Baltimore21201.Com - The Blog

June - Thanks to Downtown Partnership

Print out the calendar and let's party. By the way, take special note of the Happy Hour with food from Midtown BBQ and Brew.

The Baltimore Sun likes Midtown BBQ as much as I do. The Sun's reviewer, Eric Maza, wrote:

…Midtown might just be poised to become Mount Vernon’s happy hour nerve center again, thanks to a successful face-lift and a farm-to-table menu that is unapologetically traditional, rich and charmingly displayed on the plate…

Photo courtesy Baltimore Sun, Algerina Perna

…I’ll be coming back, not for the beer, not for the TV, but for an enormous rack of ribs that’ll last me for a couple of days…

…beef is organic, free-range, bought from a Pennsylvania farm and butchered and smoked in-house. This farm-to-table approach, rare among casual restaurants, is one of the restaurant’s assets…

June looks like it will rate high on the BrockelMeter.

Enjoy!

Casting Notice: Baltimore Area Swimmers

Here's the scoop from Taylor - Royall Casting:

We're seeking real swimmers (men, 20s, any ethnicity) for a union MD Lottery commercial. Must be actual athletes w/ competitive swimming experience, as you will need to race the length of the pool many times while filming. Bodies should be muscular, long, lean, and tall - should be able to pass for actual Olympic swimmers.

The NCAA says that competitive swimmers cannot be paid to participate in commercials, and would be disqualified from any future competitive swimming events if they do so. Therefore, we are looking for swimmers who are no longer competing on a team but still in good shape.

If you feel you qualify for this role, please email agents@taylorroyall.com with the subject "Lottery Swimmer", and include in the body of the email your name, phone #, union status, age range, height, swimming experience, and a current photo (preferably a body shot).

Preference will be given to union members but non-union talent are welcome to submit if they fit the role.

Good luck all. And, please pass this along to your union friends first. SAG-AFTRA One Union.

Very Special Video: "You Can't Take it With You" - from Baltimore's Everyman Theatre

Fireworks, police raids, and a xylophone are just the tip of the iceberg in this zany Kaufman and Hart comedy classic. It's a comedy that's often listed in the madcap category because it is, it really is. If there was a magnificent category it would be listed there, also.

Meet the Sycamore family, politically independent with healthy distrust of government. They open their New York City home to all sorts of free spirits. When their daughter Alice, decides to invite her conservative boyfriend’s family to dinner, they promise to be on their best behavior. However…!

 

This extraordinary production stars an all-star Everyman cast. This production ends June 17th and it you only see one show at Everyman this season, please make it this one. I've posted a few highlights from some of the reviews of this production below. I'll add mine here.

"BRANDHAGEN PLAYS XYLOPHONE!
SMOKE, SETS, LOVE, AND LAUGHTER!
The best ticket in town; the finest set you've ever seen."
-Stephen Brockelman, Baltimore 21201

The Cast:         

Megan Anderson* — Essie
Clinton Brandhagen* — Ed
Chinai Hardy — Rheba
Deborah Hazlett* — Mrs. Kirby
Brianna Letourneau —  Alice Sycamore
Wil Love* — Mr. De Pinna
Bruce Randolph Nelson* — Kohlenkov
Caitlin O'Connell — Penny Sycamore
Jon Odom — Donald
Barbara Pinolini — Gay Wellington
Steve Sawicki —  Henderson
Kimberly Schraf — Olga
Matthew Schleigh — Tony Kirby
Carl Schurr* — Mr. Kirby
Stan Weiman* — Martin Vanderhof
Tom Weyburn — Paul Sycamore
and
Michael Leicht
Evan Moritz
Kyle Jackson  — Three Men
*Everyman company member

“COMIC DYNAMITE!
DELICIOUSLY RADICAL!”
-Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun

“FIVE STARS!
NOT TO BE MISSSED!”
-DC Metro Theater Arts

“TERRIFIC!
HILARIOUS!
I definitely recommend. You’ll laugh throughout.”
-Eddie Applefeld, WCBM 680 AM

“UPLIFTING! DELIGHTFUL! LIVELY!
‘You Can’t Take it With You’ has Everyman favorites in roles that they seem born to play!”
-Mike Giuliano, Patuxent Papers

“HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!”
-DC Theatre Scene

“Leaves you hankering for a place at the family's dining room table!"
-Judy Rousuck, WYPR Maryland Morning

“Thoroughly enjoyable...a really fun evening at the theater. Buy tickets now because it's likely to sell out very quickly!"
-MD Theatre Guide

Tickets. Get your tickets here.

5-29 - Storm Clouds Moving in Over 21201

May 29th, 2012. Dark Clouds.

Batten down the hatches. We could have entertainment of a very different kind tonight.

Take due notice thereof and govern yourselves accordingly.

Baltimore Friends: Can You Help Me Regain Access to My Facebook Account?

