Center Stage (theater) facts for kids
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| Formation | 1963 |
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| Type | Theatre group |
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Center Stage is a famous theater located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is known as the official state theater of Maryland. It is also the biggest professional theater in Baltimore that creates its own shows.
Center Stage started in 1963 inside an old gymnasium. It was set up like an arena, with seats all around the stage, and could hold 240 people. Today, Center Stage has two main performance areas. These are the Pearlstone Theater, which has 541 seats, and the smaller, more flexible Head Theater. Both are located in the Mount Vernon Cultural District of Baltimore.
Contents
History of Center Stage
How Center Stage Began
Center Stage was started in 1963 by Marilyn Meyerhoff, Stamy Simopoulos, and other local theater fans. Their goal was to create amazing professional theater for people in the area. It quickly became a leader in the regional theater movement across America. This movement included other famous theaters like The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and Arena Stage in Washington, DC. Before Center Stage moved in, its building on North Avenue was home to The Peabody theater in the early 1900s. Later, a restaurant called Orioles Cafeteria used the space until 1965.
The Fire and Rebuilding
On January 10, 1974, a fire destroyed the theater's home on North Avenue. Even though the outside walls were still standing, the inside was completely ruined. City officials decided it was unsafe, and most of the building had to be torn down. However, parts of the front columns still remain today.
Despite the disaster, the theater team quickly rebuilt the set for their play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. They performed it the very next night at the Baltimore Museum of Art. With help from local leaders, Center Stage continued its season at the College of Notre Dame. The fire actually helped them get a lot of support and donations to keep the theater going.
Moving to a New Home
After the fire, the theater found a new home. They moved into a space that used to be an old Jesuit college. Since then, Center Stage has become Baltimore's most important professional theater. Each year, more than 100,000 people visit to see shows at its home in Mount Vernon.
Artistic Directors and Seasons
In 2011, a British writer named Kwame Kwei-Armah became the artistic director of Center Stage. Before this, Center Stage had shown his play Elmina's Kitchen for the first time in America.
In the 2018-2019 season, Stephanie Ybarra took over as the new artistic director. She had previously worked at The Public Theater. Center Stage then changed its schedule from six plays to seven plays each season. These shows included comedies, dramas, and musicals. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater had fewer shows. However, for the 2024-2025 season, they announced they would have six shows.
What Happens at Center Stage Today
Most of the main performances happen in the Pearlstone Theater, which has 541 seats. The smaller Head Theater has a flexible layout, meaning it can be set up in different ways for different shows.
Center Stage also has special programs:
- The Play Lab series shows new plays by both new and experienced artists.
- Third Spaces brings theater to unusual places. For example, in 2013, they put a small audience inside a shipping container for a play called The Container.
- Fourth Spaces explores how technology and art can work together. They use the theater's interactive media wall to connect audiences with the artists.
See also
- Theater in Maryland
