront through art, issues that still plague our country and certainly Baltimore City. Stories of neglecting the poor and desolate are in the Bible, Hans Christian Andersen’s story, and Lang’s piece, all completely relevant today.

“We have so much work to do in Baltimore particularly. Even the simple act of empathy can help,” Clark says. “I think we put blinders on because things are overwhelming to us. But art has this ability to open us up and break down barriers, so we can become more aware of each other’s lives.”

In the world of Chelsea Marcantel’s Everything is Wonderful, nothing really is. Life is hard, and it’s made harder by the people in it. Faith is a gift and an excuse, depending on who you ask. Set in Amish Country, in a community often written off for its otherness or idealized for perhaps the wrong reasons, the play uses the unfamiliar to explore radical forgiveness, a concept that may be just as foreign to most as the Pennsylvania Dutch accent.

The new Everyman Theatre production, up through February 24, is not glitzy or extravagant. Its costumes and sets are well done but simple, as befits its setting, and the light and sound design evokes the softness and stillness of the community at its surface. For most the Everything is Wonderful and the lifestyle it depicts will be wholly unknown, but that works entirely in its favor.

Between the joy of Ruth (Hannah Kelly), the wisdom of Jacob (Bruce Randolph Nelson), the rage of Miriam (Alex Spieth), and the steadfastness of Esther (Deborah Hazlett), I felt torn in two directions, not unlike the the family itself. I couldn’t quite tell you if I wanted to run to the comfort of a church or far from its flawed congregation by the end, but that’s the trouble with faith. It’s supposed to be blind, but it’s hard not to peek and see flaws in it when things go badly. This is a story without a clear moral. Should we forgive and forget? Should we do it always? Never? Sometimes? Everything is Wonderful doesn’t leave you with an answer, but a question, and sometimes that’s more useful.

As for the performance itself, company members Hazlett and Nelson prove again why they are stalwarts of the Baltimore stage. Paired for the eighth time as fictional husband and wife, they inhabit their characters and feel so completely tied to one another. They hold together this family coming apart, if only barely.

The men whose choices necessitate such incredible forgiveness, Tony Nam as the repentant “English” among the Amish, Eric, and Steve Polites as Abram, whose status as the “LeBron James of being Amish” isn’t close to his whole story, conjure some of the most complicated feelings in the play and shine in their moments of vulnerability. Kelly exudes sweetness as Ruth, who makes the best case for faith itself. She is all love and forgiveness and light, even as darkness creeps in around her. Spieth, meanwhile, is probably the most relatable of the bunch. Wronged and angry but unable to fully leave those who wronged her behind, her personal journey feels the most real, making its final destination all the more wrenching.

The play’s format takes a few scenes to get used to, flashing from past to present and sometimes pairing the two together to construct the details we need to move forward, but it fits the narrative so well that the early moments of confusion are worth it. After all, “what’s past is past” never seems to be true. What’s past always creeps its way into the present. It sticks to you and changes you.

As we watch scenes five years apart unfold concurrently, that seems more true than ever. Forgiveness is a choice, but some things—love, loss, hurt—are impossible to forget, whether we want to or not. Days later, I’m still unsure if I could forgive all of the characters in Everything is Wonderful. But I know I won’t forget them for a long while.

When artists Kay Lawal-Muhammad, Nata’aska Hasan Humminbird, and Rashida Forman-Bey came together as WombWork Productions in 1997, they envisioned a space that could support local children through performing arts. The three mothers saw a need for arts education in the community and understood that it could be an outlet for turning negative experiences into something positive and productive.

Since then, the theater company has influenced two decades of children, young adults, and audience members of all ages.

Lawal-Muhammad and Forman-Bey, lovingly referred to as Mama Kay and Mama Rashida, still act as artistic and program director of WombWork. (Hasan Humminbird still participates as an artistic/spiritual advisor and occasional performer.) Assisted by a board of directors and rotating featured artists, the pair and their three ensembles have put on more than 550 productions that cover topics such as violence, gang membership, and suicide.

“It’s always a healing process,” says Mama Kay. “Much of the inspiration for the pieces that we do comes from lived experiences that performers have had or experiences of people that they know quite intimately.”

The program’s ensembles are divided by age, and, as WombWork strives to be a place of continuous growth, the older members mentor those in the groups below them. Along with training from The Virtues Project, a character-building curriculum that helps students develop core values and productive communication skills, ensemble members also receive coaching from master drummers, dancers, and directors during their production season.

WombWork has brought its socially conscious work into area public schools, community centers, museums, and even a prison, and it has plans to expand its mission into other parts of Baltimore and the world through missions in New York, Kenya, and Tanzania. Board President David Fakunle is excited to start working with independent schools around the city in the coming year.

“I’ve always been appreciative of how we’re dedicated to children of color in public schools, but I’ve also encouraged us to look at children of color at predominantly white institutions because that’s a whole other battle that they face,” says Fakunle. “The same encouragement, empowerment, and love that our kids in public schools need, kids in those spaces need as well.”

Both in schools and across the wider community, WombWork’s goal is to use the arts to teach and improve the lives of ensemble members and those for whom they perform.

“WombWork is truly unique,” says Fakunle. “It has set a model for how to present relevant topics of our society in an honest way, but also in an empowering way.”

You recently started as the artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage after spending seven years at The Public Theater in New York. What has it been like to transition from New York City’s theater scene to Baltimore’s scene?
New York is crawling—just crawling—with theaters, ensembles, and collectives of all shapes and sizes. It’s like a proliferation of them. It’s amazing, and it’s a lot to sift through. To me, Baltimore feels like a much more intimate and focused community of art makers, and that is really exciting. In New York, you can’t even keep track.

You’ve shown interest in sociopolitical shows and the relationship between theater and community. How, in your opinion, do they connect?
The intersection between theater and social justice, civic engagement, and community engagement really calcified for me when I went to a training a few years ago called Facilitation for Social Justice at the Interaction Institute for Social Change. I was the only arts and culture worker inside a room full of healthcare workers, educators, and social service providers. I thought to myself, ‘I might be in the wrong room.’

But a big chunk of the curriculum was spent breaking down the importance of narrative inside of social justice work. A light bulb went off in my head: stories! Our society is fueled by stories and the most compelling will change people’s hearts and minds for better or worse. They’ll influence entire communities of people; they’ll influences policies and laws.

What upcoming programming are you excited about at Center Stage?
[Former artistic director] Kwame Kwei-Armah and [executive director] Michael Ross worked to put this season together. This spring, Fun Home is a successful mainstream musical that puts the LGBTQ community at the center of its narrative, which feels revelatory. Indecent does the same thing from a completely different point of view, and so does How to Catch Creation.

Those are all subverting the dominant narrative in different ways. You can expect more of that as I am planning the 2019-20 season, and I am standing squarely on the shoulders of Center Stage’s rich legacy of inviting masterful storytellers to start to subvert and challenge who’s telling what story.

What is your vision for the future of Center Stage?
It goes back to the idea of community engagement. I’m really hopeful that the Center Stage building will become even more central to the civic life of Baltimore City and the surrounding areas. I’m equally excited to get out of the building— for our activities and programs to live just as fully outside of the walls of Center Stage.

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.

Some might think that visiting the same playwright four times in as many years would get repetitive. Not so with Everyman Theatre’s return to Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work with this month’s Sweat. The play tells the story of a group of friends, family, and coworkers, most ticking multiple boxes on that list, as they deal with the closing of the local mill and the personal and professional consequences that come with it.

A wrenching, compassionate look at people caught in the wake of the financial collapse of the early- and mid-2000s, Sweat looks to the past but feels firmly locked into the present. We all know these people. Some of us are or were these people. While the story plays out in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 2000 and 2008, the conversations and problems could unfold in any working-class bar in any blue-collar town.

In a time when we feel so divided and so at odds with one another, Sweat does not come bearing a message of hope, or unity, or some other seemingly unattainable thing. What it offers instead is a reminder of how we got here in the first place—a chance to understand the frustrations and situations that, allowed to fester and escalate, gave rise to the problems plaguing us today. Maybe, in order to move forward, we first have to look back. Lynn Nottage’s work gives us time to do that.

It’s done through relatable people (in this case, a talented mix of both the resident company and several actors in their Everyman debuts) in the most relatable of places, a local bar. At the end of each day, it plays host to celebrations and screaming matches, moments both triumphant and unspeakable. It’s an extension of these characters’ homes, and in fact is more real and tangible to us than any other location. Its illusion of familiarity can be credited in part to resident set designer Daniel Ettinger, who transformed the Everyman stage into a working pub, complete with taps pouring actual (non-alcoholic, there are lines to be remembered after all) beer, faded local ephemera on the walls, and a jukebox dispensing ’70s and ’80s hits as the stage literally revolves to move from scene to scene.

“I was lucky that the crew at Everyman has been developing their skills in motor control and moving scenery quite a bit lately, which let us pull off a lot of the things that would’ve been very difficult for us the three, four seasons ago,” Ettinger says. “The technical growth of the company has really been exciting lately. It looks simple from out front, but there was a lot of technology going on.”

We caught up with Ettinger to discuss his process, how he created a Reading bar on a Baltimore stage, and what the new setup offers future performances.

Where do you start when preparing to design pieces for a new show?
I absolutely begin with texts and the story that the director and the company is trying to tell and how the visuals of that story can impact an audience and help them understand the events we’re trying to describe to them. I’ve got to go through the script multiple times and look at the intention and requirements and that sort of thing to know what’s going to need to happen in a space. I kind of need that in my head as I began to then look for the inspiration of how to start.

How did you choose what sort of spaces to create for Sweat?
I looked at a lot of research about Reading, Pennsylvania. I was lucky that Deb Hazlett drove up to Reading and she had taken some local photographs as well, but there’s a lot of visuals available. The play deals with serious economic issues and the collapse of the financial infrastructure of the town, but the place where this group of friends is accustomed to going to for years and years, even before the play takes place, was once something that was actually quite nice. It’s very much still a neighborhood bar. It’s not that the financial collapse happened and suddenly the walls fell down.

So we wanted to make sure that there was a real sense of home and almost safety and comfort and familiarity in how the bar feels today. Then I wanted to set it all in some sort of gray void that told you nothing about what was going on outside, but that would just exist in a state of unease so that really the only way to find a place was to come inside the bar. The outside, it was kind of nothing but steel smoke, if you will. I didn’t want to describe the town of Reading or what’s outside the windows. I wanted it to be this mass of gray that all of their lives had been thrust into. And so I wanted to put the set in the middle of that sort of gray box.

What challenges came with designing the different spaces you needed to tell this story?
It all goes back into extreme practical. We were given such a beautiful text, and when you’re given a theater space and you’re given time and money and this really talented staff, choices begin to emerge that would not emerge without all of those elements in place. Coming up with the conceit of the splitting of the other side of the revolve in half for the parole offices and the two apartments for example. And thinking about the revolving terms of the way that it moves time forward and backward, which was really helpful as well. We’ve done some smaller turning pieces on stage before, but this is the first time we’ve done what is nearly as large a turntable as we could fit into the space. We were squeezed in in a way that we’ve not really done before. Just technically speaking, we couldn’t have done this before. Fortunately the revolve has been built to where it comes apart and it can be stored for future seasons. So it’s a real asset.