A couple of days ago I tried to post a story from my blog on Facebook. And, I received an error message. I tried to comment on a friend's post, couldn't do it—got an error message—albeit a different one. Here's what I'm seeing:

This one says:

The link you are trying to visit has been reported as abusive by Facebook users. To learn more about staying save on the internet, visit Facebook's Security Page. Please also read the Wikipedia articles on malware and phishing.

And, this one:

The content you're trying to share includes a link that's been blocked for being spammy or unsafe: Body of an error/warning message. Title is: Sorry, this post contains a blocked URL

For more information, visit the Help Center. If you think you're seeing this my mistake, please let us know.

I'd appreciate it greatly if someone coud help me out with this issue. And please, if you know a real Facebook wiz, forward this. 

Sparrows Point & Bethlehem Steel: Baltimore's Contribution to the Golden Gate Bridge — Celebrating this Weekend

Steel was first made at outside of Baltimore at Sparrows Point in 1889, by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. By the mid-20th century, Sparrows Point was the world's largest steel mill, stretching four miles from end-to-end. The mill employed tens of thousands of workers. It used the traditional open-hearth steelmaking method to produce ingots, a labor—and energy—intensive process.

Postcard view of the Golden Gate Bridge

Purchased by Bethlehem Steel in 1916, the mill's steel ended up as girders in the Golden Gate Bridge and in cables for the George Washington Bridge, and was a vital part of war production during World War I and World War II. The mill was serviced by Four railroads: the Western Maryland, Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio and yard work was done by the Patapsco & Back River RR.

Some of our Betlehem steel is celebrating an anniversary this weekend.

CNN's Sari Zeidler reports:

Beacon in the bay: Golden Gate turns 75

It is the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, and to honor the iconic structure, project Solar Beacon was unleashed. Solar Beacon is an art installation that sits atop the bridge's towers and shines two lights "that are bright as the sun, but much smaller in size," across the Bay Area. People can log onto the Solar Beacon website and schedule their own personal show by designating where they would like the lights to shine.

"During the 75th Anniversary celebrations and the months that follow, the solar beam will directly link the line of sight between the public and the bridge they love," the project's website reads.

LIFE: 75 years of the Golden Gate

Solar Beacon is a feat of art and science, similar to the "International Orange" suspension bridge itself. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge took four years and claimed the lives of 11 men. It nearly took the lives of 19 more whose fates were changed by a safety net installed under the bridge for workers. These 19 came to be known as the "Half-way-to-Hell Club."

 

Despite it's gruesome underpinnings, the bridge was heralded for its aesthetics upon its opening to the public in 1937 - prompting the San Francisco Chronicle to call it a "Thirty-five million dollar steel harp!"

The Golden Gate bridge has become a meaningful destination for Bay Area residents—many of whom will celebrate the anniversary at a festival today.

And, from Baltimore, we remeber—and honor—our contribution and we wish all Golden-Gaters well.

See It in Baltimore - Beautiful Women Dancing with Giant Bananas, and More

You see a lot of wonderful things on Charles Street. But, this is going to be really special. (Read on, you'll thank me, later.)

The Gang's All Here, 1943

This 20th Century-Fox, Technicolor extravaganza features Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye, and James Ellison in a story about a singer and a soldier. The Gang's All Here is a film that one reviewer noted was, "like a male hairdresser's acid trip."

I've seen this Busby Berkeley choreographed movie twice and it's actually a fun, tuneful, and totally garish trip. You'll enjoy it—if not love it—and, you'll never forget it. Did I mention that Benny Goodman and his Orchestra are on stage to provide some extraordinary big band scenes and serious music? 

The Gang's All Here, 1943

Details? I know you want details. Here you go:

BUSBY BERKELEY’S

THE GANG’S ALL HERE

FEATURING CARMEN MIRANDA in a RESTORED 35MM PRINT

Berkeley’s own special brand of kaleidoscopic fantasy, turned into psychedelic surrealism by the electric red and greens of 20th Century-Fox’s color processing. Those who consider Berkeley a master consider this his masterpiece. It is his maddest film: chorus girls dissolve into artichokes; there’s a banana xylophone; and Carmen Miranda appears in platform wedgies on an avenue of giant strawberries.
    -Pauline Kael

SHOW TIMES
SATURDAY, MAY 26 11:30 AM
MONDAY, MAY 28 7 PM
THURSDAY, MAY 31 9 PM.

1943 Dir. Busby Berkeley. Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Edward Everett Horton, Phil Baker, Benny Goodman. Technicolor. Newly restored print! 103 min.

