Category Archives: Drama

Rotten Apple at the Bowie CPA, Sep 16-17

Rotten Apple at the Bowie CPA, Sep 16-17

BLNK Entertainment Presents:
Rotten Apple
by Barry Battle

September 16 – 17, 2023
Saturday, September 16 at 7:00pm
Sunday, September 17 at 4:00pm

Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.

A man tormented by failed dreams is unwittingly given an opportunity to relocate his family to The Big Apple. His struggle between passion and family draws thin when a Rotten Apple enters their lives. Blinded by selfishness, will the foundation of which he’s built his home withstand or implode?

Tickets: $75 – $90. Click here.

Out of the Vineyard at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Sep 8-24

Out of the Vineyard at Joe’s Movement Emporium, Sep 8-24

Joe’s Movement Emporium presents:
Out of the Vineyard
by Psalmayene 24

Opening Night! Friday September 8, 2023 7:30 pm
Saturday September 9, 2023 3 pm
Saturday September 9, 2023 7:30 pm
Sunday September 10, 2023 3 pm
Wednesday September 13, 2023 7:30 pm
Thursday September 14, 2023 11 am
Thursday September 14, 2023 7:30 pm
Friday September 15, 2023 11 am
Friday September 15, 2023 7:30 pm
Saturday September 16, 2023 3 pm
Saturday September 16, 2023 7:30 pm
Sunday September 17, 2023 3 pm
Monday September 18, 2023 7:30 pm
Wednesday September 20, 2023 7:30 pm
Thursday September 21, 2023 7:30 pm
Friday September 22, 2023 11 am
Friday September 22, 2023 7:30 pm
Saturday September 23, 2023 3 pm
Saturday September 23, 2023 7:30 pm
Sunday September 24, 2023 3 pm

Location: Joe’s Movement Emporium.

Over the last year, we dug deeper into the Freedom Stories Initiative alongside playwright Psalmayene 24 (Psalm), who was inspired by Dr. William G. Thomas’ book of history “A Question of Freedom”. The book follows the story of the longest and most complex legal challenge to slavery in American history. Psalm referenced Prince George’s County’s rich history as he created the play Out of the Vineyard, weaving together monologues that excavate a buried chapter in American history while illuminating how the legacy of slavery still affects us.

Out of the Vineyard is directed by director-choreographer Tony Thomas and features actors Scott Abernethy, Frank Britton, Adrienne Nelson, and Jacqueline Youm. The design team includes costume designer Jeannette Christensen, sound design by Nick Hernandez, lighting design by Luis Garcia, set design by Shartoya Jn. Baptiste, and media design by Christian Henriquez. The production will be stage managed by Kate Kilbane.

The Freedom Stories initiative is a program partnership between Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, Prince George’s Community College Center for Performing Arts, Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights, and Joe’s Movement Emporium. The commissioned play Out of the Vineyard is made possible by the generous support of PGCMLS Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Busboys and Poets, Maryland Humanities Counsel, if, A Foundation for Radical Possibility, Maryland Milestones, National Endowment for the Arts, Adelphi Friends Meeting, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and individual donors.

The premiere of Out of the Vineyard will take place from Friday, September 8th to Sunday, September 24th at Joe’s Movement Emporium. Each performance will have a post-show discussion with guest facilitators.

*Recommended for audiences ages 10+, with some adult language and discussions of systemic racism.

Adults $40, Student/Senior/Veteran $25. Click here.

Life: The Diary of a Broken & Healed Sinner at the Bowie CPA, Aug 6

Life: The Diary of a Broken & Healed Sinner at the Bowie CPA, Aug 6

Life: The Diary of a Broken & Healed Sinner
Written, Directed and Produced by Elder Chanté Thompson

Sunday August 6, 2023 at 4pm

Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.