On top of the regular visuals, you also had to create a working bar for this show. How was that experience?
Yep! It’s tight back there. There’s not a lot of depth. They’re pouring non-alcoholic beers on tap, so there’s a keg and the ice chest, it’s all back there. There’s quite a bit happening behind the bar and a very narrow space when you go through. There’s a little swinging door in the back area of the bar that, when you go in that room, we really feel like we’re in the back storage section of a bar. There are also all those images that are covering the wall, which were done with the help of Jillian Matthews, who’s the prop master there. Except for the few images like the Yuengling labels or the whiskey labels, all of the pictures of the sports teams and the celebrities are people from Reading, Pennsylvania.

You’re working on a couple other shows this season. What upcoming projects are you excited about?
I’ll tell you the approach we’re taking with the holiday show, The Importance of Being Earnest, is just really going to be fun. Capital letters all the way across.The director, Joseph Ritsch, has got a really great visual idea. It’s a great cast and it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s coming up way too quickly. The other piece I’m doing is called Everything is Wonderful. It’s a story set on an Amish farm. The playwright has been very careful to not be too specific as to where, but we have our thoughts about that. It’s a beautiful, beautiful play. I couldn’t put it down, and I really was moved when I finished the piece.

I feel so lucky that I love telling a wide variety of stories. I’ve been at this for quite a while, and sometimes people ask me, “Well, what else would you like to do?” And I’m like, “Well, no, sorry, this is kind of it.” Every time you sit down with a new play, even a play such as The Importance of Being Earnest, which might not be new, but it’s with a new creative team and the new director, there are new things happening out in the world that change what a play has to offer to an audience.

Performers from across the continent will make Baltimore their stage for 11 days during the seventh annual Charm City Fringe festival, which kicks off on November 1. New and experimental theater—featuring more than 20 shows, from comedy to a one-man cabaret. Festival headquarters will be at Mount Vernon Marketplace, where fans can get tickets and get festival schedules. Here are our picks for six not-to-miss performances and events.

Launch Party
The opening night kickoff will be from 7 to 10 p.m. November 1, with festival preview performances, music, art installations, light fare from Maiwand Grill, and drinks. Marble Bar, Congress Building, 306 W. Franklin St.

Beaver Dreams
Charm City Fringe is officially an international theater festival. This year, Lost & Found Puppet Co. from Montreal will perform its brilliant, bizarre show Beaver Dreams. Nominated for five Frankie Awards, this production uses puppets and live acting to tell the story of a group of humans and beavers who live near the same pristine lake, deep in the the Quebecois forest, and share the same nightmare: commercial development springing up nearby that’s threatening the natural world. 322 N. Howard St.

The End of Things
Three Princes Theatre will present their world premier of The End of Things, taking the audience on six journeys through failing relationships and an impending apocalypse (as in, an actual threat to planet Earth . . . but also, of course, its metaphorical implications). The show uses monologue, vignettes, and imagery to weave together these vignettes of love and love lost. Downtown Cultural Arts Center, 401 N Howard St.

I Know It Was the Blood: The Totally True Adventures of a Newfangled Black Woman
Tara Lake, a scholar, vocalist, performer, and historian will present her one-woman play I Know It Was the Blood: The Totally True Adventures of a Newfangled Black Woman, which won an Artist’s Choice Award this year at the Chicago Fringe Festival. Dramady musical (with poetry interspersed throughout) takes us back to the 1980s and ’90s and into the world of an African-American Jersey girl’s coming-of-age. 322 N. Howard St.

33 (a kabarett)
Big Empty Barn Productions will present its one-man production 33 (a kabarett), written and performed by Bremner Duthie. Set in the ruins of a cabaret theater, the show references the experimental form of theater known as Kabarett, which satirizes the audience and was performed in Germany until the Nazis rose to power and suppressed the shows and performers, most of whom ended up in concentration camps. In this show, all the actor’s fellow performers have already disappeared, leaving him alone on the stage to perform the pieces from the missing ensemble members himself. Downtown Cultural Arts Center, 401 N Howard St.

The Male Gaze
BlueShift Dance focuses on “the male gaze” in their new show by performing dance pieces created for specifically for them—and about them—by the men in their lives who love them. The lens shifts from sexual object to deep love as the show moves through complex and varied emotional landscapes. Downtown Cultural Arts Center, 401 N Howard St.

Charm City Fringe Festival
Nov. 1-11. Locations and times vary. $10-98. Now in its seventh year, this annual celebration of Baltimore’s non-traditional theater scene returns to the Bromo Arts District for 10 days of eclectic performances by more than 20 local and regional acts. From unconventional circus and variety acts to off-kilter comedy and theater pieces, catch quirky sets by rising stars such as BlueShift Dance, comedian Arielle Conversi, and award-winning performance artist Monica Hunken, pictured, during this cutting-edge festival.

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Jim Burger: A Charmed Life
To Nov. 24. Creative Alliance. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free. From Baltimore Orioles fans leaving Memorial Stadium for the final time to women waiting under hair dryers at a Highlandtown salon, images by former Baltimore Sun photographer Jim Burger have encapsulated the city’s hidden beauty over the years. This month, view more than 130 photographs by the MICA grad during this retrospective exhibit at Creative Alliance, and return on November 8 for a special presentation of Burger’s full-color catalog of work.

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Baltimore Craft Beer Festival
Nov. 3. $15-55, As the Old Line State’s craft beer scene has expanded over the past few years, this annual all-you-can-drink festival has grown along with it. Now in its fourth year, the Brewers Association of Maryland’s signature event will host more than 50 Maryland-only breweries at Canton Waterfront Park for an afternoon of sampling drafts from newcomers such as Checkerspot Brewing and Antietam Brewery, a homebrewing competition, and tons of local eats to soak up the suds.

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Across the Bay 10K
Nov. 4. Chesapeake Bay Bridge. 6:55 a.m. $70-250. If you’ve ever driven across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and wondered what it would be like to run across it, you’re in good company. Lace up your sneakers for this early-morning run that draws more than 20,000 joggers to the starting line every year to soak up the views of the bay from 200 feet above the water. Stick around for live music, family-friendly activities, and all-you-can-drink options during the post-race festivities.

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Travis Scott
Nov. 8. 201 W Baltimore Street. 7:30 p.m. $35.95-250. It has been a busy year for this 26-year-old rapper: His third album, Astroworld, released to rave reviews, he became a first-time parent with celebrity cosmetics mogul Kylie Jenner, and this month, he will kick off his 25-city tour in front of a jam-packed crowd at Royal Farms Arena. Known for his unpredictable performances, this explosive artist will perform dance hits such as “SICKO MODE” and “BUTTERFLY EFFECT.” Who knows? Fans might even catch a glimpse of Kylie and Stormi in the audience.

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Romare Bearden
Nov. 11- March 3, 2019. 830 E Pratt St.. Times vary. Free-$8. A collection of pieces by the prolific visual artist Romare Bearden, best known for his collages and other works depicting the realities of African-American life during the 1960s, will be on view at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in dedication to the artist’s tremendous impact on the community. See more than 70 of the late artist’s collages, watercolors, and drawings at this downtown museum and honor his depiction of African-American religion and spirituality.

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Fiddler on the Roof
Nov. 13-18. 12 N Eutaw St.. Times vary. $99-250.50. Set in the tiny village of Anatevka in 1905, this time-honored musical about a poor milkman finding suitors for his five daughters in their Jewish community has become a Broadway classic. During its five-day run at the Hippodrome Theatre, experience the charming story that has won the hearts of audiences for decades with themes of change, tradition, and growth, featuring new movement from Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter.

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BAZAART Holiday Art Market
Nov. 23-24. Jim Rouse Visionary Center 3rd Floor, 800 Key Hwy. Times vary. Free. Start the holiday season off right by supporting local artisans during the American Visionary Art Museum’s annual holiday art market, featuring tons of one-of-a-kind items that make early-bird shopping special. Held on Small Business Saturday, the market will highlight original creations made by more than 40 regional artists such as paintings, textiles, and jewelry. After you’re shopped out, take a free tour of the acclaimed Jim Rouse Visionary Center. avam.org.

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BSO Pulse: Parquet Courts
Nov. 29. 1212 Cathedral St.. 8:30PM. $25-55. Now in its fourth season, this first-of-its-kind series that brings together some of the city’s best classic and indie artists returns with a collaboration between the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and alternative rockers Parquet Courts. Don’t miss this three-set concert at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall that will feature a set by the BSO, followed by a few songs from this rising indie group’s latest album, Wide Awake!, before they join the BSO for a joint performance.

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Miracle on 34th Street
Nov. 24-Jan. 1, 2019. W 34th St.. 6-11 p.m. Prices vary. Jim Pollock treats the Miracle on 34th Street tradition like a series of date nights. Every evening from Thanksgiving weekend to New Year’s Day for the past 29 years, he has come home from work, washed up, and opened his home and heart to the hordes of people who visit the 700 block of 34th Street in Hampden to see the “most outrageous Christmas lights” in Maryland. Known on the block for his 10-foot-tall tree made out of 104 hubcaps, he also welcomes about 1,200 visitors per night into the makeshift gallery in his living room to view work by local artists. “This tradition is about finding a moment of peace and togetherness in all of this chaos,” says Pollock. “We do this for the city that we love.”

Africa Umoja—The Spirit of Togetherness is a beautiful musical about the history of South Africa told through the musical traditions that have shaped the country. “Umoja,” a Swahili word for unity, is a fitting title for a vibrant and culturally expressive theatrical work.

Audiences have a chance to learn more about South Africa’s vibrant musical legacy with a limited run through October 28 at the historic Hippodrome Theatre.

“It’s very important to show my history especially in South Africa, because for many years it’s been excluded because of apartheid,” said co-creator Todd Twala. “A lot of people don’t know about my country because we were in seclusion. We were taught a very different history.”

Started as an advocacy and leadership initiative for young South Africans who struggled with homelessness and school retention, the Africa Umoja initiative later evolved into an extravagant production that allowed its participants to travel outside of South Africa to share their powerful dance traditions around the world.

“There was a need for me to teach the youth of South Africa about where they come from musically around dance,” Twala continued. “All over the country they adopted foreign clothes. It was important to teach them who they were and where they came from musically.”

Africa Umoja features dances from the rural countryside of South Africa, the booming metropolises of Johannesburg, and regions in between. The performance includes mourning songs and movements of women whose husbands left them to find work, the slapping gumboot dances of miners, the snake dances of Venda girls on the verge of adulthood, and some contemporary dances from South African youth.

The show chronicles South African history by recalling memories from the life of musician and performer Penuel Bhekizitha Ndaba, lovingly known as “Hope.” Though Hope passed away in 2014, a cast member stands in his place as a narrator who explains cultural nuances and expresses, with great pride, the music that helped black South Africans overcome overwhelming oppressions.

Hope also serves as a transitional guide who contextualizes the sociopolitical issues that influenced the musical traditions of each era. “Our music is like our country—it is growing,” Hope notes as a cast of dancers and drummers take over the stage.