INFINITELY DELIGHTFUL, EFFORTLESSLY INVENTIVE! IT IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD!
    – Dave Kehr, The New York Times

UTTERLY DERANGED!
A kaleidoscope of garish costumes, eye-popping color, psychedelic musical numbers, and some I-can't-believe-the-censors-let-them-get-away-with-that choreography.
    – New York magazine

Time and again, you can’t believe what you’re witnessing: Berkeley’s camera swoops and soars at seemingly impossible trajectories through crowds of extras; Miranda models an expansive fruit headdress... But nothing can prepare you for the literally kaleidoscopic finale, which includes a gaggle of synchronized showgirls and contains eye-searing imagery that anticipates everything from The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T to Tron.
    – Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

TICKETS
MATINEES $7.50
EVENINGS $9.50
SR. CIT. $8.50

The Gang's All Here, 1943

Here's my personal suggestion: Before you see this brilliant piece of joyous cinematography, have a cocktail or two. Leave all of your preconceived notions of major studio motion pictures at home and have a great time. Revel in the color, the movement, the music, the rhythm, and a little love story. Enjoy.

[A final piece of film trivia. This movie could not be shown in Carmen Miranda's home country of Portugal because of the suggestive nature of the banana dance, Alice Faye was pregnant during much of the filming and the U.S. censors mandated that the dancers must hold the end of the bananas at waist-level, not hip level.]

Check The Charles Theatre's venue for tickets.

Wolcott - Woolcott; Tomato - Tomahto

Twice a month I attend writer's meetings in Owings Mills. The Thursday meetings are typically white-crystalline-xanthine-alkaloid-induced exchanges of ideas, concepts, best practices, and minutiae. Our writer's meetings cover broad topics, focus down to the asterisks-level, and often take sudden turns to the personal and the obscure. The meetings could—easily and fondly—be called I knew that; no, I didn't.

For me, the hour is a colorful confetti of the cutting-edge, the historic, the questioning, the remembering and reflecting, the literary, and, the do-you-remember. (Sometimes we even discuss gardening.)

A couple of Thursdays ago, the dozen-or-so of us attending got into an exceptionally broad exchange. I was in a great conversation—about Kodak, financial big baths, and the gray snow in Rochester—with a fellow writer when I heard—from the other end of the table—David Ogilvy being discussed and I spun my head around so fast that whiplash was a possibility. Could the conversations get better?

Yes. They could. And they did. Sort of.

In yet another conversation, I heard an author's name that brought me to one of these two gents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heard a name: Woollcott.

And, I chimed in with gusto. I injected myself into the conversation with stories about Alexander writing for the New Yorker, his bringing story-telling to his theatre reviews on radio, being a gifted member of the Algonquin Round Table (albeit a long-winded one), and his friendship with the acerbic Dorothy Parker.

My insightful stories were received with blank stares and at least one gaping mouth. I believe that one of the group even cocked her head in that all-too-telling 'I don't think so' pose.

I was saved from certain lifetime, literary humiliation by a fellow writer across the table. He looked at me, looked down, paused, and said, "Oh, you're thinking of Alexander. We were talking about James Wolcott, you know, from Maryland. He wrote Lucking Out - My life getting down and semi-dirty in seventies new york."

Whoops. Yes, big whoops moment.

(I immediately ordered Wolcott's Lucking Out. It's next up on my reading list.)

I've I looked for an Alexander book to share with the writer team and with you, one that was written by "my" Woollcott. I discovered that there are few books, even fewer that are worth a serious read unless you are an ardent and tireless fan of New York theatre, of Broadway. Alexander Woollcott's command of language is extraordinary and his magazine pieces are written gold.

Sadly, the man just wasn't cut from the same writer-cloth as a long-form author. But, the man could review and quip with the best of the best. He once opened a review this way, "The play, Number 7 opened last night; it was misnumbered by five." 

Late in life, Woollcott retired to Neshobe Island in Lake Bomoseen,Vermont. Shortly before Alexander Woollcott died, he admitted: “I never had anything to say.” 

Judge for yourself. 

Here's an Alexander Woolcott book:  

Feel free to pass this book along to your theatre and literary friends. I recreated it from public domain documents. OK then, I'm now off to test-drive the writing of our Maryland Wolcott, James.

Baltimore's Charles Street - Always a Party

Let's Eat Charles Street 2012

From my good friend, Laura Rodini, at the Historic Charles Street Association —

Where will you be on Saturday afternoon?
That's the day of our Let's Eat Charles Street Festival, and everyone in Baltimore will be there!" Let's Eat Charles Street is the best thing to happen to Charles Street since Starbucks," says Haluk Kantar, owner of Cazbar Restaurant.

With restaurants like The Beef Brothers, Mick O'Sheas, Sascha's, Caribou Coffee, Midtown BBQ & Brew, Lumbini, Mina's Delights, Ban Thai, Cazbar and HomeSlyce Pizza Bar on hand, you can be sure you won't leave feeling hungry.

And I'm proud to say that our Let's Eat Charles Street festival will be the launching pad for Baltimore's first sushi truck, called Noodlerolla. Owner James Sin is the former Executive Chef at Sticky Rice, and his first food truck venture has been highly anticipated. "We will be serving sushi, bento boxes and even Korean fusion," James says.

