Category Archives: Drama

Upstage Artists presents Rope, Feb 21-Mar 2

Upstage Artists presents Rope, Feb 21-Mar 2

Upstage Artists presents:
Rope
by Patrick Hamilton
directed by Rick Bergmann

Show dates: February 21 – March 2, 2025

Location: Upstage Artists, performing at the Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 11416 Cedar Lane, Beltsville MD, 20705

For the mere sake of adventure, danger, and the “fun of the thing,” Wyndham Brandon persuades his weak-minded friend, Charles Granillo, to assist him in the murder of a fellow undergraduate, a perfectly harmless man named Ronald Raglan. They place the body in a wooden chest, and to add spice to their handiwork, invite a few acquaintances, including the dead youth’s father, to a party, the chest with its gruesome contents serving as a supper table.

Tickets: $11.50. For more information click here.

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf at the Clarice, Feb 21-28

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf at the Clarice, Feb 21-28

The University of Maryland and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center present:
for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf
by Ntozake Shange
directed by Ama Law and Fatima Quander

February 21–28, 2025
Fri, Feb 21, 2025 . 7:30PM
Sat, Feb 22, 2025 . 7:30PM
Sun, Feb 23, 2025 . 2:00PM
Wed, Feb 26, 2025 . 7:30PM: Includes an audio description.
Thu, Feb 27, 2025 . 7:30PM: Includes ASL interpretation.
Fri, Feb 28, 2025 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Ntozake Shange’s highly influential 1976 choreopoem for colored girls… might well be the most performed and important piece of theater created expressly by and for Black women in the history of the United States. The work has been adapted for both film and television and can boast a Tony-nominated Broadway revival as recently as 2022. UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies faculty members Ama Law and Fatima Quander direct a loving rendition of Shange’s masterpiece that proves its timelessness.

Tickets: $25 Public, $10 Students, click here.

Prince George’s Community College presents Out of the Vineyard, Feb 19-26

Prince George’s Community College presents Out of the Vineyard, Feb 19-26

Prince George’s Community College presents:
Out of the Vineyard
by Psalmayene 24

February 19 – 26, 2025
Wednesday, February 19th at 6:30 PM
Friday, February 21st at 7:30 PM
Saturday, February 22nd at 3:00 PM
Saturday, February 22nd at 7:30 PM
Wednesday, February 26th at 3:00 PM

Location: Prince George’s Community College.

Center for Performing Arts, 301 Largo Road Largo, MD 20774

A vivid, deeply-researched narrative constructed from interviews with descendants of enslaved families and individuals. Through powerful imagery and movement, “Out of the Vineyard” brushes against the grain of history to bring the experiences of freedom-making from enslavement to life.

“Out of the Vineyard (OOTV)” was written by esteemed playwright Psalmayene 24, who masterfully adapts the groundbreaking historical work “A Question of Freedom: The Families Who Challenged Slavery from the Nation’s Founding to Civil War” by historian William G. Thomas III for the stage.

The play highlights the families, names, and places, illuminating stories of quests for freedom and opportunity against systematic racism. By exploring how slavery has shaped our societies and by encouraging audiences to think critically about the legacy of hiding the details of history, “Out of the Vineyard” promotes a deeper understanding of the issues facing us today. The play inspires audiences to work toward a more just and equitable future.

Unraveling over seven decades, the enslaved families of Prince George’s County, Maryland, including the Butlers, Queens, Mahoneys, Bells, and more, embarked on a relentless legal quest for freedom. These brave families confronted formidable slavery within the court system, leading their crusade to the highest echelons of justice: the Supreme Court.

Tickets $40 General, or $10 Students, click here.

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf by 2nd Star Productions at the Bowie Playhouse, Feb 7-Mar 1

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf by 2nd Star Productions at the Bowie Playhouse, Feb 7-Mar 1

2nd Star Productions at the Bowie Playhouse presents:
for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf
Directed by Rikki Howie Lacewell

February 7 – March 1, 2025
Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm; closing Saturday, March 1 at 2pm

2nd Star Productions at the Bowie Playhouse

for colored girls… is a choreopoem written by Ntozake Shange. It’s a piece that explores the stories, experiences and journey of growing up as a woman of color in America. The play uses music, dance, and poetic drama to take us through the tragedy and the triumphs of life, and life’s struggles, as we move from childhood to womanhood, embracing the power of self-discovery, self-determination, and affirmation.

WARNING: mature and highly sensitive content.

Tickets for shows at Bowie Playhouse are $25.00 for General Admission, $22.00 for seniors (60 and over), military and full time students, and $15 for Children 11 and under. Buy tickets here.

Fires in the Mirror at Laurel Mill Playhouse, Feb 7-23

Fires in the Mirror at Laurel Mill Playhouse, Feb 7-23

Laurel Mill Playhouse presents:
FIRES IN THE MIRROR
Written by Anna Deavere Smith
Directed by Lorraine Brooks
Produced by Maureen Rogers

Performances February 7, 2025 – February 23, 2025. Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Location: Laurel Mill Playhouse

The play is a compilation of interviews and headlines dealing with the Crown Heights race riots in Brooklyn New York in 1991. The riots stemmed from the death of Gavin Cato, a Black boy who was killed when a vehicle driven by a Hasidic Jew allegedly ran a stop light and careened onto a sidewalk where Gavin Cato was playing. The incident set off a series of angry reactions on both sides, and culminated in the stabbing death of Rabbinical student Yankel Rosenbaum. The circumstances and aftermath reflected long-standing tensions between the Black and Jewish communities, and highlighted the (often similar) struggles of each group against discrimination and bias.

Themes include race relations, press coverage bias, perceptions of disparate treatment in health care, law enforcement, and political representation.

Ticket prices are as follows:
Adults: $20, Children 18 and under, Seniors 65 and over, and active duty military: $15

For further information, please call 301-617-9906, or contact Maureen Rogers at maureencrogers@gmail.com or 301-452-2557.