All of the cast members give high energy, invigorating performances that not only highlight the sophistication and dexterity of Twala’s choreography, but also showcase a nuanced representation of dance traditions that are rarely exhibited outside of South Africa. One of the first scenes that opens the show featured Sangoma, Zulu healers, and shaman who communicated with ancestral spirits through a chorus of drumming and songs. Men in full Zulu regalia stomped the ground and kicked their legs up towards the sky. The thunderous sound of drums and feet coalesced with the melodic voices of the men. In those moments, the audience became witness to something sacred, an experience that needs no translation.

That feeling of being a part of something special, not just a passive member of the audience, persisted throughout the over two-and-a-half-hour performance. Each scene established how the dances and fashion of South African communities evolved over time, post-migration from rural communities to the city, through police violence and apartheid, into the contemporary moment.

“We are living in borrowed times, we need to support each other, look after each other, help each other embrace each other instead of pointing fingers,” Twala said. “The weather is changing. The world is changing. There is no time for all of this craziness. My wish is that when people see the show they will leave the theater with an open heart, togetherness, and happiness.”

Visual Art

Perspectives: Annual Highlandtown Arts District Exhibition
Head to the Amalie Rothschild Gallery at Creative Alliance to view this showcase featuring artists who live and work in the Highlandtown Arts District. Entrants into the annual competition were asked to submit works that display their personal perspective on the world around us, and the winner will earn their own solo exhibition at the gallery in 2020. Kick off the annual celebration of Highlandtown’s artistic community with a reception on Oct. 19 from 6-8 p.m. Reception from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 19; show on view during gallery hours through Nov. 10. Amalie Rothschild Gallery at Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Atomic Banana: Emotion and Heirospliffics Exhibition
Where language fails, symbols fill in the blanks and bring people together. Artist Gerry Mak knows that better than most, and his new exhibition at the Waller Gallery seeks to explore the significance of symbols in the information overload of modern life. Need some help with interpretation? Not to worry, Mak will be on hand on several occasions throughout the exhibition’s six-week run for artist talks and tours. Opening and artist tour from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 20; Make Studio Panel from 3-5 p.m. Oct. 27; Closing cocktails and artist talk from 7-10 p.m. Dec. 1. Waller Gallery, 2420 N. Calvert St.

The Necessity of Tomorrow(s): Hank Willis Thomas
The latest installment of this free BMA series exploring the relationships between art, race, and social justice hosts Hank Willis Thomas, cofounder of For Freedoms, a platform for creative civic engagement, discourse, and action. This year For Freedoms launched the 50 States Initiative, a nationwide public art project to place provocative artist-designed billboards in every state (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.) during the 2018 midterm elections and the largest creative collaboration in U.S. history. The billboards are now up throughout the country, and the group hopes to foster civil discourse and engagement through their installations and artist and institution partnerships, including those with MICA and the BMA. Reception at 5 p.m.; Doors at 5:30; Artist talk begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 17, Falvey Hall at MICA, 1301 W. Mt. Royal Ave.

Music

WTMD Towson Rock Block
Grab the whole family and spend your Saturday celebrating one of Baltimore’s favorite radio stations. As part of their 15th Birthday Celebration WTMD is closing down the block for a full day of music, food, drinks, and art. Hear from Brooklyn psychedelic rockers Sunflower Bean, John Brodeur’s Bird Streets, and German indie-pop duo HAERTS as you wander the Art Village and grab good eats from local spots such as Cunningham’s, The Point, and Burger Bros. 4-9 p.m. Oct. 20, 1 Olympic Pl.

Theater

A Chaste Maid in Cheapside
Follow Moll Yellowhammer as she sets out to marry her true love in this 1613 comedy presented by The Baltimore Shakespeare Factory. Don’t miss your chance to see Thomas Middleton’s scandalous romp through London (performed by an all-female cast in this production). This masterpiece of Jacobean city comedy is rarely staged. Oct. 26 through Nov. 18, The Great Hall Theater at St. Mary’s Community Center, 3900 Roland Ave.

Sweat
If last year’s performance of Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel is anything to go by, this staging of the playwright’s Sweat is sure to be a hit. Everyman Theatre’s Dawn Ursula and Deborah Hazlett star in this tale of two working-class friends, their tight-knit community, and the unpleasant realities that could force them apart, which won Nottage the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Oct. 23 through Nov. 25, Everyman Theatre, 315 W. Fayette St.

Evil Dead: The Musical
Want to mix up your Halloween season with a theater experience beyond Rocky Horror? Look no further than Motor House, where Deer in the Spotlight Productions is bringing Evil Dead to the stage with music, comedy, and a bloody splash zone. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen the cult classics, you may want to binge beforehand. This show covers Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness. And we shouldn’t have to say it, but maybe leave the kiddos at home for this one. The show is recommended for ages 16-plus due to violence, language, sexual situations, and gore. 8 p.m. Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27, Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.

Film

The Art of Style
Join professional skaters Joey Jett, Mike Vallely, and Ron Allen for this demonstration, art show, and screening of Jett’s film The Dream to benefit Jake’s Skate Park and Sharp Dressed Man. The 20-year-old Jett, a Baltimore native, directed, edited, and stars in the film showcasing original skate tricks performed all over the world. At this final premiere of The Dream before it’s released Oct. 22 viewers can also snack on local bites, sip on beers from Key Brewing, and catch a live set by local rockers To The Moon. 7-9:30 p.m. Oct. 20, Coppermine Field House at Du Burns Arena, 3100 Boston St.

Literary Arts

The Art of Making Books
Ever wonder how those beautiful tomes on antiquarian shelves came to be? Join Ink Press Productions founder Amanda McCormick to learn about bookbinding and printmaking, as well as how the way a book is made helps tell its story. Attendees will be learn about the process using tools, supplies, and reference materials supplied by the workshop, which is part of a five-event series presented by Greedy Reads and D.C.-based arts/literature programming group MoonLit. 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25, Greedy Reads, 1744 Aliceanna St.

The Afro Punk Ballet, an Afro-futurist opera written by composer Scott Patterson and Eric T. Styles and choreographer Preston Andrew Patterson, imagines a post-apocalyptic future where the lush blue green of our world is scorched dusty red by the heat of two suns. “There used to be a river here” General Levi (played by Jarrod Lee) bellows with lament over the devastation wreaked by his greatest invention, the creation of a second sun. His miraculous discovery threatens to destroy all life in the galaxy. What compels a man to generate a second sun? His daughters Corfazsia (Jocelyn Hunt) and Jakub (Alicia Wiliams) are charged to answer that question. We, the audience, watch to see if the world will collapse before they can.

Produced by Afro House, the production is described as “an exploration of the crossroads between African spirituality, mathematics, and physics” and it’s set in an indistinct universe sometime in the distant future. The hypnotizing coo of mezzo-soprano Spirit/Legba (Elise Jenkins) pierces the eerie still of the intimate Peale Center. Her face and those of the other chorus members is obscured by intricate laser printed helmets designed by A.W. Nadine Grant. Scott Patterson plays melodic riffs on his red Fender Rhodes from the center of the room.

The soundscapes evoke the familiar ethereal resonance and pulsing punk accents of sci-fi classics like Blade Runner or Fantastic Planet, but also cull from black musical traditions like gospel, blues, jazz, Afrobeat, and hip hop to illuminate the environments of this new world. If Herbie Hancock and Daft Punk had an interstellar love child that was raised on the avant-garde compositions of Sun Ra, the child would create music that sounds something like this, an otherworldly groove that is operatic but also deeply soulful.

Each of Patterson’s intonations are echoed and accentuated with gush worthy choral accompaniments. Spoiler alert: everybody can sang! Their soaring arias describe the woeful destruction of the second sun and humanities imminent demise. Jakub, the youngest daughter of General Levi, leaps and sprints around the scene. Each pirouette channels celestial orbits, or portals that open passageways to future nows and yesteryears. Her movements are a significant feature of her developing powers, gifts that are slowly revealed in Act 1. Her eldest sister, Corfazsia, a military prodigy readies her army for a war that is rumored to be encroaching on their families territory. With a running time of roughly 50 minutes, Act 1 lays the foundation for a dynamic Afro-futurist tale like nothing that you have ever experienced before.

We spoke with the Patterson brothers during a dress rehearsal of the first act of The Afro Punk Ballet about their inspiration, creative process, and why they chose this medium.

The Afro Punk Ballet is currently in development. How far are you from showcasing the full production?
Scott Patterson: We have had the concept for this for about 4 or 5 years and talked about the idea of a piece called Afro Punk Ballet, inspired by the Afropunk movement, not just the festival.

Preston made the point yesterday that, “We are all fighting for a piece of ourselves in the story.” I think our story reflects that. This summer we had a residency at Single Carrot Theatre for a week to work on a preview of a preview. After that preview [we] decided to concentrate on Act 1. We are really trying to build a universe, not just create a new world, but a new solar system, way of being, [and] that takes time.

Preston Patterson: We wanted the freedom to create as much as we could. We have been playing around with the idea that this is not earth, our solar system or our time. What we are attempting is to take who we are and put that in another time and space. This is an experiment.

Why did you choose opera as the medium to tell this narrative?
SP: Lots of reasons. I love the way opera is big and able to be big. I felt like that is one thing I feel is missing from a lot of Black narratives in all mediums. I’ve been wanting to see Black people in epic bigness. The cast is currently nine people. I envision the cast becoming 45-50 people. [This] one story is going to spawn dozens of other stories. I wanted to give a genesis.

That means it has to be a really big concept and I feel that opera was one way to tackle that. I wanted to see black opera singers in roles that liberate them and place them as more than marginal characters. We wanted to write stories that we thought were dope.

Les Miserables
Oct. 9-14. 12 N Eutaw St.. $54-199. Two years after the end of its second Broadway revival, this Tony Award-winning musical will come alive on the hallowed Hippodrome stage during a six-night stint in Baltimore. Rediscover the timeless story of love and redemption in this updated production presented by famed British producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh. With an iconic soundtrack, including “I Dreamed A Dream” and “On My Own,” and an intricate set inspired by creator Victor Hugo’s original artwork, this rendition of the timeless tale will leave audiences wishing the show lasted one day more.

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AVAM’s Parenting: An Art Without a Manual
Oct. 6-Sept. 1, 2019. American Visionary Museum, 800 Key Highway. Free-$10. The American Visionary Art Museum considers parenting to be “humanity’s most essential performance art,” and, for the next 11 months, will showcase work that explores the experience of parenting and being parented. This highly anticipated exhibition features a wide range of pieces by 36 artists, including locals such as Francisco Loza, Bobby Adams, and Chris Wilson (“Momas Boys,” pictured).

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Made in Baltimore: Short Film Festival
Oct. 6. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.. 7:30PM. $10. With hometown auteurs such as John Waters and Barry Levinson, this city certainly has film in its DNA. During this one-day extravaganza at the Creative Alliance in Highlandtown, celebrate the city’s up-and-coming directors, producers, editors, and actors with screenings of 12 short films that view the world through a uniquely Baltimore lens. Revel in the chance to view works by the next generation of area filmmakers and join fellow cinephiles to applaud the talented winners who take home the night’s top prizes.