Music To Your Ears: An Interview with The Carousel Rogues
Great food and shopping make up only part of what we have in store for you on May 12th. Six great musical acts will be taking the stage. Here's the lineup:

12-12:30pm - Jenee & Cornell
12:30-1pm - Charles Towers' apartments favorite R&B artist, Kevin Phillips
1-2pm: Andrew Grimm & June Star
2-3pm: Karter Jaymes, a 2-Time Grammy nominee
3-4pm: The McTell Brothers
4-5pm: Our headliners, The Carousel Rogues, sponsored by WTMD

I recently had the pleasure to sit down with The Carousel Rogues' lead singer, Caitlin Nethery Anselmo.  
"My husband, Zach Anselmo, and I were friends in high school. We started dating a year after we formed a band," Caitlin says. "We fell in love over music."Zach plays guitar and vocals and their friend, Daniel Wiley, rounds things out on keyboard. Their Indie-pop sound was quickly noticed by Baltimore area alternative radio."We played on WTMD's 'Baltimore Unsigned' a few years ago. After we put out our self-titled album, program director Scott Mullins liked one of our songs, 'Clementine,' and added it to their rotation."

"It became the number one song on their station for several weeks." Caitlin says their music is influenced by bands like Weezer, Phantom Planet and The Cardigans. "We definitely have late-90's sensibilities," she laughs, as well as other, indie sounds such as Teenage Fan Club.

"We also like a lot of music from the 1960s. I mean," she adds, "Who's not influenced by The Beatles"?

"Another source Caitlin credits for inspiration may seem unlikely: children's fantasy novels. 
"I wrote a song about this Andrew Peterson book for laughs. Dan (the keyboardist) encouraged me to send it to the author - we found his email address on his website. Andrew liked it so much he actually passed it on to his producer, Ben Shive. He reached out to me a couple months later about meeting up in Nashville to discuss working on some kind of project together. That's how our first record got started.

"The Carousel Rogues will begin recording their second album in Nashville this July. They'll be playing Clementine at our festival. So all you WTMD lovers, be sure to check them out! See you all on Saturday!

A Few Festival Nuts and Bolts
Of course, putting on a street festival requires lots of help from different sources, and I would like to thank Carrollton Bank for their generous sponsorship, and the City of Baltimore for all of their assistance in securing our permits. The entire 300 block of N. Charles Street between Saratoga and Mulberry Streets will be closed to traffic as of 4:30 am on Saturday. So if you normally park there on the weekends, make sure you have another spot by then. Here are two alternatives: Our friends at PMS Parking offer weekend specials at their St. Paul Garage (behind the Tremont, at the corner of Charles & Saratoga) and their Franklin Street Garage (next to the Pope Garden at the intersection of Charles & Franklin). You can park all day at either garage for just $5.

The following bus schedule is in effect on Saturday, May 12 between Saratoga and Mulberry Streets: The No.3, 11 and 64 Lines will operate their regular route on northbound Charles Street. They will be diverted left on Fayette Street, right on Park Avenue, right on Mulberry Street, then back to their regular route on Charles Street. Bus stops at Fayette, Lexington, and Saratoga Streets, will be inoperative on Saturday, May 12th until 6pm.Southbound routes are all on streets other than Charles Street and will not be affected.

How You Can Help Out! 
I've also been getting a lot of questions from folks who want to know what they can do to help out on May 12. This is what I'm telling them:If you like us: Come on out and support our 40 local businesses and great live music that afternoon. And while you're here, make sure you fill out one of our surveys provided by our friends at The Downtown Partnership. We'll have raffle tickets for $75 worth of Zipcar driving credit to give away for filling it out! And if you like us, you like us, you really, really like us: You will consider volunteering a few hours of your time on Saturday. Our beer & wine tent and donation tables are already well staffed, but I'd love to have a few more folks help us with our setup between 9am and noon on Saturday, or manning our 2 awesome bounce houses in our children's play area. Please email me if you're interested, and my sincerest thanks for your support!  — Laura Rodini

Have an Irish Setter? Taylor - Royall Casting is Looking for Your Furry Actor.

You know your doggie should be in films. Hey, he does all those cute things that everyone adores. Your Setter is so amazing that he should pave the way to your retirement by just being his own sweet, amazing, talented self.

This gig won't make you or your Setter rich in actual dollars, but think of the on-screen face-time and the bragging rights.

Details from Taylor - Royall:

We're in need of a trained Irish Setter who is able to perk his ears/be expressive, and cover his face with his paw as if dismayed on command for a commercial shoot.

Auditions are being held on Tuesday 5/15 in Baltimore and the shoot is scheduled for Tuesday 5/22 in the DC area. This job pays $675.

To be considered, please email agents@taylorroyall.com. Include your name, phone number, a photo of your dog, and details about what your dog is trained to do.

A New Baltimore Casting Notice. It's Union, SAG-AFTRA. (I won't use visuals.)

