110 stories by "Max Garner"
In October, 1972, a new play made its world premiere in Cape Town, South Africa. Published under the title "Sizwe Bansi [sic] is Dead," the piece was devised by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and …
"Henry VIII" is one of Shakespeare's less frequently produced plays. It actually isn't Shakespeare's alone, rather, it was a collaboration with John Fletcher. Here is a fun fact (thanks, Wik…
In the 1980s and '90s, Christopher Durang was at the peak of his popularity. He'd arrived at precisely the right time, when the world of American stage comedy desperately needed an heir to t…
It is a chaotic time for several of Baltimore's small theater companies. Stillpointe Theatre, Rapid Lemon Productions, and Baltimore Shakespeare Factory all lost their performance spaces at …
It's late at night. There's a thunderstorm. A man unlocks the door to a moldy motel room and steps inside. He hopes to get a little rest after a long day of travel and giving speeches. Tomor…
Through partnerships with Everyman, Olney, and Center Stage, Baltimore's ArtsCentric is presenting its mainstage works in regional theaters all across the state. In fact, it's been a minute …
Fresh on the heels of a four million dollar grant award, Baltimore's Arena Players is in high spirits. Renovations are still two years away, though, and the company is currently focused on p…
"We create only from familiar elements, the possibilities of which are enhanced by imagination."" May Miller, "The Creative Urge," Journal of National Association of College Women 1936 A pro…
At one point in his six-minute curtain speech, Spotlighters' Executive Director and Managing/Artistic Director, Fuzz Roark, gives a telling description of "[title of show]." "It's about us,"…
The career of Neil Simon nestles neatly between two periods of daring exploration. He followed Beckett and Ionesco, toiling away writing for television while they made a revolution. When his…
The holidays are a time when many of us entertain out-of-town guests. It serves as a wonderful opportunity to show off our area to them. Family and friends whose ideas of Baltimore come from…
 There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the gloriesof Christmases long, long ago" Eddie Pola & George Wyle, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" There's a peculiar artist…
For some of us, October is too short. Come Thanksgiving, we still crave the creepy and desire the demonic. Luckily, Stillpointe Theatre is serving up a frightening feast with all of the ghas…
"Four white people can't do a Thanksgiving play that doesn't p*ss off the funders, or the parents, or the universe." In a minefield, no movement is safe. When movement is the stated priority…
"People try to label you. Put you in a box. Try to make you one way, even if you're not." It began thirteen months ago, with a conversation. Multi-hyphenate artist Nate Couser called directo…
In the fifteen years since its founding, the Baltimore Rock Opera Society has been responsible for some incredibly ambitious productions of original material. The latest of these is "Love &a…
Joshua Poole, Zachary Bryant, and Gabriel Hernandez. Photo by Katie Simmons-Barth. Was America's 16th president gay? Does it matter? In the world premiere, chamber opera, "Yours Forever, Lin…
"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal"." Aristotle "Why you wanna fly, Blackbird? You ain't never gonna fly"." Nina Simone A world premiere choreopoem, written…
"Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mold me man? Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" " John Milton, from "Paradise Lost" There have been several stage adaptations of Mar…
Long ago, in the "before times" (pre-COVID), there was a growing trend among our more cutting-edge companies: "devised" theater. Starting without roles or even a script, performing ensembles…
As the souls of the dead live for'er in my mindAs I live all the years that they left me behindI'll stay on the shore but still gaze at the seaI remember the fallen and they think of meFor o…
With a few notable exceptions, the 21st century has been a bit of a dry spell when it comes to new Broadway musicals. Still, the beast must be fed, and a popular method for creating new inco…
Beginning in 2018, the Baltimore group, Fools and Madmen, has created a marvelous series of hip-hop adaptations of Shakespeare's works. Their unique distillations are designed for a travelin…
For the second time in its four-year history, Baltimore's Asian Pasifika Arts Collective has partnered with an established theater company to co-produce a new work for the stage. Their 2019 …
The late Tim Kelly was a prolific playwright who caught the parody bug sometime in the late 1970s. His "The Butler Did It" was a silly, formulaic melodrama, in which every detective stereoty…