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Doors Open Baltimore
Oct. 6-7. Location varies. 1PM. Free. For one weekend, get free access to more than 60 of Baltimore’s architectural wonders, along with lectures and guided tours of local historic structures and neighborhoods. During this fifth annual tradition, stop by tourist attractions such as The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House and the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory, or delve into more recent, lesser-known additions such as the mid-century modern Highfield House landmark designed by architectural revolutionary Mies van der Rohe. Whether you stop into one spot or turn the building hop into your entire afternoon, take advantage of this weekend’s open-door policy and explore the city’s hidden gems.

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Baltimore Beer Week
Oct. 12-21. Location and prices vary. It’s no secret that Charm City’s beer scene has exploded over the past decade with more new breweries, beer-centric events, and homebrewers than ever before. During this nine-day celebration of all things hoppy and frothy, check out annual brew week events such as the Baltimore Beer Legends Hall of Fame at the Mt. Washington Tavern, the Maryland Brewers Big Wheel Race at Max’s Taphouse, and endless pairings, new releases, and tap takeovers across the city. Prices vary, baltimorebeerweek.com.

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Oysterfest
Oct. 13-14. 36 E Cross Street. Free-$100. As the oft-repeated quote goes, “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.” The owners of Ryleigh’s are no strangers to the one-of-a-kind delicacy, and they’re hosting their 12th annual oyster festival just in time for the official start of the R-month season. Stop by the Federal Hill bar and restaurant for two days of al fresco local brews, live music, and tons of mouth-watering mollusks. Be sure to stick around to watch some of the region’s best shuckers compete in the annual competition on Saturday afternoon.

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Immigrant and Refugee Food Festival
Oct. 14. Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston St.. $15. With the motto #BreakingBarriersByBreakingBread, this food festival celebrates the diversity of the city’s dining scene with dishes by some of the best immigrant and refugee chefs in Baltimore. Spend the afternoon at Canton Waterfront Park sampling authentic eats from local vendors such as Cocina Luchadoras, Man Vs. Pho, and Thai Street, listening to live performances by Madagascan band BeMaeva and DJ Nikilad, and catching an appearance by Maryland Democratic primary candidate Krish Vignarajah.

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Baltimore Running Festival
Oct. 20. $55-270. Lace up your sneakers for the city’s most anticipated race of the year. Whether you’re trying out the 5K or taking on the full marathon, join more than 17,000 runners in circling the city and seeing picture-perfect views of the waterfront along the way. For the first time in its 17 years, the finish line will be at the Inner Harbor, where participants and spectators alike can celebrate a successful run with food, drinks, music, and family-friendly activities.

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Maryland Science Center & Believe in Music Halloween 2018
Oct. 27. 601 Light St.. 8PM-1AM. $35-75. Halloween music doesn’t have to consist solely of “Thriller” and “Monster Mash,” and the Maryland Science Center and local nonprofit Believe In Music are hosting an all-out dance party to prove it. Across seven stages featuring Baltimore musicians, prepare to dance with headlining electronic artist Dan Deacon, sing along with folk legend Caleb Stine, rock out to post-punk group Natural Velvet, and wander throughout the center’s exhibits in your finest costume.

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The Great Halloween Lantern Parade and Festival
Oct. 27. Patterson Park at Eastern & Linwood Aves.. 3:30PM. Free. It’s not truly Halloween in Baltimore until this glow-in-the-dark spectacular takes over the hills of Patterson Park. Each year, on the last Saturday in October, the city green space transforms into a family-friendly festival, complete with lantern-making classes, hayrides, and local beers, followed by the sunset illuminated parade featuring artists, musicians, and dancers in a park-wide procession.

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While you may have to wait to take your seat for Putin On Ice (that isn’t the real title of the show), the new production from Single Carrot Theatre and The Acme Corporation, the play begins as soon as you walk in the door.

Figures in black hoods wander the space, eliciting concerned glances and occasional giggles from those waiting in the lobby. As you fill out a survey about Russian president Vladimir Putin, the hooded figures may take you or your fellow theatergoers away, but don’t worry. They, like you, are free to leave at any time.

You finally enter the theater in the dark, and without a certain degree of open-mindedness and a good sense of humor, you may leave in the dark as well. But Putin On Ice, an act of collusion between Acme playwright Lola B. Pierson and Russian-born director Yury Urnov, isn’t here to make you comfortable. Running through October 7, this absurdist portrait of the man, the myth, and the legend of Putin brings you into a cult of personality that is definitely, maybe, not an actual cult.

Pierson spoke with us about Putin, working with Single Carrot, and how to approach this brand-new theater experience. But it’s most important to remember, again, that you are free to leave at any time.

This is kind of complicated production you’ve got. In the simplest terms, how would you describe this show?
I would describe it as a cult initiation during which you will experience the truth of Putin.

So simple then.
Yes! It’s just like any other play you would see any other place. [Edit note: This, like much of the play, is a lie.]

What drew you to Putin as a subject?
It actually was sort of an indirect thing. So at Single Carrot, this was like years ago, we had this joke around the office that they were going to do an ice capade about Vladimir Putin, and then they started thinking like, oh, actually that’s kind of a good idea. We should maybe do that. So they approached the director, Yury Urnov, who is Russian and lives here now, and he obviously was like, “Yes, I definitely want to do that!” And the way he explained it to me was, “Imagine if Trump was in power for 20 more years. That’s what Putin is like for us.” And that’s really intense. We had worked on a show together before and it had gone really well. So he approached me about writing it.

What was it like working together with Urnov on this?
We met a lot and sort of just talked about things he thought and things I thought, and then I generated like 35 pages of raw text for him. No stage directions, no characters, just text. And that’s what he walked into rehearsal the first day with. Then, over the course of rehearsals, people from Single Carrot and people from Acme and designers and actors all brought more and more stuff to the table. We would rewrite and turn things into scenes and like restructure.

We both believe really strongly in the fluidity of text in theater. Like I think theater is a visual medium and text is just one element. We actually cut a scene last night, so it’ll be a different show tonight, which the cast are being very good sports about. It’s kind of a cool, fun process to do that And I think we’re lucky that both our brains sort of work pretty similarly and are pretty comfortable in the land of collage, which is what the piece is. It’s kind of amazing how often he’ll be like, “I think we need to cut this,” and I’ll be like, “Oh my God, I totally agree with you.” It was highly collaborative.

So how have people been reacting to Putin On Ice so far?
It’s been totally varied. Most people I think are like getting the joke. You don’t really have to have any prior knowledge of Putin to understand anything. So most people I think think it’s really funny. We did get one review and it felt like the guy just like totally got it, and then we got another review and the reviewer was like, “I’m a pretty intelligent person but I still don’t get it,” which we’ve actually been using as our pull quote and sending out to our newsletter and stuff. I mean there’s a lot of spectacle in the show, so you can engage with it on that level if no other level. But I think people have been into it and gotten it, gotten what we’re going for, which has been kind of a nice surprise.

Can you explain why the show has nine different Putins?
They’re different facets of representations of Putin. There are all these different images of Putin that I think are very consciously being put out into the world. There’s the one that’s like, oh, look at him snuggling with animals. He’s such a caring person. And it’s more adopting those personas than it is actually embracing Putin as a person.

The thing we’ve been talking about a lot, which obviously Yury has more knowledge than I do, is that we actually have no idea what’s true about Putin at all. One of his top advisors was a modern art guy, and he’s really into collage and manufacturing meaning, and he’s just putting out any information that he can about Putin, whether it’s like good or bad or anything. It’s just anything at all, so no one can trust anything. Russian propaganda is so sophisticated, right? It’s this manufacturing of propaganda so that you don’t even know what you’re supposed to believe. And that’s the point.

You worked together with Single Carrot on this show. How’s the collaboration been?
It’s been awesome. We have a lot of designers on our team, Yury’s an Acme member and I’m an Acme member. So a lot of what would normally be the driving artistic team was Acme people, but the actors, and Single Carrot has more actors, they were actually pretty involved in the creation of the process. And Single Carrot is just a bigger organization, so they have staff and structure and more people. I think the barrier to go somewhere new is very high, and they have been extremely gracious about opening their home to us like nine lunatics and have been totally nice to us.

One last thing. Do you have any advice for people coming to this show?
They should bring cash. And an open heart and open mind.

As the dog days of summer give way to the crisp winds of fall, Baltimore’s art season kicks into full gear. Come September, theater seasons launch, galleries host their biggest shows, and an abundance of art-centric colleges and universities—including the renowned Maryland Institute College of Art and Peabody Conservatory—means a swelling of cultural and educational activities. Here, we round up our recommended events to catch from now through the end of 2018.

Kubrick 90: A Would-Be Birthday Retrospective
Through Dec. 2018. Parkway Theatre, 5 W. North Ave.
In honor of what would be Stanley Kubrick’s 90th birthday, the Parkway will screen a retrospective of work by the celebrated filmmaker, semi-chronologically, including classics such as Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove, Eyes Wide Shut, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Each film will play twice throughout the festival, and many will be presented on 35mm.

Baltimore Comedy Festival
Aug. 29-Sept. 3. Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.
More than 100 comedians from around the U.S. will be in town for the second Baltimore Comedy Festival, where Motor House will serve as headquarters and a performance venue for this five-day, citywide event.

The Institute of Visionary History and the Archives of the Deep Now
Sept.-Dec. The Peale Center, 225 Holliday St.
With the historical Peale Center as its backdrop, Submersive Productions will present its latest theatrical experience, featuring a different production each month. It will culminate with a December shadow performance themed around a 1980s movie set in pre-World War II Germany.

The Thing is Close
Aug. 31-Sept. 29. School 33 Art Center, 1427 Light St.
Cindy Cheng and Jackie Milad will present work in a two-person exhibit that examines identity and home. Cheng creates sculptural installations that reference the interior of her parents’ house in Hong Kong, with meditations on the importance of particular objects within the space. Milad’s work on paper explores ethnic backgrounds through actual and invented symbols associated with her Egyptian and Honduran heritage

Baltimore Taxidermy Open
Sept. 6. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.
The Walters Art Museum’s Chamber of Wonders houses treasures from around the world, among them taxidermied birds, beasts, and reptiles. But only during this annual event does the museum play host to an array of contemporary taxidermy artists (the term “taxidermy” is used loosely in this context) alongside these antique ones for a pop-up exhibit and taxidermy competition.

DOS-à-DOS
Sept. 7-30. Hamilton Gallery, 5502 Harford Rd.
Baltimore artists L. Nef’fahtiti Partlow-Myrick and Jenny O’Grady, who met as students in the Creative Writing and Publishing Arts master’s program at the University of Baltimore, exhibit a collection of their art books, made from a variety of materials both traditional and unorthodox. The show’s title references a bookbinding technique that ties together two text blocks with a shared spine—that spine being the MFA program in this context.

Survival Bias
Sept. 8-29. Current Space, 421 N. Howard St.
This two-person exhibition of sculptures, wall works, and video by Brittany De Nigris and Adam Milner investigates what defines the immediate present and how things are often an accumulation of past subjects, places, and times. The show’s title is based on the term “survivorship bias,” which describes how our history is shaped, in part, by the artifacts that survive.