Calling men for a TV commercial. Men with hairy backs. Also, men with chiseled chests. Men willing to show off the goods.

Here are the details from my friends at Taylor-Royall Casting in Baltimore:

We're submitting talent to audition for a SAG-AFTRA commercial requiring some specific body types. Please see the descriptions below and follow the submission instructions if you qualify for either role. 

- Caucasian men, age 20s to 40s, must have hairy backs & be willing to be shirtless for a beach/pool scene.

- Caucasian men, age 20s/30s, good looking, sculpted chest, must be willing to be shirtless for a bedroom scene. Should be able to have a vain "I'm the man" look and also act sheepish/embarrassed.

To be considered, please email agents@taylorroyall.com. Include your name, phone number, headshot/photo, resume, union or non-union, and please note which role you are submitting for.  

That's it, guys, go forth with gusto! If you've got it, give it up for the glory. (And a nice pay-day, also.)

[To my fellow SAG-AFTRA members, remember Rule One.]

75 Years Ago Today, Baltimore's News-Post Reported: 'Hindenburg Explodes'

On many fronts, 1937 wasn't altogether a great year. The United States was still attempting to recover from the Great Depression, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared after taking off from New Guinea, Japan occupied Beijing, the Great Hong Kong Typhoon killed 11,000 people, Italy withdrew from the League of Nations. John D Rockefeller, George Gershwin, and Jean Harlow died. In April of 1937 German warplanes from the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion destroyed the Basque town of Guernica during what was reported as the first air bombardment of an undefended town in history; more than 1,600 civilians were killed.

And, the Baltimore News-Post ran this this headline in May:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1937, Baltimore News-Post Reported: Hindenburg Explodes

Earlier that year WLS, Chicago's powerhouse of a radio station, dispatched announcer Herb Morrison and his engineer, Charlie Nelhsen, to cover the Hindenburg landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Morrison's report was to be recorded on a large acetate disk for later broadcast. Recording news and actualities was, in 1937, against all the rules of network radio broadcasting. Morrison's recorded report lead to a change of those rules, which at the time only allowed recordings to be used for sound effects in radio dramas. Morrison's report was so human and so compelling that NBC played the recording on it's network and it became the prototype for news actualities in the post war years.

Morrison was a slender, diminutive man with dark hair, dimples, and a strong chin. On the air, he sounded older than his years. He was dapper, and by all accounts he was exceedingly handsome. Prior to his dispatch to Lakehurst, the majority of his radio work had been as an announcer for live musical programming. For the Hindenburg report from Lakehurst he wore a blue serge suit and a tailored top coat.

Announcer, Herb Morrison

Today most people see, or remember, a newsreel of the Hindenburg disaster with Morrison's account as the voice-over. However, that's a later construction of how the actual reports were filed, seen, and heard.

Even in 1937 newsreels were a low-budget affair. Black and white cameras with no ability to record sound were used. And Morrison and his one-man crew were recording a transcription to a disk with no ability to add visuals. Think of what you remember seeing as one of the earliest audio-visual mashups.

Here is an actual (and yes, silent) newsreel from the time with post production, editing, and a certain amount of 'film touch-up' as performed by the releasing studio.

 

And this, from the Smithsonian, is Herb Morrison's radio report added to actual newsreel film, without any film reconstruction. The difference in film quality is all-telling.

  

According to WLS radio: Listeners in Chicago and across the country didn't hear Morrison's coverage of the disaster until the next day because his report wasn't broadcast live from Lakehurst. He and engineer Charley Nehlsen had been experimenting with field recordings on huge acetate discs. They realized the gravity of their recordings as they found themselves being followed by German SS Officers! After hiding out for a few hours, the two managed to make a clean getaway and get back across the country to WLS. The chilling account aired the next day on the station and was the first recorded radio news report to be broadcast nationally by NBC.

I've been fascinated by lighter-than-air craft, zeppelins, and blimps for as long as I can remember. In Baltimore we all see quite a few small blimps soaring over the city—Dish Network, MetLife, and yes, the Conan craft. I wondered what a zeppelin the size of the Hindenburg would have looked like flying over Baltimore. I wondered if it might have looked this:

Hindenburg Over Baltimore, MD

The Hindenburg explosion killed 35 of the 97 people on board and one person on the ground. A cause of the disaster has been widely speculated about and has created more conspiracy theories than the Kennedy assination, yet the true cause of the Hindenburg's demise has never been discovered.

Intensity, Sexuality, and Suicide - Returning to Baltimore's Theatre Project

A Fierce Longing will return to Theatre Project, Baltimore, for a limited run June 1 - 9. The play, written by John Schneider, was developed in workshop by the company members of Milwaukee's Theatre X and first performed in April, 1978. Later that year it came to Theatre Project and Performance Garage in NYC.

