News & Announcements

Be a part of our book drive!

This year, for Giving Tuesday, Vagabond Players is collecting books for the LifeBridge Health Bookmobile. These books will be given to children and adults undergoing cancer treatment this holiday season.

New books can be dropped off in our lobby during any performance of INTO THE WOODS or ordered online through LifeBridge Health’s Amazon Wishlist. Click here or go to Amazon’s registry & gifting and search for LifeBridge Health.

Laugh, cry and sing along with us through our 109th Season as we bring award winners and critically-acclaimed shows to Baltimore!

INTO THE WOODS
Oct. 18 – Nov. 17, 2024

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Book by James Lapine
Directed by Audra Mullen and Kerry Simons | Musical Direction by Stephen Deininger

This Tony Award-winning book and score take everyone’s favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, musical theater modern classic.

“What makes this Stephen Sondheim musical of colliding fairytales so irresistible is its doubleness: playful, quirky and fun, it is also a profound exploration of parental anxiety and loss.” - The Guardian

ROOM SERVICE
Jan. 10 – Feb. 2, 2025

By John Murray and Allen Boretz
Directed by Steve Goldklang

A nimble-witted producer, living on credit with several actors in a Broadway hotel, is desperately in need of an angel with $15,000. The laughs don’t stop coming in this great American farce that became an acclaimed Marx Brothers movie.

“ROOM SERVICE probably generates more laughs than any nonmusical in town.” - Variety

ART
Feb. 21 – Mar. 16, 2025

By Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Charlie Junkins

How much would you pay for a white painting? Would it matter who the painter was? Would it be art? Lines are drawn and friendships are tested in this Tony Award winner for Best Play.

“ART sails along, funny, engaging and devilishly efficient.” - The Washington Post

PIPELINE
Apr. 4 – 27, 2025

By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Lorraine C. Brooks

With profound compassion and lyricism, Morisseau shines light on an urgent and necessary conversation in this deeply moving story of a mother’s fight to give her son a future — without turning her back on the community that made him who he is.

“PIPELINE is an emotionally harrowing, ethically ambiguous drama that raises barbed questions about class, race, parental duty, and the state of American education.” - Variety

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE
May 30 – Jun. 22, 2025

By Steve Martin
Directed by Stephen Deininger

Martin plays fast and loose with fact, fame, and fortune in this brilliant absurdist comedy that places young Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism.

“… a show that blends philosophy and comedy in a wonderful way…the strength of the script keeps the audience laughing. Anyone who loves the comedy of Steve Martin will enjoy PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE.” - BroadwayWorld

DIRECTING FOR COMMUNITY THEATRE

Are you an actor, playwright, designer, crew member interested in moving into the director seat or learning more about what it takes to bring a production to life?

Gain valuable insights into the directing process, meet with like-minded passionate individuals and dive into the world of storytelling, blocking, and bringing scripts to the stage. Join veteran Baltimore director and Vagabond Players board member, Steve Goldklang, for this 2-hour workshop for new directors that will cover the following key topic areas:

• What does a director do?
• Selecting and pitching your play to a theatre
• Creating a vision for your production
• Assembling a production team
• Auditions and casting your production
• Creating a rehearsal schedule
• The rehearsal process

FACILITATOR: Steve Goldklang has been directing in the Baltimore theater community for over forty years; many of his productions have been at Vagabond Players and Fells Point Corner Theatre and include: Doubt (currently running), Broadway Bound, A Doll’s House Part 2, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Blithe Spirit, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Odd Couple, The Lion in Winter, Born Yesterday, Frost/Nixon, The Divine Sister, Cock, A Delicate Balance, Art, and Six Degrees of Separation. Steve had a Master’s degree in Dramatic Literature from Queens College.

Attendance is free and open to anyone with some theater background who is interested in directing at a community theatre.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED - click here to reserve your spot.

In-Person Workshop
Vagabond Players
806 S. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21215

Vagabond Players is grateful to the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) for their ongoing support.

Join us for a special holiday-themed NIGHT OUT IN FELLS event with ADAM GARRISON hosting local comedic and musical talent:

DROP THREE - Baltimore’s premier improv and sketch comedy troupe, performing a high energy mix of scripted and unscripted comedy since 2007. We’re so excited to welcome this group led by Belle Burr, director of last season’s STOP KISS and our upcoming production of LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE.