Putin On Ice (That Isn’t The Real Title of This Show)
Sept. 12-Oct. 7. Single Carrot Theatre, 2600 N. Howard St.
A mix of fable, melodrama, and theater, the satirical Putin on Ice elevates the man to myth, from dictator to deity, in a collaboration between theater companies Single Carrot and The ACME Corporation.

Balancing Act: Paintings, Drawings, Collages. Works by Joseph Paul Cassar
Sept. 12-Oct. 20, artist talk from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 13. Y:ART Gallery, 3402 Gough St.
Art historian, author, and artist Joseph Paul Cassar will show recent drawings in ink and pastel, paper cutouts, collage, and acrylic on canvas.

Repurposed with Purpose: Meaning in the Materials of Making
Sept. 20-Nov. 10. Maryland Art Place, 218 W. Saratoga St.
This large group exhibit, curated by former Baltimore Museum of Art director Doreen Bolger, nudges viewers to look deeper into pieces and think about the materials used and why, what statement they make, and whether they are a reflection of the artist’s personal story or have a broader significance.

Lovelight Yoga and Arts Festival
Sept. 21-24. Pearlstone Conference & Retreat Center, 5425 Mount Gilead Road, Reisterstown.
Music, art installations, and lots of yoga and meditation will be held in a serene, natural setting at the annual Lovelight Festival in Reisterstown, featuring Krishna Das and Rising Appalachia, among others, plus more than 40 classes and workshops.

Mark Bradford: Tomorrow is Another Day
Sept. 23, 2018-March 3, 2019. Opening Celebration, 1-5 p.m. Sept. 23. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.
This major exhibition by renowned contemporary artist Mark Bradford will bring together work he showed at the 2017 Venice Biennale and a new site-specific installation. The Los Angeles-based artist explores themes from his personal life, black identity, Greek mythology, and the universe through mixed-media works, abstract paintings, and video.

Fades and Fellowship Barbershop Stories
Sept. 28. Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.
Baltimore-based theater troupe Fades & Fellowship brings black barbershop culture to the stage. Not only does the cast of actual barbers perform the conversations and stories—true and embellished—as overheard in barbershops, but they finish the show by giving a few lucky audience members haircuts onstage.

High Zero
Sept. 28-29. Theatre Project, 45 W Preston St.
Experimental music in all its glory will be performed during this two-day festival by musicians who will expand your definition of music and instruments. Performers include Wendel Patrick, Ada Pinkston, Neil Feather (who plays invented instruments), Carrie Fucile (who plays objects and cassettes), Orlando Johnson (who plays found objects), and several others.

Baltimore Book Festival
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 28-30. Baltimore Inner Harbor.
The annual Baltimore Book Festival along the Inner Harbor is a free, three-day celebration of the written and spoken word, featuring presses from indie to university and every genre imaginable. Hundreds of authors will participate in readings, talks, book signings, panels, and workshops, and more than 100 exhibitors and booksellers will line the Inner Harbor Promenade, from the Inner Harbor Amphitheater to Rash Field. Highlights this year: authors A.J. Jacobs, April Ryan, Bill Whitaker, Jonathan Abrams, Carol Anderson, D. Watkins, Nic Stone, Tim Junkin, and Wayétu Moore, plus numerous stages and tented areas, including Tablers Tent, Charm City Comic Pavilion, CityLit Stage, Food for Thought Stage, Ivy Bookshop Stage, Literary Salon, Maryland Romance Writers’ Stage, Red Emma’s Radical Books Pavilion, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America Stage, and a music stage.

Chinese Snuff Bottles
Sept. 30-Dec. 9. The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.
Chinese snuff bottles—historically used to hold a medicinal blend of tobacco, spices, and herbs and worn around the neck—were not only intriguing and practical pieces but also intricate works of art. The Walters will exhibit nearly 250 snuff bottles made from stone, glass, porcelain, ivory, lacquer, enamel, and precious metals. The show coincides with the 50th annual Convention of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society, which will be held in Baltimore in October.

Afro Punk Ballet
Oct. 4-6. The Peale Museum, 225 Holliday St.
This sci-fi, futuristic ballet opera is the second in a trilogy produced by Afro House. As the story goes, mad scientist Levi created a second sun that is drying up the lands and bringing the nation’s inhabitants to near extinction. His descendants are left with his mess to clean up.

Parenting: An Art Without a Manual
Oct. 6, 2018-Sept. 1, 2019. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy.
AVAM’s next annual mega-exhibit is a meditation on the art of parenting—from cultural wisdom to scientific breakthroughs in cognitive and behavioral research. Work by three dozen artists will incorporate a wide spectrum of media and styles, such as Allen Christian’s life-sized torso sculptures of Mother, Father, and Child made from antique piano parts; Leon Borensztein’s black-and-white photos documenting his daughter, who was born legally blind; and a group of women who sewed their fathers’ old ties into hexagonal assemblages and provided six-word stories to accompany them.

John Waters: Indecent Exposure
Oct. 7, 2018-Jan. 6, 2019. Opening Celebration, 1-5 p.m. Oct. 7; Artist Conversation with John Waters and Senior Curator Kristen Hileman, 6 p.m. Nov. 1. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr.
Enter the wonderfully absurd world of John Waters in this retrospective exhibition of photos, video clips, early films, photocopied drawings, and sculpture from the legendary Baltimore filmmaker. The artist’s penchant for black humor is evidenced in the more than 160 pieces he has made since the early 1990s that criticize, dramatize, and exploit popular culture and celebrate the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities.

Open Studio Tour
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 13-14. Assorted venues citywide.
More than 100 artists open their studio doors across the city for this two-day, self-guided tour, where visitors can watch the artists in their element and talk with them about their work.

A Charmed Life
Oct. 13-Nov. 24. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.
This retrospective of more than 130 photographs will span Jim Burger’s 30-plus years as a photojournalist with The Baltimore Sun and City Paper. Burger will present an illustrated talk of his life’s work from 7:30-8:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 to coincide with the exhibit.

Leonard Bernstein’s Mass
7:30 p.m. Oct. 26. New Psalmist Baptist Church, 6020 Marian Dr.
This massive theatrical spectacle, conducted by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra director Marin Alsop, will feature hundreds of Baltimore performers—Peabody Conservatory instrumentalists, singers, and dancers; Preparatory students including members of the Peabody Children’s Chorus; and others from the community including the Morgan State University Choir and students from the Baltimore School for the Arts. The show is loosely based on a Catholic Mass and uses song and dance to raise questions about faith.

Charm City Fringe Festival
Nov. 1-11. Various venues in the Bromo Arts District.
Experimental theater and performance art will be highlighted in this 11-day festival that brings performers from across the continent to Baltimore for more than 90 performances in theater, comedy, dance, crankies, film, and more.

Romare Bearden: Vision and Activism
Nov. 10, 2018-March 3, 2019. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St.
Romare Bearden is considered one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th century. As an artist, educator, scholar, writer, songwriter, and social activist, he examined race through his work: paintings, editorial cartoons in the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, collages, and other artwork. More than 50 of his pieces will be displayed at this major exhibition.

A Wonder in My Soul
Nov. 29-Dec. 26. Baltimore Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St.
Set in a Baltimore beauty shop, this story of friendship and community confronts the issues of gentrification and crime as its co-owners decide whether or not to move the shop.

Violinist Joshua Bell
8 p.m. Nov. 30, 3 p.m. Dec. 2. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.
Joshua Bell, one of the most celebrated violinists of his era, with appearances on The Tonight Show and Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, will perform Dvorák’s romantic Violin Concerto under the baton of Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru.

Alice Gadzinski
Dec. 7, 2018-Jan. 12, 2019. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore sculptor Alice Gadzinski was a resident artist at the Creative Alliance when she passed away earlier this year from cancer. In honor of her creative spirit, the art center is hosting an exhibit of work she made at the Creative Alliance, as well as never-before-seen pieces.

Black Nativity
Dec. 7-30. Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.
Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, a musical originally performed Off-Broadway in 1961, is a retelling of the Nativity story with an entirely black cast. The show, presented in Baltimore by ArtsCentric, includes Hughes’ poetry as well as traditional Christmas carols sung gospel-style.

Visual Art

Maren Hassinger: The Spirit of Things
Maren Hassinger’s four-decade career in art is rooted in sculpture and dance. A selection of her sculptures, made with wire rope, plastic bags, and newspapers, are on exhibit in the Contemporary Wing of the Baltimore Museum of Art in the solo show The Spirit of Things. Some have been reconfigured for this exhibition, which also contains video installations of her performance art and dance. She’s also known for her role at the Maryland Institute College of Art as director of the Rinehart School of Sculpture, which she has served since 1997. July 18-Nov. 25, performance and conversation with the artist at 3 p.m. Sept. 8. BMA, 10 Art Museum Drive.

ISLA: Regarding Paradise
Ironically, the etymology of the word “paradise” goes back to its Greek and Old Iranian roots meaning “walled enclosure.” In this group exhibit at Towson University, curated by Baltimore artist Jackie Milad, contemporary artists working in an array of mediums examine the figurative and literal walls that enclose the pristine beach images of the Caribbean islands, a place that has worked toward political autonomy and environmental justice. Sept.7-Oct. 20. Reception on Sept. 6. Center for the Arts Gallery at Towson University, 8000 York Rd., Towson.

DOS-à-DOS
Baltimore artists L. Nef’fahtiti Partlow-Myrick and Jenny O’Grady met as students in the Creative Writing and Publishing Arts master’s program at the University of Baltimore and will now exhibit the fruits of their labor: a collection of art books, made from a variety of materials both traditional and unorthodox (paper—but also metal and beans, for example). The show’s title references a bookbinding technique that ties together two text blocks with a shared spine-that spine being the MFA program, in this context. Sept. 7-30. Hamilton Gallery, 5502 Harford Road.

Baker Artist Awards 2017 & 2018
Recent Baker Awards awardees—Abraham Burickson (interdisciplinary, 2018), Sara Dittrich (interdisciplinary, 2017), David Marion (visual art, 2017), and Amy Sherald (visual art, 2018)—will show work in an exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Included in the show will be Burickson’s “The Odyssey Works Box,” an archival box filled with books, photographs, and other ephemera, accompanied by a video tour of the history of the arts collective Odyssey Works; Dittrich’s wall sculptures, arranged with hundreds of clay ears; Marion’s multimedia sculptures “Extinction Event” and “Fracking,” which explore violence perpetrated on the natural environment; and two portraits by Sherald. Sept. 12-Oct. 14, with a free opening event with performances on Sept. 13. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive.

Balancing Act
Joseph Paul Cassar has been working in Baltimore for 13 years as a visual artist and art historian, and is a professor at the University of Maryland University College. He’s shown his work around the world, and this month will exhibit in our city, when Y:ART Gallery in Highlandtown shows his recent work in Balancing Act—drawings in ink and pastel, paper cut-outs, collage, and acrylic on canvas. Sept. 12-Oct. 20, opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 15, artist talk from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 13. Y:Art Gallery, 3402 Gough St.

Mark Bradford: Tomorrow is Another Day
Renowned contemporary artist Mark Bradford represented the U.S. at the 2017 Venice Biennale and will bring that work to Baltimore for the exhibit Tomorrow is Another Day, accompanied by a new site-specific installation, at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Bradford explores themes from his personal life, black identity, Greek mythology, and the universe through mixed-media pieces, paintings, and video. Sept. 23, 2018-March 3, 2019; opening celebration, 1-5 p.m. Sept. 23. Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive.