Directed by John C. Wilson, this is a highly visual, multi-media production that borrows stylistically from Japanese theater traditions. The play is drawn from the life and work of the Nobel-nominated Japanese novelist and playwright Yukio Mishima. A Fierce Longing chronicles his life, his work, and his turmoil. A complex man, Mishima struggled with family issues, wrestled with a St. Sebastian fetish and homosexual desires, sought fame and celebrity for his Nobel-nominated writing, and desired to honor the Emperor and the Samurai tradition through his ultra-conservative political views and formation of a militia. Ultimately, he committed seppuku, ritual suicide, in 1970.

"A Fierce Longing rocked my world when I first saw it for a variety of reasons," said director John C. Wilson. "A strong ensemble cast, mind-boggling visuals, a fascinating central character from an unfamiliar culture, and an exploration of themes of beauty, sexuality, and death all contributed to an unforgettable piece of theater. I'm reviving this play to pay tribute to one of the peak theatrical experiences of my life, and to honor the exceptionally rich history of work presented at Theatre Project over its 40-year history."

The cast includes Skyler Brungardt, Rich Buchanan, Melainie Eifert, Sam Haidar, Naoko Maeshiba, Brian Naughton, Lucie Poirier, Chad Short, and Lorrie Smith.

The opening of A Fierce Longing coincides with Theatre Project's 40th Anniversary "Homecoming Weekend."

 Events will include:

Opening Night, June 1—This will be a "Pass the Hat" performance in honor of Theatre Project's beginnings as a free theatre. Suggested donation $10.

Opening Weekend Gala, Saturday, June 2—Pre-show reception and silent auction, followed by the performance of A Fierce Longing and after-show gathering. Tickets are $40 in celebration of Theatre Project's 40th Anniversary. 

Theatre Project Open House, Sunday, June 3—This is a family friendly event that will be free and open to the public, featuring a potluck picnic and performances throughout the afternoon.

Showtimes:
June 1 @ 8pm "Pass the Hat" Opening
June 2 @ 8pm Gala Performance
June 7 @ 8pm
June 8 @ 8pm
June 9 @ 8pm

Tickets:
Gala Performance ~ $40
General Admission ~ $20
Seniors/Artists/Military ~ $15
Students ~ $10

Click for TCKTS - available at Tixato.

Baltimore SAG-AFTRA Members: Must Read

Remember, fellow members, we now have the power to speak with a unified voice.

On May 19-20, the SAG-AFTRA National Board will consider a unanimous recommendation by the Executive Committee to implement a Do Not Work notice against music video productions.

Once implemented, SAG-AFTRA members may not accept employment as performers in any music video not produced under a SAG-AFTRA contract. A Do Not Work order for music videos is a result of the major record labels refusing to agree to a contract that meets the critical needs of music video performers.

This action will affect any SAG-AFTRA member hired to sing, dance, act or otherwise perform as talent on any music video that is not covered by the appropriate SAG-AFTRA contract, except for a royalty artist who is already contractually obligated to deliver certain services under an existing royalty agreement with a record label.  Specifically included are SAG-AFTRA members working as dancers, singers, choreographers, cameo performers, models, actors, and most other talent. SAG-AFTRA members who violate a Do Not Work order can be subject to discipline, up to and including expulsion from membership.

This action follows performers’ efforts to secure an industry-wide contract for music video work, which most recently involved several rounds of contract discussions with the major record labels throughout 2011. SAG-AFTRA is continuing its efforts to reach agreement with the labels however this action is necessary because the labels have failed to agree to some of the most basic contract terms. Some of the outstanding issues involve guaranteed access to water and toilet facilities, proper safety protections for hard surface dancing, overtime provisions, health and retirement contributions and standardized rates of pay.

Please stand together with your fellow SAG-AFTRA members and fellow performers for safety and dignity on the job.  Together we can ensure a safe and fair future for all of us.

If you have questions or wish to volunteer to support your fellow SAG-AFTRA members who are working to ensure basic union standards on music videos, you can help by contacting:

Randall Himes
Assistant National Executive Director, Sound Recordings at randall.himes@sagaftra.org

Stefanie Taub
National Manager of Sound Recordings, West Coast at stefanie.taub@sagaftra.org

Steve Sidawi
National Organizer/Representative at steve.sidawi@sagaftra.org

A Casting Call for Baltimore Boy Swimmers

From my friends at Taylor-Royall Casting in Baltimore:

We are casting for a union PSA for the "Too Small to Fail" organization.

Auditions for Boy Swimmers who can also hold their breath underwater are taking place Tuesday 4/24 at a pool near Baltimore.

To be considered, please email agents@taylorroyall.com with the subject "Swimmer."

Include your name, phone number, headshot, current photos.

Good luck, young swimmer-types. And to my fellow union members, remember Rule One. 

It's a Beautiful Night in the Neighborhood

                              Looking West, April 6th 21201

Who's the Elephant Insurance Guy? Well, That Would Be Dave Parker from Virginia.

