Baltimore Center Stage is a theater committed to artistic excellence. We engage, enrich, and broaden the perspectives of diverse audiences through entertaining and thought-provoking work and educational programs. We value access, inclusion, community, and fiscal stability.
About this Organization
Founded in 1963 and designated the State Theater of Maryland in 1978, Baltimore Center Stage provides the highest quality theater and programming for all members of our communities, including youth and families, under the leadership of Artistic Director Stephanie Ybarra and Managing Director Michael Ross. Baltimore Center Stage ignites conversations and imaginations by producing an eclectic season of professional productions across two mainstages and an intimate 99-seat theater, through engaging community programs, and with inspiring education programs. Everything we do at Center Stage is led by our core values—chief among them being Access For All. Our mission is heavily rooted in providing active and open accessibility for everyone, regardless of any and all barriers, to our Mainstage performances, education initiatives, and community programming.Services/Opportunities
One of the most visible pillars of our artistic programming is our Mainstage Series, replete with kaleidoscopic storytelling at the leading edge of theater-making. In 2020/21, we will feature a four-play series with the necessary health and safety protocols to help keep our artists and audiences safe. Click here for tickets and dates.
Inspired by Citizen University’s Civic Saturdays, The Baltimore Butterfly Sessions will bring together music, poetry, literary excerpts, and thought-provoking keynote addresses to catalyze conversation and build awareness around today’s most pressing issues. Tapping into some of the brightest voices around the nation and in Baltimore, each Butterfly Session will convene artists, activists, organizers, and thinkers to unpack a civically resonant topic. Through the Baltimore Butterfly Sessions, BCS aims to create a space for civic dialogue & fellowship across difference and stay firmly rooted in our local community. Come for the music, come for the poetry, come for the conversation. Admission is free, though reservations are encouraged. Click here to book tickets.
Baltimore Center Stage is excited to bring you this brand-new series of virtual gatherings that explores the interconnectedness of classic and contemporary theater through readings and discussions between artists and scholars. In this series, we’ll explore classic texts, reflect on the rich production history of BCS, and dive deeper into the elusive artistic process. These are live events and you’ll have the chance to get your questions answered by some of the most knowledgeable and experienced folks in the business! The Bridge Series admission is free to members who will receive a special link in their email. Others can pay-what-you-will starting at $10. Click here to register. You will receive a Zoom link on the day of the event.
BCS is back and better than ever! This summer, your student can join us for Storytelling Across Cultures. Using pieces from Once On This Island by Lynn Ahrens and The Village Bully by Maria Broom, campers will explore how different cultures use storytelling to communicate, connect, identify, grow, and share history. They’ll get to learn about meditation and breathwork, play theater games, attend production classes, writing workshops, and more! Camp Sessions will take place June 28-July 9; July 12-23; July 26-Aug 6; Aug 9-20. Virtual and in-person options available. Click here for more.
YPF is our longest running learning program that encourages expression and creativity in students across the state. Each Spring, we invite young artists in grades K-12 to send in their new written work. We receive hundreds of plays from participants in our residencies, and many more from students across Maryland. Up to six pieces are chosen to receive a professional virtual production produced by Baltimore Center Stage. All 6 YPF student artists are assigned a professional mentor to help them refine and edit their work before being presented. For event dates and details, click here.
The theater’s Student Matinee Series adapts the theater’s mainstage productions for the classroom, bringing theater education to Maryland students. For over half a century, Baltimore Center Stage has welcomed thousands of students into its building to experience live theater that sparks conversations in our community. From reimagined time-honored works to world premiere plays, the theater’s Student Matinee Series has connected Maryland schools, educators, and youth with high-quality and thought-provoking theater. Following the onset of COVID-19, Center Stage worked alongside Maryland State Department of Education and Arts Education in Maryland Schools to adapt the program for virtual learning, and as a result, has been able to continue engaging students with its productions and curriculum—free of charge. Students stream a professionally filmed production of the play followed by an interactive discussion with the theater’s artists. Each classroom teacher is given curriculum that encourages conversation, community, and critique. Click here for dates and details.