FOURGETABOUTIT - a “barberwop” quartet, singing a mix of traditional barbershop and doo-wop acappella numbers. We can’t wait to hear this team - Scott Tanski (tenor), a motorcoach driver; Joel Schubbe (lead), a Naval Academy engineering professor; Tim Sayles (baritone), a newspaper editor; and Jay Bansbach (bass).a retired media specialist for the MD Dept. of Ed - who have been making music together for almost 15 years.

LESLIE JAY - a local Baltimore vocalist, actor and writer who wowed audiences with her vocal talent in Vagabond Players’ production of CHESS.

All tickets are just $15
General admission seating
Doors open at 7 p.m. | Show starts at 8 p.m.

Book your tickets now!

What are the most important elements an actor needs to be aware of to prepare for an audition and to be cast in a particular role?

Join well-known Baltimore Director, STEVE GOLDKLANG for a FREE 90-minute workshop that will include topics like:

• How should I approach selecting a 2-minute monologue and preparing for the audition?
• How do I physically present myself?
• How do I connect with the auditors at an audition?
• Should I be using a chair or other prop for my audition?
• What question(s) should I ask the director when auditioning for a specific role?
• What are the two most important talents I can bring to the theater every time I step onstage to perform?

OPTIONAL: If you wish to, attendees may prepare a 1–2 minute audition monologue to present at the workshop.

Steve has been directing in the Baltimore theater community for over forty years; many of his productions have been at Vagabond Players and Fells Point Corner Theatre and include: Broadway Bound, A Doll’s House Part 2, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Blithe Spirit, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Odd Couple, The Lion in Winter, Born Yesterday, Frost/Nixon, The Divine Sister, Cock, A Delicate Balance, Art, and Six Degrees of Separation. Steve had a Master’s degree in Dramatic Literature from Queens College.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED - click here to reserve your spot.

For actors ages 16+

Vagabond Players is grateful to the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) for their ongoing support.

Vagabond Players is honored to host NY-based performer and songwriter Brittain Ashford for a special one night only performance!!

The New York Times said Brittain should have been nominated for a Tony for her appearance in Broadway’s award-winning and critically-acclaimed NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812. Lin-Manuel Miranda once suggested that she could sing while he wept into a bucket.

Since her time on Broadway, Brittain has returned to writing and performing her own music, releasing two albums under the moniker Prairie Empire, a solo album of show tunes “run through a David Lynch filter” called Drama Club, numerous singles, and a new album in early 2023 under her own name, Trotter. Her original music has been featured on MTV’s Catfished and HBO’s Search Party.

Also joining Brittain on stage is Baltimore’s own extraordinary vocalist, Samantha McEwen Deininger, currently starring in Vagabond Players’ production of CHESS.

All tickets are just $15
General admission seating
Doors open at 7 p.m. | Show starts at 8 p.m.
Book your tickets now!

“No praise is adequate for Ashford’s heart-rending performance, her vocals summoning a raw, soulful quality…” — THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Join us for another night of incredible local talent hosted by Adam Garrison! We’re excited to welcome comedian Alexx Starr and give you a sneak peek of the musicians you’ll see in our upcoming production of CHESS.

And you won’t want to miss our award-winning headliner, KING TINK. Bryant Tinker, better known on stage as King Tink, has been making audiences laugh throughout the DMV area for over a decade performing with acts such as Tony Woods, Nephew Tommy, Rickey Smiley, and Michael Blackson.

All tickets are just $15
General admission seating
Doors open at 7 p.m. | Show starts at 8 p.m.

Book your tickets now!

Join us for a collaboration of local talent hosted by our own Sydney Marks! The incredible line-up includes comedians Mike Smith and King Tink, special musical guest Samantha McEwen Deininger, and features stand-up comedian Adam Garrison.

Garrison was last seen on the Vagabond Players’ stage as Chief Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and has been entertaining the east coast for over 10 years, headlining in New York, Atlanta and Sarasota.

All tickets are just $15
General admission seating
Doors open at 7 p.m. | Show starts at 8 p.m.

Book your tickets now!

A Tony award-winner, a 1980’s rock musical, an Agatha Christie mystery, and more await you in our 108th season!