If you live most anywhere in the mid-Atlantic region, I'll bet you've seen this commercial for Elephant Auto Insurance. In the Baltimore area it seems like it's on every fifteen minutes.

 
              "Easy buddy, there's not much left up there."

The first few times I saw the Elephant spot, I thought, "What an unusual casting choice for a spokesperson." I didn't know who the guy in the commercial was, but he really worked. On camera he provided an unusual combination of sincerity, innocence, and humor.

After a few weeks my curiosity got the best of me.

Let me introduce you to Virginia's own Dave Parker, weatherman, family man, talk radio host, Radford alumnus, and Elephant Auto Insurance front-man. Oh yes, he's a country music DJ, also.

                   Dave Parker's Twitter Photo — @daveparkr

Dave Parker's Bio —

Dave's fond of the quote, "Like what you do, do what you like!"

Dave is a native of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. As a graduate of Kempsville High School, Radford University, and additional studies at Mississippi State University, he has spent most of his life in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Many people recognize him as the long-time Chief Meteorologist at WTKR NewsChannel 3, where he worked for almost a decade. Viewers named him the area's Best Weatherman, and he's also picked up awards from the Associated Press in West Virginia and Ohio for his forecasts.

Dave has also appeared on CNN, The Today Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and even The Dating Game.

Parker's first book was published in 2001, titled, "History Next Door, Stories of World War II by Hampton Roads Veterans."

After 18 years of television weather, he decided it was time for a change that would allow his family to stay in Virginia, close to extended family.

Having worked in radio since 2006, Dave was given the chance to pursue his love of country music by becoming one of the initial staff at US106.1, WUSH. You can hear him weekdays from 10 -3. He's also on Talk Radio AM790, WNIS. You'll also hear his voice and see his face in local and national commercials. Dave lives in Va. Beach with his wife, two teenage daughters, and their two crazy dogs.

You can follow Dave Parker on Twitter: @daveparkr

About Elephant Auto Insurance:
Elephant Insurance is a subsidiary of Admiral Group plc. Admiral Group is the third largest auto insurer in the United Kingdom with eleven brands extending into three additional European countries. Admiral operates a direct-to-consumer business model, serving customers via the phone and internet, and has nearly 2 million customers worldwide. Admiral Group plc is consistently listed among the top places to work for by UK and EU national publications. More information is available at www.admiralgroup.co.uk.

Baltimore Area Casting Notice - UPDATE - AARP Call is Now Union

Here's the update:

This was originally a non-union industrial that has been changed to a SAG Category II industrial.

The roles remain the same, but talent must be union to participate. We are seeking men & women of all ethnicities age 50 and up to audition for an AARP SAG Category II industrial video.

Auditions are this Thursday 4/5 in Baltimore. The shoot will be on Wednesday 4/11 in the DC area. 

If you would like to be considered for this project, please follow the instructions in the original call, below:

From the folks at Taylor Royall Casting:

We are seeking men & women of all ethnicities age 50 and up to audition for a non-union AARP industrial video. Auditions are this Wednesday 4/4 in Baltimore.

The shoot will be on 4/11 in the DC area. 

If you would like to be considered for this project, please email julie@taylorroyall.com with the following:

Name:
Phone #:
Age range:
Please attach a current headshot or a photo & resume.

Please note that if you do not submit all of the required information, your submission may be disregarded. We will reply to your submission with more details, if you qualify. 

To my fellow union members. Remember Rule One.
Notice posted with permission, Taylor Royall. 

I've Said it Before—Time and Time Again—Baltimore's Entertaining!

Alternate title for this blog post:
A Boy and His Photog.

Looking out of our windows, we see ever-changing theatre. We see sky shows with helicopters, bi-planes, and blimps soaring around—sometimes at eye-level. We see, and listen to, concerts courtesy of the Downtown Partnership and the myriad of vocal and instrumental artists who arrive ready to entertain for just our smiles and applause. We have Street Fairs, Farmer's Markets, and Art Shows.

And day and night, we see hundreds of different people doing hundreds of different things in hundreds of different windows.

Now and then we are treated to a special, more intimate show.

A Boy and His Photog 1 - Sheraton, Baltimore

A Boy and His Photog 2 - Sheraton, Baltimore

A Boy and His Photog 3 - Sheraton, Baltimore

Nude photo shoots in hotels seem to be very innocent—often comically-funny-from-a-distance—events to catch a glimpse of. It can take a longtime for the photographer to get all of the "living props" where they should be. Photographing nude models makes photographing fresh cut flowers, raw seafood and meat, and ready-to-serve food seem like child's play.

By the way, if this post seems off topic, I assure you that some of the poses that these models construct truly qualify them to be designated: Performing Artist. Hey, their poses almost qualify them to be in Cirque Du Soleil.

Ok then, that's all on this topic. Well, until the Fireman's Convention arrives in Baltimore, later this year.

