Things of Dry Hours is the current production at Center Stage's Head Theatre. This production written by Naomi Wallace and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah is set in the American South of the Depression. The action takes place in the home of Tice Hogan and his widowed daughter Cali. Tice is an unemployed steel worker and a Bible reading member of the Communist party. In fact the Communist Manifesto and the Bible are the two most prized things in his life—aside from his daughter. Cali works hard, chopping wood and taking in laundry from the neighboring houses. Into their lives one night there is a knock at the door and in comes Corbin Teel, on the run from the law. That knock on the door changes the entire dynamic of all their lives. Recently Rhea had a grand conversation with master actor Roger Robinson who heads up this great cast about this poetic play and other things. Things of Dry Hours runs at CENTERSTAGE through June 3.

Center Stage Theatre

There are two great National Parks in the immediate Baltimore area listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most Baltimoreans immediately think of Fort McHenry, but more of secret has been the National Historic Site in Towson. Well all that is about to change as the National Park Service is putting on the final touches this Summer to the grand reopening of the park this Fall. The grounds and most of the buildings are already open and ready for you to visit as work continues of the main mansion. There is plenty to see and do this Summer as you will see from this visit we've taken with the splendidly dressed Vince Vaise, Chief Ranger for Hampton National Historic Site, who tells us all about the Ridgely family who built and lived on this plantation for seven generations, from 1790 through 1948 when it was designated by Congress as a National Historic Site.

Hampton National Historic Site

On April 21, the Baltimore School for the Arts celebrated the return of their annual gala to the Building. In past years, they celebrated with other Maryland Arts Organizations while their home was being expanded and renovated. In aquiring the brownstone next door, they were able to create new rehearsal spaces for Dance, acting workshops, private music rehearsal rooms, and a new library.


Baltimore School for the Arts

This week's Salon Art is from the Light Street Gallery in Federal Hill, Baltimore. Light Street Gallery is a Fine Art Gallery that features Contemporary Original Art. American Icons is their first group exhibit of 2007. The American Icons exhibit includes paintings of the American Flag, Barbie, Mickey Mouse, and the United States Capitol and photographs of a Parade, a Diner, an Edsel Automobile, and additional images of Americana in these two mediums. The twenty artists whose work is included in the “American Icons” exhibit are Mark Schiff, Robert McClintock, Rob Rudick, Barbara Simpson, Mark Lovett, Anna Kuczynski, Diane Kraus, Nicole Wittelsberger, Ed Towles, Irene Sylvester, Jerry Prettyman, Robert Cadwalader, R.A. Propper, Gwen Lewis, Nancy Nesvet, Dave Montgomery, Jim Condron, Stephen Hay, Patrick O’Brien, and Chip Cecil. "American Icons" is on view through June 2. Light Street Gallery is located at 1448 Light Street in Baltimore.

Light Street Gallery

On ArtChat This Week, Nate and Rhea discuss the eighth annual Cultural Arts for Education Conference sporsored by Arts Education in Maryland Schools. The event begins at 8:30am to 4:30pm on Tuesday, May 29th at Towson University's Center for the Arts.

Arts Education in Maryland Schools