Baltimore Theatre Project facts for kids
The Baltimore Theatre Project is a special place in Baltimore, Maryland, where people can watch amazing live performances. It's a performing arts center, which means it's a stage for plays, dances, and other artistic shows.
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How It Started
The Baltimore Theatre Project began in 1971. It was started by a person named Philip Arnoult. At first, it was connected to Antioch University. When it first opened, it was known as Baltimore's Free Theatre because you didn't have to pay to see any of the shows!
Philip Arnoult also created programs to help the community get involved in the arts. These included the Baltimore Neighborhood Arts Circus and Baltimore Voices.
Early Performances
Many different theatre groups came to perform at the Theatre Project in the 1970s. Some of these groups were Pilobolus Dance Theater, Urban Bush Women, and Bread and Puppet Theatre. The Theatre Project also helped put on big festivals called The New Theatre (TNT) Festivals. These happened at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and in downtown Baltimore.
The Rat Squad Musical
In 1980, the city of Baltimore was working to get rid of rats. The Theatre Project was asked to help teach people in neighborhoods how to fight rats. They created a musical called Rat Squad especially for kids in elementary school. This musical was very popular and reached thousands of students. The city even brought it back the next year!
In the early 1980s, the Theatre Project was no longer connected to Antioch University. Because of this, they could no longer offer free shows to everyone.
From 1983 to Today
In 1983, the Baltimore Theatre Project started a big project to make its main stage area better. They also changed how the performance space and the audience seating looked.
New Directors and Artists
In 1992, Robert Mrozek became the director of the Theatre Project. During his time, many talented artists performed there. These included Karen Finley, Danny Hoch, and Holly Hughes.
In the fall of 2001, Anne Cantler Fulwiler took over as director. She brought in local groups like Blue Rose Theatre and Air Dance Bernasconi. National artists, such as slam poet and playwright Al Letson, also performed during her time.
In late 2009, the Theatre Project received special funding from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. This money was part of a national plan to help support the arts.
Chris Pfingsten became the producing director in 2012. He continues to lead the Theatre Project today, bringing exciting shows to Baltimore.
