A Word From Board Member Miller

The board and company of The Strand Theater spent the summer feverishly preparing to start our second season strong. We are very proud of the results.

The line up for our new season features five excellent shows. Tickets are available now for acclaimed playwright Neil LaBute's Mercy Seat; an adaptation of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology, Graves in the Water; the unique and witty [Sic] by Melissa James Gibson; Alena Smith's wild tragicomedy The Lacy Project; and Marina Carr's mythic play The Mai.

We're working hard to keep the lights of The Strand Theater on through what everyone knows is a difficult time for any arts organization. We will feature many community events, workshops, and other collaborations. Be sure to check our events page and our facebook page to see what we're doing throughout this exciting season.
We are excited to offer our patrons a new Flex Pass Subscription. This pass provides a season subscriber with 5 tickets that can be used anytime during the season for just $45.

Theater and the arts are alive and well in the heart of Baltimore and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Negative Nelly or Ballsy Beeoch?

I recently revised the Strand's introduction on our website. Last year we introduced ourselves as a theater aware that we are becoming extinct. Theater is dying was our tagline. For many, this seemingly negative view on the state of arts was refreshing, dare I say inspiring? It opened doors for us. People seemed interested in meeting a company willing to shake their potential patrons into reality. We were warriors.

Negative thinking? A little. I was often scolded for my bleak opinion of things. I would catch myself back stepping. Things aren't so bad. Mostly I had hoped my blunt assessment would be a slap in the face. Please help us! An outsider rarely knows what the inner workings of a theater are. No one gets paid and we tirelessly work, and work and work. Not only do we reserve 15 hours a week to rehearsals, but then we paint sets, find cheap furniture and props, hang lights; and that is only the production side. Press releases, database management, grant writing, board meetings, patron cultivation, community outreach, even the task of writing this blog...ahhhhh! I sometimes ask myself, what is the point!?

I sit in the audience of the Strand and I realize what I am doing. Here it is. A group of individuals willing to bare their souls onstage and off. During a performance I want to be affected, to feel a connection with the characters. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. In truth, there have been only a handful of times that a performance has really moved me. But when it did, I was changed. Like my meth addict neighbors, I need it so bad I cook it in my own basement.

The Strand is working towards its primary mission of equality for women playwrights. Theater is male centered. Most plays produced are written by men and about men. Women characters are reduced to shallow individuals. As artists, we have to reconcile these characters with the real women we know and admire. Art seems to be imitating a life we have fought relentlessly to change.

This season, three of our four plays are written by women. Female roles outnumber male roles 3 to 1. Will you miss the men? It will be hard to adjust. Luckily there might still be a few playhouses left in America featuring a predominantly male point of view. Wink.