Nostalgia is a disease. Sounds bitter and jaded, right? Or maybe it’s a lens of reality that should be more closely examined— lingering too long in the past can make it difficult to progress into the future. 2nd Star Productions, in shared residence at Bowie Playhouse, is currently producing Sweat, written by the Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright, Lynn Nottage. Directed by Miss Cody Jones, the play itself is a powerful social commentary about classism,
They’re practically perfect, in every way! Almost practically perfect, that’s what we say! Mary Poppins popping up on the Bowie Playhouse Stage by way of 2nd Star Productions. Directed by Fred Nelson with Musical Direction by Sandy Melson Griese, this charming and quaint little Disney ditty is a lovely offering for the summertime. Anything can happen if you let it and they’re letting anything and everything happen on that stage; well, practically,
The cast is great, the script is swell, but this I’m telling you, sirs. It’s just no go, you’ve got no show without The Producers! And Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre has got a show because they’ve got The Producers as the final offering of their 50th Anniversary season this summer. The iconic Mel Brooks musical arrives at Annapolis’ own theatre under the stars venue under the Direction of Jerry Vess with Musical Direction by Anita O’Connor.
They’re crazier than you. That’s just the overview. And nothing up ‘til now has proved me wrong. With their wall-climbing spiders, creepy set, and kooky performers, the Annapolis Summer Garden is proving black is the new cool with their current production of The Addams Family. Directed by Debbie Barber-Eaton, with Musical Direction by David Merrill, this spooky production is anything but normal. And that’s perfectly fine as normal is relative— what’s normal for the spider is a calamity for the fly!
Brush up your Shakespeare! You might need it to thoroughly enjoy each and every hysterical joke featured in 2nd Star Productions current performance of Kiss Me, Kate, the musical whose focus revolves around the Bard’s Taming of the Shrew. Directed by Roy Hammond with Musical Direction Joe Biddle, the show is a smash-hit sensation with an extraordinarily talented cast that makes an afternoon at the theatre thoroughly enjoyable.
It’s that time of year, folks! The Washington Area Theatre Community Honors have come around again to honor all of the truly exceptional theatre being performed in community venues across the Washington DC and surrounding metropolitan area. The 2014 award nominations were presented live this evening at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA.
There were 111 different productions– 34 musicals and 77 plays– adjudicated over in the 2014 theatrical season. 31 community theatre companies participated in WATCH adjudication in 2014.