1930's Oedipus Myth, Racial Politics in Texas at Baltimore's Strand Theatre

It's the Strand Theater Company's World Premiere of Jacqueline E. Lawton's 'Blood-bound and Tongue-tied.

One of humanity’s most primal stories is re-imagined with compassion and poetry in the world premiere production of DC-based playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton’s Blood-bound and Tongue-tied, an ambitious offering seen in workshop form during the Strand Theater Company’s Friends & Neighbors Festival 2011. This fully realized production will be directed by Lindsay Gentry, stage managed by Christina Cordle, and feature Derek Cooper as Oedipus, Chris Knight as Laius, Morgan Mosley as Creon, Ann Turiano as Jenna, and Kelli Wright as Jocasta.

  “What you’re trying to hide won’t stay hid.”

Jocasta is a young black woman in Great Depression-era Texas, who decides to pass as white in the big city. When she marries Laius—the heir to an oil baron—and becomes pregnant with Oedipus, her racial identity cannot remain hidden…or can it? One desperate lie instigates a catastrophic wave of bloodshed, and disaster envelops a nation.

This world premiere engagement opens Friday, March 23rd, and runs through Saturday, April 7th. A Pay-What-You-Can final dress rehearsal is open to the public on Thursday, March 22nd.

Founding Artistic Director Jayme Kilburn chose to produce a full-scale production of Blood-bound and Tongue-tied because, as a riff on perhaps the oldest and most notorious of mother stories in Western culture, the play aptly fit the Strand’s fourth season “Mom & Pop” theme exploring pop culture and “mommy issues.”

“Blood-bound and Tongue-tied was a stand out in the Friends & Neighbors Festival”, says Kilburn, “Even though I and most of our audiences knew the Oedipus story, Jacqueline’s savvy adaptation kept us wondering what would happen next. Her ability to interweave natural dialogue with ‘magical realism’ was deeply attractive in crafting my final season at the Strand.” Blood-bound and Tongue-tied packs an intense emotional wallop while investigating America’s long-held and deep-seated trouble with questions of race and privilege. This lyrical tragedy is appropriate for audiences of high school age and up.

About the Playwright
Jacqueline E. Lawton received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. Her plays include Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful; The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Ira Aldridge: The African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade; and Mad Breed. She has participated in the Kennedy Center’s Playwrights’ Intensive (2002) and World Interplay (2003). Lawton has been nominated for the Wendy Wasserstein Prize and a PONY Fellowship from the Lark Play Development Center and named one of 30 of the nation’s leading black playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. She is a three-time semi-finalist for the Playwright’s Center PlayLabs and a SheWrites Festival finalist. Currently, she resides in D.C. and is a Professor of Theater at the University of the District of Columbia.

About the Director
Originally from Baltimore, director Lindsay Gentry holds a bachelor’s degree in drama from the Catholic University of America. Recent directing credits include Lucia di Lammermoor (Hub Opera Ensemble), Troy Women (Catholic University of America), and Independence (Catholic University of America). She served as assisted director on The Magic Flute (Benjamin T. Rome School of Music), Dido and Aeneas (Opera Alterna), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (No Rules Theater Company), In Good King Charles’s Golden Days (Catholic University of America), and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus (Catholic University of America). Ms. Gentry received the 2011 “Significant Artistic Achievement Award” from Catholic University of America.

Performance Schedule
Wednesday at 7:00 pm: March 28
Thursdays at 8:00 pm: April 5th
Fridays at 8:00 pm: March 23, 30, and April 6
Saturdays at 8:00 pm: March 24, 31, and April 7
Sunday at 3:00 pm: April 1

Ticket Prices
Adult: $20
Senior: $15
Student: $10
Opening Night: $25
Other discounts may be available. Like the Strand on Facebook or follow the Strand on Twitter to learn more.

The Final Dress Rehearsal at 8 pm on Thursday, May 22^nd is open to audiences, with a requested Pay-What-You-Can donation at the door.

About the Strand
The Strand Theater Company is a community theater dedicated to providing opportunities for women artists, writers, designers, and directors. With a focus on producing works new to Baltimore, the Strand hopes to foster a love of theater for a new generation of patrons.

Since launching in 2008, the Strand has presented 15 full-length plays, including six world premieres; offered 75% of the artistic positions on its productions—as playwrights, directors, designers, stage managers, and actors—to women; provided affordable theater space to many organizations and independent artists; and played an integral role in the revitalization of the Station North Arts & Entertainment District.

In August 2011, the Strand was honored as one of Baltimore magazine’s “Top 5 Baltimore Theaters,” along with CENTERSTAGE, Everyman, the Hippodrome, and Single Carrot.

Currently under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director Jayme Kilburn and governed by an eight-member board of directors, the theater’s management will soon be led by incoming Artistic Director Rain Pryor and Managing Director Elena Kostakis. The Strand is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

To learn more about the Strand Theater Company, visit www.strand-theater.org.