Artistic Director Andrew Peters unveils Baltimore’s Glass Mind Theatre‘s Third Season schedule.
As a young company, this third season is crucial. We believe in creating a cohesive season with a theme, and we enjoy finding the conceptual ties for our main stage productions. I wanted to find a unique approach to all of our season selections, without necessarily straying from the texts. How can we use classics to create a revitalized theatrical experience, in a way that’s completely distinct to Glass Mind?
We decided on the three plays, with the fourth slot filled by our popular interactive Brainstorm Play Festival. We named it “Classics Resketched.” We’re challenging ourselves to take these plays back to the ‘drawing board,’ so to speak, and explore what makes them tick. We’re taking the visual approach that we have with our work and allowing ourselves to add new texture to works that defined eras.
Artistic Director Andrew Peters. Photo by Kevin Griffin Moreno.
We’re starting the season with a re-envisioned landscape of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set in a futuristic monastery. When this was first pitched, I was most interested in the relationship that people had with that play. Some mentioned it was a play they remember from high school, either as a very young artist or as an audience member. It’s important to explore the world of this play and really crack the text open; there’s a raw edge, there. Director Ryan Clark wants to create a distinct environment unique to this production. We look forward to transforming a space like the Load of Fun Theater in Station North into a fully realized world – to delve into the woods and discover how seductive the play can really be!
We’re also excited to be working with energetic, Baltimore-based artist, Ben Hoover. Hoover will adapt and direct our production of ’s The Three Sisters that premieres this winter. Hoover’s own enthusiasm stems from an enchantment with the way dreams and memories play into the story. He’s an emerging voice in Baltimore, and he’ll create a hauntingly surreal take on this classic.
GMT’s Managing Director, Lynn Morton, showed great interest in directing a very specific version of Sophocles’s Antigone. She was drawn to Mac Wellman’s adaptation, which had an emphasis on dance and the idea of the story being told multiple times with only three Fates and a speaking character known only as ‘E-Shriek.’ Collaboration’s very important to Glass Mind, and we’re excited to use this version of the Greek legend to explore dance, movement, and other exciting visual elements with outside artists.
Ending out our season – as is tradition – will be our Brainstorm play festival. Brainstorm 4: Of Myth and Legend will once more depend on the suggestion of audience members to give a number of cutting-edge playwrights the inspiration for new short plays, all while mixed into an evening of interactive theatre and music. We’re calling this our journey to a living, breathing museum, as each piece will be revolving around the suggestions of classic figures – fictional or historical.
LINK
Glass Mind Theatre website.
About Author Joel Markowitz
Joel Markowitz is the Publisher and Editor of DCMetroTheaterArts. Joel is a regular guest on 'The Lunch and Judy Show' radio program starring Judy Stadt in NYC. Joel founded The Ushers Theatre Going Group in the DC area in 1990, which has now merged with Broadway Bound Meetup. He wrote a column for 5 years called ‘Theatre Schmooze’ and recorded podcast interviews for DC Theatre Scene, and was the Editor at MD Theatre Guide before coming to DCMetroTheaterArts. His work can also be seen and heard in "Columns" and "Podcast" on BroadwayStars. Joel also wrote a monthly preview of what was about to open in DC area theatres for BroadwayWorld. He is an avid film and Buffalo Sabres fan and is an advocate for children's theatre.