What Makes Us (Us)
Gina Pierleoni exhibits some 200 paintings and mixed-media portraits of people encountered over a 25-year period in Baltimore and beyond. She’ll lead a coinciding workshop which will include live music to help to dig deeper into questions of place and perception. Aug. 25-Sept. 29; workshop, 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 15. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

AfriCOBRA: The Evolution of a Movement
This group exhibit at Galerie Myrtis celebrates artists in AfriCOBRA, aka African Commune for Bad Relevant Artists, a coalition that was born from the black arts movement that began in the 1960s and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The aesthetic of these artists emerged from activism and aims to speak to black people specifically. The show will display paintings, photographs, prints, and 3-D pieces by the group’s earliest and most recent members, including Akili Ron Anderson, Kevin Cole, Adger Cowans, Michael D. Harris, Napoleon Jones-Henderson (founding member), James Phillips, Frank Smith, Nelson Stevens (founding member), and Renee Stout. Coinciding programming will include Tea with Myrtis (as in, founding director of Galerie Myrtis, Myrtis Bedolla) and an art salon with AfriCOBRA members who will talk about their artwork and its impact on the black arts movement. Sept. 15-Oct. 17, with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 15. Galerie Myrtis Fine Art, 2224 N. Charles St.

Music

Taste of Tuva
Celebrated artist Joyce Scott will host this special evening featuring the music, art, and food of Asia. Alash Ensemble, a trio of throat singers from the Central Asian state of Tuva, will bring both their music and culinary specialties, while collaborating with Baltimore musicians Shodekeh and J Pope. The event supports the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University. 6-9 p.m. Sept. 15. TU South Campus Pavilion at Towson University, 8000 York Rd.

Abdu Ali’s Last Show of 2018
Baltimore music artist Abdu Ali will perform their last live show of the year this month at Metro Gallery, joined by Kotic Couture (hip-hop with pop, Baltimore club, and underground art influences), Pamela_ and her sons (the solo music project of Alessandra Hoshor), and W00dy (Philadelphia-based experimental pop artist). 8 p.m. Sept. 5. Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St.

BeatClub at the Lewis
Over the years, Bmore BeatClub has met regularly inside clubs, bars, and initially a record shop to celebrate hip-hop and beats. Novice artists rap alongside experts at these gatherings, and this month’s event will be extra special, as Bmore BeatClub will bring hip-hop, spoken word, and poetry to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. 7 p.m. Sept. 28. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St.

Theater

Fades and Fellowship Barbershop Stories
Barbershops are places of conversation and camaraderie—and from this idea came the production Barbershop Stories by Baltimore-based theater troupe Fades & Fellowship. A cast of real barbers will perform the stories overheard in the shop—and then give actual haircuts to selected audience members. Sept. 28. The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.

Literary Arts

CityLit Swing: A Special Celebration Honoring Kwame Alexander
CityLit will honor poet, educator and New York Times bestselling children’s author Kwame Alexander with its Chic Dambach Award for Service to the Literary Arts during a celebratory evening at The Motor House. Sliding-Scale tickets are available for this CityLit fundraiser, which will include lite fare, libations, jazz, and a reading by Alexander. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 13. The Motor House, 120 W. North Ave.

Small Press Expo
The annual Small Press Expo celebrates indie cartooning and comic arts, bringing more than 4,000 creatives to Bethesda for readings, workshops, and to meet with one another. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 15 and noon-6 p.m. Sept. 16. Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North Bethesda

Miscellanea

Mortified: Share the Shame
Everyday adults share their most mortifying moments via teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, lyrics, and locker notes in this popular show. 6 and 8 p.m. Sept. 22. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Mono Practice
Founding director Ruri Yi is opening a new contemporary art gallery, Mono Practice, in Station North this month, with a focus on abstract and reductive art. The inaugural exhibit, Pointing To The Sun | An Exercise In Abstraction, is curated by Rod Malin and will feature work by Baltimore-based artists David Brown, Zoë Charlton, Ariel Cavalcante Foster, Terence Hannum, Stephen Hendee, Bill Schmidt, and Yi. Sept. 6-Oct. 13, with an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 6. Mono Practice, 212 McAllister St.

Stephanie Ybarra, from New York’s Public Theater, has been named the new artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage.

Kwame Kwei-Armah left his seven-year run in the position earlier this year to become artistic director of Young Vic Theater in his native London.

Ybarra will begin this fall, and she brings to Baltimore an impressive resume of nearly 20 years of experience in theater, especially as to how it relates to social justice.

She explored socio-political theater in Peru, as part of a Theatre Communications Group Continuing Education Grant, and cofounded the grassroots Artists’ Anti-Racism Coalition, to help enforce inclusion within theater communities.

The Texas native also worked at Dallas Theater Center and Dallas Children’s Theater, Two River Theater Company and its Crossing Borders Festival of Latinx plays, the Playwrights Realm, Cherry Lane Theater’s Mentor Project, New Play Development for Yale Repertory Theater and Yale School of Drama, where she earned an MFA in theater management, and she won the Josephine Abady Award for producing from New York’s League of Professional Theatre Women. She currently serves as director of special artistic projects at The Public Theater, where she has worked for the past six years.

While at The Public, she helped spearhead a Cuban-inspired version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for the theater’s Mobile Unit, which brought the Bard’s work to non-traditional spaces like homeless shelters and prisons.

“[She] is equally grounded in artistic excellence and a passion for social justice,” said Public artistic director Oskar Eustis. “She is a superb choice for Center Stage; Baltimore is lucky to have her.”

Center Stage board president Terry Morgenthaler calls Ybarra the future of American theater: “Her vision is broad and inclusive.”

Ybarra will start on a part-time basis in October and transition to full-time in December.

“To say I’m ‘thrilled’ doesn’t do justice to the wellspring of excitement and anticipation I’m feeling right now,” Ybarra said in a statement. “I’m standing on some formidable shoulders, and in awe of the view.”

On a tree-lined block of Bolton Hill’s Park Avenue reminiscent of Brooklyn Heights, old brick rowhomes built in the 1800s share a storied history. F. Scott Fitzgerald lived on the street after Zelda died, as did renowned classicist and author Edith Hamilton. And the late artist Les Harris raised his three daughters there with his wife, Sally, hosting dinner parties and transforming his house into a work of beauty and a small mecca for creatives.

Harris flocked to the neighborhood along with other artists and teachers in the 1960s because it was affordable (he paid $14,000 for his rowhome) and in close proximity to several schools, where he taught and studied—Maryland Institute College of Art, Johns Hopkins University, and the Schuler School of Fine Arts (he also taught art and theatrical design at the Park School, and Stevenson University). After Harris’ death in 2008, his wife continued to live in the three-story brick home at 1323 Park Ave., built in 1885, but she recently put it on the market.

Harris was a Baltimore icon and a Renaissance man, full of magic and mystique. He and his wife were active across multiple artistic disciplines. They met when she hired him as a choreographer and set designer at her theater, The Gateway Playhouse, in Long Island, New York, where she grew up.

“It was a totally artistic household,” says his daughter Holly Harris, who spent the past two years boxing up the house. There was always someone playing the piano—which is still in the house—or painting or gardening.

Harris became known for his maximalist paintings exploring all manner of metaphysical thought, and much of his work is housed at his Amaranthine Museum in Clipper Mill, a space that reopened to the public in November.

But his house was a work of art, too. He designed and executed many renovations and decorative details: a brick basement that leads out onto a patio, a rooftop garden, a marble kitchen counter in the shape of a grand piano, a wrought iron railing running up a rear stairwell, coffered ceilings in three of rooms. Local artisans installed stained glass above the front doorway and above the handcrafted cabinetry in the dining room. His most obvious addition stylistically might be the long mural that wraps around the front hallway and stairwell, painted for the wedding reception of one of his daughters following a ceremony in the Brown Memorial Park Avenue Church across the street.

“The house is so filled with love,” says Holly, who was 1 when her parents moved there in 1962. “We had so many good times in there.”

His studio was in the basement, but when his paintings became larger in scale, he grew out of that space in 1976 and moved to a studio at Clipper Mill, which he also used as a museum to show his body of work, which he refrained from selling. When Clipper Mill sold in 2005, the museum relocated within the community and just last year relocated once again to a much smaller space. The family intends to sell his work, as they believe it will reach a wider audience.

To understand—or at least get a sense of—the man who said things like “matter is a superstition”—you must first go to Amaranthine, the legacy he left behind. Floor to ceiling paintings and sculptural work (including pieces hung from the ceiling) move through time and explore metaphysics through the lens of art—numerology, astrology, cathedrals from various eras—going from modern times all the way back to the origin of consciousness, as he understood it (the paintings are heavy with sacred geometry and hieroglyphics), perhaps developing his own cosmology along the way.

“He was gonna find God through the eyes of artists,” Holly says. “His search was for the divine in everything.”

Through the Age of Aquarius, the Age of Pisces, the Age of Romance and the Age of Reason—they all have their place among the work.

“Once he was inspired, he’d paint so fast,” Holly says. “Nothing here has two coats of paint.”

She also recalls how the rooms of the Park Avenue house changed often, each time her father got a new vision that “he had to fulfill” and would move things around and redecorate to realize his ideas. Sections of the house went under complete renovations repeatedly.

Antithetical to what is done today, he would paint the grand 12-foot ceilings in a darker hue to create more intimacy in the large rooms.

Growing up, Holly was surrounded by national and international artists and actors, she says. Her parents would habitually host people when they were in town for gigs.

They bought another house in Virginia in 1992, where his artistic eye went into landscape architecture, as he transformed nearly two lakefront acres into their second paradise.

“He was always all over the place,” says Holly. “Mom and Dad never looked back; they just kept going, kept building.”

Visual Art

Profiles of Color III
Fredericksburg, Virginia, artist Ronald Jackson reimagines African-American portraiture in his solo show Profiles of Color III: Fabric, Face, and Form at Galerie Myrtis. The mixed-media pieces are collaged with bold shapes and patterns, reminiscent of Klimt but with a contemporary African accent. June 30 through July 28, with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. June 30 at Gallery Myrtis, 2224 N. Charles St.

Landmarked
Ada Pinkston explores historical landmarks and monuments in Landmarked, a highly participatory show that invites visitors to respond to prompts and, in doing so, become part of the exhibit as it unfolds. A pedestal in the gallery will serve as a space for performance art pieces throughout the duration of the show, including a special night of guest performers on June 16. June 1 to 22 at Cardinal, 1758 Park Ave.

Music

BSO’s New Music Festival
Imagine the elegance of classical music performance against the backdrop of Graffiti Alley and you have the June 22 Chamber Jam with Mind on Fire, Shodekeh, and Ok Miss, part of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s four-day New Music Festival. In its second year, the fest brings contemporary classical music to venues across the city, highlighting living composers. This year, Kevin Puts’ oboe concerto Moonlight, a piece commissioned by the BSO, will premiere at a free show at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. June 20 to 23.

