Tag Archives: Alvin Mayes

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Clarice Smith, Oct 7-15

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Clarice Smith, Oct 7-15

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Alvin Mayes and Scot Reese

October 7-15, 2022
Fri, Oct 7, 2022 . 7:30PM
Sun, Oct 9, 2022 . 3:00PM
Thu, Oct 13, 2022 . 7:30PM
Fri, Oct 14, 2022 . 7:30PM
Sat, Oct 15, 2022 . 2:00PM
Sat, Oct 15, 2022 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Join us in person at The Clarice! Please note that this performance will not be livestreamed.

Pulitzer Prize winning Lynn Nottage’s comedy By The Way, Meet Vera Stark creates a microcosm of race and culture in the Golden Age of Hollywood that resounds to this day. Vera Stark, maid to aging Hollywood star Gloria Mitchell, is given a stereotypical role in an antebellum film starring none other than Gloria! This deeply complex but stirring story tackles the paradox faced by Black actors due to the entertainment industry’s continued racial stereotyping.

“Critic’s Pick! It is such a good show! So clever, so playful, so keen to shapeshift and timeslip and whiz through half a dozen separate genres.” –The New York Times

Health + Safety: Patrons attending University of Maryland arts events are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. We continue to encourage audiences to wear a mask and stay current with vaccinations and boosters. Please see our Health & Safety information page for information about what to expect during your visit.

Tickets: Pay What You Wish. Click here.

Little Women: the Broadway Musical at Clarice Smith, Oct 28-31, In Person

Little Women: the Broadway Musical at Clarice Smith, Oct 28-31, In person

Little Women: the Broadway Musical
Book by Allan Knee
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Music by Jason Howland
Based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott
Alvin Mayes and Scot Reese, directors
Marci Shegogue, musical director
Matré Grant, associate musical director

October 28-31, 2021
Thu, Oct 28, 2021 . 07:30PM to 10:00PM
Fri, Oct 29, 2021 . 07:30PM to 10:00PM
Sun, Oct 31, 2021 . 02:00PM to 04:30PM
Sun, Oct 31, 2021 . 07:30PM to 10:00PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. In person.

In Louisa May Alcott’s beloved book “Little Women,” writer Jo March and her sisters Meg, Beth and Amy represent the experiences of women and families during the Civil War. Alcott’s timeless coming-of-age story debuted as a musical on Broadway in 2005, bringing these memorable characters to life through song and movement. The musical immerses audiences in the adventures of the March sisters, through love, hope and self-discovery.

“It’s hard not to love the March girls of Concord, MA, so deeply etched are Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy on the cultural and emotional landscape that they resurface from generation to generation like cherished friends.”—David Rooney, Variety

Health + Safety: There may be COVID safety policies such as mask requirements in place when you attend this event. Please see our health & safety page for the most up to date information about attendance!

Tickets: Pay what you wish, suggested price: $20 Regular, $10 Student. Click here.

Flyin’ West at Clarice Smith, Nov 1-9

Flyin’ West at Clarice Smith, Nov 1-9

Flyin’ West
Scot Reese, co-director
Alvin Mayes, co-director
Written by Pearl Cleage

November 1 – 9, 2019

Fri, Nov 1, 2019 . 7:30PM
Sun, Nov 3, 2019 . 2:00PM
Sun, Nov 3, 2019 . 7:30PM
Wed, Nov 6, 2019 . 7:30PM
Thu, Nov 7, 2019 . 7:30PM
Fri, Nov 8, 2019 . 7:30PM
Sat, Nov 9, 2019 . 2:00PM
Sat, Nov 9, 2019 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Kogod Theatre, reserved seating.

Set in 1898, Flyin’ West is the vivid and spirited story of African American women pioneers who settle together in the all-black town of Nicodemus, KS. After emancipation, the play’s four women have taken advantage of the Homestead Act to leave the oppressive South in hopes of finding the freedom that had been denied to them for so long. Cleage’s work explores themes of determination, racial pride, intermarriage and the power of love to highlight the female empowerment that she sees as vital to the African American community.

Tickets: Regular $25, Student/Youth $10. Click here.

The Wild Party at Clarice Smith, Nov 4-11

The Wild Party at Clarice Smith, Nov 4-11

The Wild Party
Book, Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Based on the Poem by Joseph Moncure March
Directors Scot Reese and Alvin Mayes
November 4-11, 2016

Fri, Nov 4, 2016 . 7:30PM
Sat, Nov 5, 2016 . 2:00PM
Sat, Nov 5, 2016 . 7:30PM
Sun, Nov 6, 2016 . 2:00PM
Tue, Nov 8, 2016 . 7:30PM
Wed, Nov 9, 2016 . 7:30PM
Thu, Nov 10, 2016 . 7:30PM
Fri, Nov 11, 2016 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Kogod Theatre, general admission.

When Queenie and Burrs set out to throw the party to end all parties, their motives aren’t exactly pure. Each intent on driving the other wild with jealousy, the night escalates into a deadly game of one upmanship. With a jazz-steeped score by the Tony and Grammy-nominated Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, Big Fish), this firecracker of a musical holds nothing back.

Tickets: General Public $25, Student/Youth $10, NextLEVEL $20. Buy tickets here.

The Me Nobody Knows at Clarice Smith, Oct 10-17

The Me Nobody Knows at Clarice Smith, Oct 10-17

The Me Nobody Knows
Based on the book The Me Nobody Knows
​Music by Gary William Friedman
Lyrics by Will Holt
October 10-17, 2014
Adapted Robert Livingston and Patrik Widrig
Additional lyrics Herb Schapiro
Arrangements and orchestration Gary William Friedman
Co-directors Alvin Mayes and Scot Reese
Musical director L. Richmond Sparks​

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Fri, Oct 10, 2014 . 7:30PM
Sat, Oct 11, 2014 . 2:00PM
Sat, Oct 11, 2014 . 7:30PM
Sun, Oct 12, 2014 . 2:00PM
Tue, Oct 14, 2014 . 7:30PM
Wed, Oct 15, 2014 . 7:30PM
Thu, Oct 16, 2014 . 7:30PM
Fri, Oct 17, 2014 . 7:30PM

Tickets: Regular: $25, Student: $10. Kay Theatre, Reserved Seating.

Description: Portrayed within the span of a single day, The Me Nobody Knows poetically examines the aspirations and fears of a multi-racial cast of young people.

Inspired by actual writings of students, their stories are universal. In these students’ struggles lies their hope, and ours. They are the voices of change. The musical score combines rock music, classical fugues, rap and jazz that inspire passion and transformation.

The Me Nobody Knows is Tony-nominated and OBIE Award-winning. The Me Nobody Knows is presented through special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.