Chess

Music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson | Lyrics by Tim Rice
Based on an idea by Tim Rice
Directed by Stephen M. Deininger

October 20 — November 19, 2023

In this groundbreaking rock musical, the world renowned game of chess becomes a metaphor for romantic rivalries, super-power Cold War politics, and international intrigue. From Bangkok to Budapest, the players, lovers, politicians and spies manipulate and are manipulated to the pulse of a monumental score by the ABBA team that includes such classics as “One Night in Bangkok” and “Heaven Help My Heart.”

“CHESS is an exhilarating new game in town.” – WNBC-TV
“… one of the best rock scores ever produced in the theatre.” – Time Magazine

Witness for the Prosecution

By Agatha Christie
Directed by Robert W. Oppel

January 5—28, 2024

A riveting story of passion, justice and betrayal from the queen of suspense! When Leonard Vole is accused of murdering a rich older widow, the courtroom becomes a scene of shocking witness testimony, impassioned outbursts from the dock and a trapped husband’s fight to escape the hangman’s noose. This startling thriller will keep you guessing until the very end — but please, don’t reveal that ending to your friends!

“Christie’s play is easily her most ingenious.” – The Guardian
“Twisted plots and intriguing characters remain the hallmark of Christie’s literary contribution to British crime literature.” – West End Theatreland

How I Learned to Drive

By Paula Vogel
Directed by Tessara Morgan Farley

February 16 — March 10, 2024

A wildly funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival in which Li’l Bit, now a woman in her 30’s, comes to terms with the complex childhood relationship she had with her Uncle Peck. Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize winning thunderbolt of a play brings theatre back to its roots in storytelling and personal and social history.

“HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE remains incisive and affecting, not only in the ways that it explores sexual trauma as a personal experience but also in how it places that experience within a larger social matrix.” – TimeOut

Doubt, a parable

By John Patrick Shanley
Directed by Steve Goldklang

April 5—28, 2024

In this Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning 21st century American classic, Sister Aloysius, a strict, uncompromising Catholic middle school principal in the early 1960’s, takes matters into her own hands when she suspects the charismatic and highly popular Father Flynn of improper relations with one of the male students — who also happens to be the school’s only African American student.

“The best new play of the season… so full of high drama that the audience with which I saw it gasped out loud a half-dozen times at its startling twists and turns.” – The Wall Street Journal

Love, Loss and What I Wore

By Nora Ephron and Delia Eprhron, based on the book by Ilene Beckerman
Directed by Belle Burr

May 17 — June 9, 2024

An evening of hilariously funny and often poignant short scenes and monologues by noted comic writer and director Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Heartburn) and Delia Ephron that depict how an item of clothing can hold a past identity, body shape, and hopes seized or abandoned. In this delightfully dishy trip down memory lane a dress, a shoe, a hat can serve as a jumping off point for bigger themes such as falling in and out of love, familial relationships, or a same-sex marriage.

“Breezy and enjoyable. A show about matters of the heart and matters of the closet.” – New York Times

More information will be available soon about auditions and opportunities to get involved, as well as tickets and subscriptions for this season.

Vagabond Players continues its 107th season with the riotously funny Shakespeare mashup, THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged) by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, and directed by Daniel Douek.

Egads and forsooth! Take three wild’n’crazy actors plus Shakespeare’s 37 plays, cram ‘em all into 97 minutes, and you’ll learn more about The Bard (through songs, raps, interpretative dancing and even a cooking show!) than you ever did while you were asleep in English class. The Bard would go bonkers, but you’ll have a blast at this outrageous compendium of Bill’s greatest hits. Romeo, Cleopatra, Othello, Macbeth and of course, everybody’s favorite great Dane (Hamlet, himself) — they’re all here rockin’ and rollin’ like you’ve never seen them before. Surgeon General’s Warning: Excessive viewing of this show could be injurious to your funnybone!

“If you like Shakespeare, you’ll love this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!” - The Today Show.

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged) opens Friday, February 17 and runs through Sunday, March 12, with weekly performances Fridays/Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Special performances include: a special Saturday matinee on March 4 at 2 p.m. and a $10 Thursdays on Broadway performance March 9 at 8 p.m.

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged) was originally produced by Reduced Shakespeare Company.