John Williams at Camden Yards
Celebrated American composer (and lifelong baseball fan) John Williams—who has written scores and served as music director for films that include E.T., Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars—will be at Camden Yards on June 11 to throw the first pitch. Before the Orioles game, the BSO will perform a selection of his well-known pieces, starting at 6:30 p.m. The game will be followed by the June 13 Evening with John Williams performance at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Theater

Nights on the Fringe
Ballet, theater, puppetry, film, crankies, spoken word, dance, circus arts . . . the list goes on for Nights on the Fringe, a vaudeville-inspired cabaret weekend presented by Charm City Fringe—in case you are itching to see some Fringe-worthy shows before the main festival in November. The evenings will be hosted by Aaron Henkin (WYPR’s Out of the Blocks) and Umar Khan (Gin & Jokes, Super Comedy). 8 p.m. June 8 and 9 at the Baltimore Theatre Project.

Literary Arts

Books in Bloom
The daylong Books in Bloom festival brings a host of writers across all literary genres to Columbia for readings, discussions, children’s activities, and a pop-up bookstore. The lineup includes Amanda Lucidon, Edwidge Danticat, Elliot Ackerman, Ian Mackenzie, Jane Delury, Jeannie Valasco, Katia D. Ulysse, Nathan Bomey, Sujata Massey, Vikram Sunderam, and others. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 10 at downtown Columbia Lakefront, 10221 Wincopin Circle, Columbia.

Miscellanea

CreateScape
Creative Labs’ CreateScape event celebrates the DIY arts culture of Baltimore through a free, three-day open house at the group’s headquarters. With a focus on health, creativity, sustainability and collaboration, the fest, hosted by Creative Labs, will cross yoga and dance battles with live music and street art. An array of artisan vendors will give this event a festival feel. June 8 to 10 at Creative Labs, 1786b Union Ave.

Healthy Baltimore: A Festival of Wellness
The free Healthy Baltimore festival at Port Covington will bring an array of music, food, and health and fitness vendors aimed to get you on track—plus the inspiration to move your soul and your body with a performance by Talib Kweli. Pre-registration is required. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 16 at The Field in Port Covington, 200 E. Cromwell St.

Everyman Theatre’s latest production, The Book of Joseph, explores themes of love, war, survival, and decades-long family secrets. The play, by Karen Hartman and directed by Noah Himmelstein, is making its East Coast premiere in Baltimore this week, which marks a homecoming of sorts. It’s adapted from the nonfiction book Every Day Lasts a Year: A Jewish Family’s Correspondence From Poland, edited by Baltimore-based Richard Hollander after he discovered a suitcase of Swastika-stamped letters in his parents’ home after they’d died, revealing a piece of his family’s history he hadn’t ever known about.

Opening night is May 11, and the play continues its run through June 10. Additional events coincide with the production, including the Giving Voice to the Hollander Family Exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, which displays original Hollander family letters and artifacts.

Because the play deals with some pretty heavy-hitting subject matter, we thought we’d take this moment to lighten the mood a bit and show another side of the actors and the real-life people they portray by asking them each the same five questions. Consider this your comic relief.

(Note: The actors were not in character when responding to the following questions.)

How do you decompress after a long day?

Bruce Randolph Nelson (who plays Richard Hollander): At the beginning of the year, I started meditating—after a long time avoiding sitting in silence. Now it’s become routine, and is a great way to calm an anxious mind.

The Actual Richard Hollander: Actually, I decompress at the very beginning of the day, at the gym. That way, I can face the day knowing that I at least accomplished something.

Elliott Kashner (who plays Craig Hollander): My absolute favorite thing to do at the end of a long day is to cook dinner with my wife. We’ve been experimenting with all kinds of different recipes, so it has been a lot of fun trying to cook new things that we normally would never try and to make a list of our tried-and-true favorites.

The Actual Craig Hollander: I scour my DVR for something mind-numbing. Depending on how long the day, I might also scour my liquor cabinet for the same thing.

What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Bruce Randolph Nelson: Anything but pineapple. If forced to go there I would probably eat it anyway. Love to eat just about anything.

Richard Hollander: I enjoy pizza without toppings. That is probably a reflection of my personality: pedestrian.

Elliott Kashner: Bacon and banana peppers. It sounds really bizarre, but the saltiness of the bacon with the tanginess of the peppers . . . You’ve gotta try it.

Craig Hollander: Pepperoni. And anyone who answers “cheese” or “plain” doesn’t understand the definition of “topping.”

If you could travel back to any time of your life, where would you go and why?

Bruce Randolph Nelson: Early Rome, to see how it all started. Although, a close second would be Renaissance Florence—for the culture.

Richard Hollander: I would probably go back to age 8 or 9, when I still believed I could play in the major leagues.

Elliott Kashner: Our honeymoon. My wife and I went to St. Croix in April 2013. It was off-season there, but the weather was still perfect. We enjoyed personal tours of the rum distilleries, had the beaches to ourselves, and the complex where we stayed bumped us up to a cabin right on the beach (since no one else was there). We went kayaking at night, and the kayaks were clear and had lights on the bottom, so you could paddle around and look at all the fish (and octopi!) swimming under you. I’d love to go back and do all of that again.

Craig Hollander: I would travel back to the early 1980s because I don’t remember those years from the first time around.

Do you collect anything?

Bruce Randolph Nelson: The tears of my regrets. Seriously, love the occasional well-placed antique.

Richard Hollander: To the great dismay of my wife, I collect everything and rarely throw out anything.

Elliott Kashner: Not anymore. We live in a small studio, so we just don’t have room to collect much, other than a library of plays. I used to play tabletop strategy games when I was younger, and I loved collecting the miniatures and painting them. They are still sitting in my parents’ basement, I think. If we ever move into an apartment with more space, I think that’s something I might like to start collecting again.

Craig Hollander: I always seem to have a lot of near-empty pens on my desk.

Who—real or fictional—made the greatest impression on you growing up?

Bruce Randolph Nelson: The whole psychological-horror genre of books. Lot’s of Stephen King. I like it dark.

Richard Hollander: As a kid, Hank Aaron made the greatest impression. Is there anything else worth achieving if one can hit for average, hit for power, run, field, and throw? From a kid’s perspective, that is about as perfect as it gets.

Elliott Kashner: Atticus Finch. My mom was an English teacher, and her favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird; Harper Lee had even signed and personalized a copy for her. In high school, I really wanted to be a lawyer, and Atticus was the model of what I thought a lawyer should be: someone who always stood up for what was right. He was decent, modest, and resolute, and I used to imagine that when I became a lawyer, I would be like him. I ended up not studying law, but I still think of the character from time to time, and ask myself what Atticus might do in a given situation.

Craig Hollander: Homer Simpson.

Visual Art

Odyssey: Jack Whitten Sculpture
The Baltimore Museum of Art will introduce to the world 40 sculptures by Jack Whitten (1963-2018), the renowned artist who influenced the next generation of painters and passed away in January. As he was known primarily for his paintings and mixed-media work, this show, co-organized with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, marks the first of its kind. Sculpture mediums include wood, marble, copper, and bone, and the collection also features personal mementos, as well as Whitten’s Black Monoliths series, which reveals how sculpture influenced his paintings. April 22 through July 29 at the BMA, 10 Art Museum Drive. Free Opening Celebration, 1 to 5 p.m. April 22.

Bonnie Crawford Kotula
Baltimore-based artist Bonnie Crawford will show a series of drawings and sculptural works around the theme of sleep—and more specifically, insomnia—in an exhibit at Montpelier Arts Center. The body of work was inspired by Louise Bourgeois’ Insomnia Drawings. At an artist talk, there will be blankets and tea. April 7 to May 27 at Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Road, Laurel. Opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. April 8; artist talk at 3 p.m. April 28.

Music

Negative Gemini, Amy Reid
The Metro Gallery will host a night of electronica with a packed lineup of local and national acts. Negative Gemini will headline with her indie dream-pop dance beats. Also on the bill: George Clanton and two Baltimore-based artists, Amy Reid and Giddeon Gallows (Drew Scott). It’s a good excuse to dance and shake off those winter blues. 9 p.m. April 11 at Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St.

Snakes album release show
Frontman George Cessna eases through each of Snakes’ dark and twangy rockabilly rides, creating a lo-fi sound while crooning out lyrics that have a timeless quality about them. The five-piece, which essentially started as a backup band for Cessna, released its second full-length record, No More Songs About Wildflowers, in March (with a cassette option, per tradition), and they’ll play their album release show this month at EMP Collective. Catch them before they hit the road this summer for an extended tour. 9 p.m. April 13 at EMP Collective, 307 W. Baltimore St.

Theater

Peter Pan, an original stage adaptation
Playwright Joshua Conkel (Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) re-imagines the classic story of Peter Pan for a 21st-century audience in Single Carrot Theatre’s world premiere of Peter Pan. As part of its community outreach, the theater partners with people in Baltimore each year to create an original production. This one borrows stories and inspiration from local LGBTQ residents to present a Peter and Wendy who grapple with questions of gender and sexuality in Neverland. 8 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays from April 27 through May 20. Pay-What-You-Can Previews on April 25 and 26. Single Carrot Theatre, 2600 N. Howard St.

Literary Arts

CityLit Festival
In its 15th year, CityLit Festival returns with a lineup so packed, it’s probably best to clear your whole day on April 14. The event includes workshops, readings, lectures, and panel discussions spanning multiple genres and local and international talent. The keynote author is New Yorker staff writer Philip Gourevitch, Yrsa Daley-Ward will give a master class, plus Elizabeth Acevedo and Joanne Gabbin will be speakers, among many more. Most events at the festival are free, but some require registration and/or small fees. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 14 at William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center at the University of Baltimore, 11 W. Mount Royal Ave.

Fashion

MICA’s experimental fashion shows
Avant-garde and experimental fashion by MICA students will be highlighted during two shows this month. First, designs by 20 students in fiber, painting, illustration, fine arts, graphic design, sculpture, and other programs at the school will make their debut at Authenticity, the annual benefit show in its 25th year. Artists explore personality, social class, and cultural heritage through their work, reflecting on their individual as well as collective identities. Several garments will be auctioned off at the event. The second event, MEZZO: An Experimental Fashion Event, is by the Fiber Department’s Multi Media Event class and encompasses costumes, performance, puppetry, and sculpture by 12 designers. Authenticity is at 9 p.m. April 13 and 8 p.m. April 14 at MICA’s Falvey Hall, 1301 W. Mount Royal Ave., and MEZZO is at 5 and 8 p.m. April 21 at the Baltimore War Memorial, 101 N. Gay St.

Miscellanea

Refugee and Immigrant Arts Feast
Mera Kitchen Collective’s inaugural Refugee and Immigrants Arts Feast celebrates cultures from around the world through food, art, crafts, and music. The all-day event is free and family-friendly. 11:30 a.m. to  4p.m. April 28 at 2640 Space, 2640 St. Paul St.

#RiseBmore
April 19 marks the third anniversary of Freddie Gray’s death while in police custody. In commemoration, several artists will present a free event, #RiseBmore2018, that evening at Union Baptist Church. The lineup: Words by Abdu Ali, Erricka Wonder Voice Bridgeford, Brittani McNeill, Tariq Touré, and Shannon Lo Wallace, and music by Judah Adashi, Akua Allrich, Japheth Clark, Mark G. Meadows, Joy Postell, Letitia VanSant (leh-tih-sha), and Voices Rise: A Baltimore Choir of Hope.

