News & Announcements
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We are excited to reveal a bold lineup for our 110th season, featuring five dynamic productions that reflect our enduring passion for storytelling and artistic excellence. Spanning rock musicals, dark comedies, and iconic drama, this celebratory season pays tribute to more than a century of live theater in Baltimore.
HAIR
Oct 17 – Nov 23, 2025 (No performances Oct 31–Nov 2)
Book & Lyrics by Gerome Ragni & James Rado | Music by Galt MacDermot
Directed by TJ Lukacsina | Music Direction by Stephen Deininger
This iconic rock musical roars back with electrifying urgency. HAIR is a soul-stirring celebration of peace, protest, and personal freedom that resonates across generations; a bold, electrifying exploration of freedom, resistance, identity, and the fight against oppression.
THE SHARK IS BROKEN
Jan 9 – Feb 1, 2026
By Ian Shaw & Joseph Nixon
Directed by Stephen Deininger
Dive deep into the behind-the-scenes drama, humor, and humanity that unfolded during the making of Jaws. Centered on the tense, often hilarious dynamic between Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Scheider stranded on the Orca during filming delays, THE SHARK IS BROKEN explores ego clashes, artistic frustration, and unexpected camaraderie—echoing the larger themes of fear, fame, and legacy that Jaws so powerfully captured.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
Feb 20 – Mar 15, 2026
By Joseph Kesselring
Directed by Katie Sheldon
A delightfully dark comedy that feels just as fresh and funny today as it did when it first premiered, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE blends sharp wit with a macabre twist that speaks to the timeless absurdities of family and facade. In an age where appearances can be deceiving and truth feels stranger than fiction, this theatrical classic reminds us, through laughter, how chaos often hides in the most charming places.
THE HEIDI CHRONICLES
Apr 10 – May 3, 2026
By Wendy Wasserstein
Directed by Lee Conderacci
As society continues to grapple with gender roles, work-life balance, and the meaning of progress, this Pulitzer Prize-winner offers a deeply human look at the costs and complexities of forging one’s own path. THE HEIDI CHRONICLES isn’t just a portrait of a woman in transition—it’s a mirror held up to generations still navigating the same questions.
THE DIVINE SISTER
May 29 – Jun 21, 2026
By Charles Busch
Directed by Steve Goldklang
An outrageously campy satire of nun-themed melodramas, packed with sharp wit, spiritual hijinks, and fearless humor, this fast-paced, genre-blending farce follows the indomitable Mother Superior as she confronts visions, school scandals, and long-buried secrets. In a world still wrestling with the boundaries of belief, identity, and tradition THE DIVINE SISTER offers a hilarious, subversive escape that reminds us how humor can be a divine force in itself.
Subscriptions and tickets will go on sale this summer.
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 this FREE 2-hour workshop that invites actors to put a new spin on their approach to preparing for auditions. Get answers to questions such as:
- 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 and have the opportunity to discuss your past experience with auditioning.
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: Room Service, 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 has a Master’s degree in Dramatic Literature from Queens College.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED - click here to reserve your spot.
For actors ages 16+
This workshop is highly recommended for actors planning to attend the Baltimore Small Stage Coalition auditions in June 2025.
Vagabond Players is grateful to the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) and the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts (BOPA) for their ongoing support.
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.
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.
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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.
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.