This NEW STAGE PLAY called “Life: The Diary of a Broken & Healed Sinner” is a 2022 drama play written, directed, and produced by Elder Chanté Thompson. Meet seven dynamic women who are faced by life challenges and end up incarcerated for various reasons. The truth about truth is that it lies in the power of those who experience it. The play stars Cherill Ashton, Kaneya Morgan, Nadia Palacios, Trexavier Gayles, Kimberly Council, Rachel Johnson, Lorrie Davis, and Edward Crews. The supporting cast includes Marcus Davis, Kevin Harrison, Cornelius Wyatt, Carlton Page (CJ), Sheicka Lewis, Brandon Sterling, and Trisha Rich. The play’s story is told from inside a prison by female inmates who describe their lives (past, present, and future). One is wrongfully convicted, another a murderer, another a bank robber, and another a drug addict but don’t judge a book by its cover because underneath the surface lies the truth. They are just like you and me, except they got caught. Look within to see their pain, joy, sorrow, torment, laughter, love, and gain. Follow the story of seven women who learn how to find themselves, find their future, and find God.

Tickets: $35 and $40. Click here.

Romeo and Juliet at the Bowie CPA, Jul 27-30

Romeo and Juliet at the Bowie CPA, Jul 27-30

Storytellers Theater Arts presents:
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare

July 27 – 30, 2023
Thursday, July 27 at 7:30pm
Friday, July 28 at 7:30pm
Saturday, July 29 at 2:00pm
Saturday, July 29 at 7:30pm
Sunday, July 30 at 3:00pm

Location: Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.

Storytellers presents an exciting, fast-paced adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy with music.

Tickets: adults: $20, child: $15 plus service fee. Click here.

National Puppetry Festival at Clarice Smith, Jul 19-22

National Puppetry Festival at Clarice Smith, Jul 19-22

2023 National Puppetry Festival

All events are in person or livestream. Purchase separate tickets for each performance.

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Wed, Jul 19, 2023 . 09:00PM to 10:00PM
Marooned! (Alex and Olmstead)

Alex and Olmsted’s Jim Henson Foundation grant awarded MAROONED! A Space Comedy is an innovative new puppet show, featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, that takes place at the outer reaches of space. An astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet. Will she be able to survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in MAROONED!

Thu, Jul 20, 2023 . 09:00PM to 10:00PM
SPINOKIO (5P1N0K10)

Using music, video, and magical marionettes, the show spins the story to which its title and Jeghetto’s moniker refer into an Afrofuturist parable about a robot that longs to be a real B boy in a post apocalyptic future. The 5P1N0K10 universe takes the stage. This Hip Hopera created by Jeghetto and cowritten by Pierce Freelon was awarded grants from the Henson Foundation two years in a row.

Fri, Jul 21, 2023 . 09:00PM to 10:00PM
National Puppetry Festival: Terry Fator

The most successful performer to emerge from the America’s Got Talent franchise and Las Vegas legend Terry Fator will share a special program exclusively for the Puppeteers of America National Festival. Part performance, part discussion, and part Q&A, Terry will perform several pieces showcasing his amazing vocal abilities and share stories of his experiences in the national spotlight. Terry is eager to join puppetry colleagues on the campus which has been so important to the history of American puppetry, and he hopes to help inspire the next generation of puppeteers.

Sat, Jul 22, 2023 . 07:00PM to 09:00PM
National Puppetry Festival: Awards Ceremony

Sat, Jul 22, 2023 . 09:00PM to 10:00PM
PACKRAT by Concrete Temple Theatre

Set deep in the Sagebrush Desert, PACKRAT is a visually stunning puppet play that contemplates humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Puppetry, projections and an original score elegantly come together to shape what The New Times called, “a journey of rescue and redemption…Thoroughly mesmerizing … amazingly expressive.” Inspired by the classic adventure novel, “Watership Down,” PACKRAT follows one peculiar rodent, Bud, who has a penchant for hoarding humankind’s goods.

Tickets: In-person performances, tickets are $30. Livestream tickets are $20. Award ceremony is pay-what-you-wish, minimum $5. Click here.