On Drugs: Stories about dependence, destruction, and salvation
As the Stoop Storytelling Series so aptly puts it, elixirs have the power to both heal and destroy us. In a night of stories around this central theme of drugs, storytellers include a poet, a family medicine doctor, an independent drug researcher, a retired state police captain, and others. 8 p.m. April 19 at the Senator Theatre, 5904 York Road.

Visual Art

Devin Allen’s A Beautiful Ghetto exhibit
Baltimore street photographer Devin Allen became known across the nation for his work after one of his images of the 2015 Baltimore protests was featured as the cover of Time magazine. Three years later, and in honor of that anniversary, the Institute for Integrative Health will exhibit a series of his black-and-white photos documenting the riots in A Beautiful Ghetto. Maybe more importantly, the show will serve as a launchpad for community-wide discussions. This kicks off with an artist talk during the opening reception, where his 2017 book by the same title will be available, and it continues with various events with a focus on healing, such as the April 13 dialogue with artists, writers, and leaders about creating healing spaces for their communities. The Institute for Integrative Health, 1407 Fleet St. Opening reception: 6 to 8:30 p.m. March 15.

Adam Davies: Reroutings
Creative Alliance resident artist Adam Davies will transform the space there to bring us Reroutings, an exhibit of his large-format film photographs of outdoor structures that have served as unofficial public forums (think graffiti-strewn bridges and unexpected street art found during a stroll). The gallery space will be completely darkened and the walls painted black and replaced with his huge (56- by 70-inch) photographic images, which will be lit from behind. Alex Zhang Hungtai of Dirty Beaches will perform his lo-fi electronica soundscapes—which were an influence on the photography series—during an opening reception on March 10, and more events will follow. Opens March 10 at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Stephen Towns: Rumination and a Reckoning
Story quilts are an African-American tradition dating back at least some 200 years. Some historians believe that secret codes were sewn into quilts, providing maps for navigating the Underground Railroad. Baltimore artist Stephen Towns continues in this tradition, exploring themes of slavery and perspectives of women and people of color through his large-scale fabric and bead-work pieces, often featuring faceless black figures that appear as silhouettes. The Baltimore Museum of Art will exhibit 10 of his quilts in Rumination and a Reckoning beginning this month, seven of which depict the story of Nat Turner and his 1831 rebellion. As if that weren’t enough, the museum will host Towns in conversation with internationally renowned artist Mark Bradford. March 7 through Sept. 2 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive.

Music

Baltimore Plays The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary
Hard as it may be to believe, it’s been 20 years since the release of the seminal album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. In a homage to the work, several artists—Jasmine Pope (J Pope and the HearNow), Christen B, Joy Postell, Karin Sings Evans, Marc Avon Evans, Jamaal Black Root Collier—will gather at the Creative Alliance to perform its tracks in their own style. March 18 at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Theater

Humbug: The Great P.T. Barnum Séance
Magician David London will attempt to summon the spirit of The Great P.T. Barnum via—what else?—séance in his new show Humbug at The Peale Center. While we can’t guarantee audiences will make contact with the legendary showman, we do guarantee the exhibition of genuine Barnum artifacts (honestly, that might be a hoax, too—in the spirit of P.T. Barnum, of course). March 8 to 25 at The Peale Center, 225 N. Holliday St.

Film

Everything is Terrible!’s The Great Satan
Imagine being able to get a taste of more than more than 2,000 horror, satanic, and religious films in under two hours. You don’t have to imagine anymore. Everything is Terrible! has done the work for you, creating a narrative from scraps of material to make the kitschy, trippy new film The Great Satan. In their own words: “Since the dawn of time, man has searched for answers . . . and failed. But the fog of existence has finally cleared thanks to the eternal fruits of your favorite found footage collective.” The makers will be at the theater to present their film as part of their cross-country tour. Guests are encouraged to bring offerings of VHS tapes of Jerry Maguire. March 7 at SNF Parkway Theatre, 5 W. North Ave.

Kékszakállú

Baltimore’s Matt Porterfield, best known for his films Hamilton and Putty Hill, will host and do a Q&A at two screenings of the gorgeous Argentine film Kékszakállú, co-written and co-produced by him and directed by Gastón Solnicki. The coming-of-age film’s title and inspiration comes from the opera Bluebeard’s Castle and follows a group of upper-class girls as they enter the world outside of their privileged lives. March 2 to 8 at SNF Parkway Theatre, 5 W. North Ave.

Literary Arts

An Evening with Laura Lippman at Federal Hill Prep School
Baltimore’s literary darling and New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman will be at Federal Hill Prep School as part of a book tour for her latest release, Sunburn. The novel tells the story of Polly, a runaway wife who’s ready to start a new life but wasn’t quite ready to fall in love in the process. March 24 at Federal Hill Preparatory School, 1040 William St.

Visual Art

Reflections: Intimate Portraits of Iconic African Americans
Photographer Terrence A. Reese’s career has led him to take portraits of such stars as Lauryn Hill and George Clinton. The artist, who goes by TAR, will exhibit a selection of his work at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum this month in the show Reflections: Intimate Portraits of Iconic African Americans. Black-and-white images will depict such luminaries as the Nicholas Brothers and Gordon Parks in their natural environments and living spaces so as to better reflect who they are, through their personal objects, style, and the context of their lives. Wednesdays through Sundays, Feb. 1 through Aug. 12, at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St.

Artist talk with Shirin Neshat
Iranian artist Shirin Neshat explores gender, identity, and politics in her work, as well as the differences in culture between the West and Muslim countries. Because she tackles such complex themes, there is no shortage of questions and discussion surrounding her work. It also makes her a perfect candidate for MICA’s Mixed Media lecture series, which brings to Baltimore artists from across the globe. For this installment, Neshat will be in conversation with Baltimore Museum of Art Director Christopher Bedford. 7 p.m. Feb. 15 at Falvey Hall, Brown Center, 1301 W. Mount  Mount Royal Ave.

Music

Charm City Django Jazz Fest
Nothing like some live gypsy jazz to add a little heat to a cold winter’s day. Creative Alliance has got us covered with not one but three days of its annual Charm City Django Jazz Fest, which will bring in acts from across the region and world, including headliner Samson Schmiit, a legendary Manouche gypsy guitarist from France. Swing on by to see Sara L’abriola, Ultrafaux, ‘Nuff Said, and others, to experience a range of styles within the genre. Feb. 23 to 25 at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Out of Darkness: Two Remain
A new opera looks at what you might consider atypical Holocaust survivors: one, a political prisoner, and the other a homosexual Protestant, both of whom used words to overcome the traumas of captivity during the war. World-renowned composer Jake Heggie developed the two-act opera based on the true stories of these characters who “survive through their poetry,” says Garnett Bruce, stage director of the Peabody Chamber Opera’s production of the piece. Feb. 8 through 11 at Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. The composer and librettist will attend opening night, with a talk following the show.

Theater

Constellations & Crossroads
Constellations & Crossroads is a theatrical double-header steeped in American history and exploding with life. Baltimore Rock Opera Society partnered with Arena Players, Baltimore’s historic African-American community theater, to present two short musicals in their entirety, backed by a live band. The Determination of Azimuth tells the story of Katherine Johnson, a black mathematician who worked for NASA and was responsible for comp[uting paths for rocket ships sent into space. Battle of Blue Apple Crossing leans more on fiction to tell the tale of blues legend Robert Johnson, said to have sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical ability. The score follows America’s musical heritage from field spirituals to rock ’n’ roll to garage rock. 8 p.m. Feb. 9 through 18 at Arena Players’ venue at 801 McCulloh St.

All She Must Possess
The Rep Stage premiere of All She Must Possess tells the story of Baltimore’s famed Cone sisters, Claribel and Etta, extravagant world travelers and collectors of art and curios. During the early 20th century, they stored thousands of paintings—including work by Matisse and Picasso, among other greats—in their homes, amassing what would become one of the world’s largest collections of modern art (a large portion would eventually be housed at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where it is today). In the theatrical version of their lives, written by University of Maryland Baltimore County professor Susan McCully and directed by Rep Stage artistic director Joseph W. Ritsch, paintings come to life and Gertrude Stein—Etta’s lover—makes an appearance. Coinciding with the play is an exhibition of historical women’s clothing from the Cone sisters’ time, on display at Howard Community College’s Rouse Company Foundation Gallery through March 11. The play runs Feb. 8 to 25 at Rep Stage at Howard Community College.

Dance

The Community Project
Each year, The Collective pulls together dancers from the community and pairs them with a professional choreographer to develop the Community Project performance. This year, 22 dancers—ranging in age from teens to baby boomers and across all skill levels—met on several cold January weekends to rehearse under dancer Caitlin McAfee for this year’s show, which is but one component to the Baltimore Dance Invitational. Set to Indian Wells’ song “Cascades,” the group will show through movement how the mind races, gets distracted, and follows its own trails of thought. Gordon Center for Performing Arts on Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave., Owings Mills. 

Beyonce vs Rihanna Dance Party: Round 2
The Ottobar event flier states it best: “Are you ‘Drunk In Love’ or ‘Drunk On Love’?!” At the Beyonce vs Rihanna Dance Party, that is precisely the question. And also, are you ready to duke it out—through dance, of course, to support your diva de jour. The dance party battle will light up with Beyonce tracks from DJ Mills and Rihanna tracks from Ottobar owner Craig Boarman. 9 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Miscellanea

African-American Arts Festival
The University of Baltimore helps us to celebrate Black History Month specifically through art at its annual African-American Arts Festival. Its offerings span an array of artistic mediums: film, visual art, music, theater. Some highlights: a panel with Black Ladies Brunch Crew of D.C., an African drumming circle, readings of Langston Hughes poetry spliced with live, improvised jazz piano, and a screening of Jonathan Demme’s film of Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. Feb. 15 to 18 at the University of Baltimore, 1420 N. Charles St.

Exhibit of Original Costumes

We may be 2,500 miles from Hollywood, but John Klisavage brings us a touch of its wonder by way of costume. At his bookstore in Havre De Grace, he’s displaying several outfits worn in major motion pictures, including Hunger Games and The Notebook. February and March at Washington Street Books & Music, 131 N. Washington St., Havre De Grace.

A culinary documentary on Basque cuisine
Parkway Theater has teamed up with a local restaurant to bring a food and film pairing, naturally. After a screening of The Txoko Experience: The Secret Culinary Space of The Basques, scriptwriter Marcela Garces and director Yuri Morejon will answer any questions the audience has, and then . . . everyone can partake in the food portion of the evening: passed pintxos from the Basque-inspired La Cuchara restaurant. Renowned Basque chefs serve as narrators of the culinary documentary, which explores Txokos, groups of people who gather to explore innovative and experimental ways of cooking. As Morejon puts it, “Txokos represent a distinctive, albeit enigmatic element of Basque gastronomy. As the private temples of traditional Basque cuisine, they captivate people with their warmth, ambiance, and great respect for fresh products.” 7 p.m. Feb. 22 Parkway Theater, 5 W. North Ave.