Jan 22 Thursday
In this focus exhibition of approximately 20 photographs, prints, drawings, and textiles, the natural environment is a source of creative inspiration worth celebrating and protecting.
Works by artists such as Winslow Homer, Richard Misrach, Charles Sheeler, and Kiki Smith, among many others, depict the elements of air, water, earth, and fire and address broader themes of ecological awareness and preservation. These themes range from how artists have used visual language to convey the act of locating oneself in nature; works that depict natural forms through the physical integration of environmental components; and artists’ commentary on sites of environmental disaster, the sociopolitical ramifications of human impact, and the potential of symbiotic healing for this planet and its occupants.
For thousands of years, East Asia’s cultures have viewed human life as part of a much larger system that encompasses the natural world. Drawn from the BMA’s collection, this exhibition boasts more than 40 objects—from magnificent ink drawings to beautifully crafted stoneware and poignant contemporary photographs and prints. They bring into the galleries the mountains and seas, wild and supernatural animals, and plant life that are extensive across East Asian imagery and often carry symbolic meaning.
Works on view include robust 13th-century ceramic vessels, delicate porcelain, carved jade, intricately sewn textiles, and large-scale photography; collectively, these artworks represent the impulse to fully understand the natural world as foundational to our existence, as shaped by human life, and as an enduring metaphor of survival.
Mindfulness Meditation + Sports & Positive Psychology + Neuroscience + Group Coaching = mPEAK
mPEAK (Mindfulness, Performance Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge) is a mindfulness training program for anyone seeking to achieve personal and professional goals, as well as attain new levels of performance and success. This cutting-edge training program is built around the latest brain research related to peak performance, resilience, focus, and “flow”.
The mPEAK program enhances the human capacity of mindfulness through established and empirically supported practices and exercises. Mindfulness is effective precisely because it is a way of being and relating to all aspects of life, rather than a specific technique or tool for a particular goal. As with physical training, this brain training program is based upon the understanding that optimal outcomes occur most often when participants continue to engage in the practices and exercises on a daily basis as a part of their training regimen.
This program was specially designed for athletes, first responders, leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, musicians, dancers, and busy professionals or parents who set big goals, face consistent challenges and stretch themselves towards excellence. mPEAK is appropriate for beginner and seasoned mindfulness practitioners alike. Previous meditation experience is not necessary to participate, but can facilitate a deeper learning experience.
MET's Teen Ensemble presentsTHE PROM Book and Lyrics by Chad BeguelinBook by Bob MartinMusic by Matthew Sklar
Note: The Prom features student actors who are still in training.
Directed by Zack Callis and Becca BensonMusical Direction by Melynda Burdette WintrolStage Managed by Meghan Rozier
ABOUT: Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it's time to put a spotlight on the issue...and themselves. The town's parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow - but when one student just wanted to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to make a difference, the Broadway stars team up with the courageous student, leading to a transformation that brings everyone together in the name of love and acceptance.
This production contains mature language which may not be suitable to some viewers.
How can we break the cycle that compels immigrants and their children to leave homes and families in search of security? From East, Like the Sun follows two generations in two families (and one 19th century ghost) searching for the mother lode - whether it’s gold, or a stable way of life. Playwright Karen Li, previously produced by Rapid Lemon as part of Variations on Change in 2022, is a Baltimore-based multidisciplinary artist whose other plays have been produced by Strand Theater, Theaterlab, and La Jolla Playhouse. Jalice Ortiz-Corral (Honey Bee Baby, Variations on Courage, Variations on The End) directs.Performed live on stage at Strand Theater, 5426 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214. Tickets are general admission, $25. A special discounted "Industry Night" performance is just $15, on Monday, January 12. We'll have a talkback with the playwright following the performance on Friday, January 23, and a special "Masked Matinee" on January 18th - audience members will be required to wear masks for that performance.
Vagabond Players presents THE SHARK IS BROKENJan. 9 – Feb. 1, 2026
Vagabond Players continues their historic 110th Season— and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic film JAWS—with the Baltimore premiere of THE SHARK IS BROKEN, written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon and directed by Vagabond veteran Stephen Deininger.
Fresh off acclaimed runs in London’s West End and on Broadway, this behind-the-scenes look at one of the most iconic films ever made is as hilarious as it is heartfelt. Return to the waters where it all began: three actors, two fragile egos, and one very uncooperative shark. This could be the biggest disaster in recent Hollywood history, helmed by a director that no one thinks canpull it off. In between swilling Tab and tanning on deck, Roy Scheider runs interference between neurotic Richard Dreyfus and the acid drunk wit of Robert Shaw as they navigate endless filming delays and screwups on a rickety lobster boat.
Starring returning Vagabond Players actors, Doug Krehbel, Andy Belt and Matthew Lindsay Payne, THE SHARK IS BROKEN offers a delicious insider’s look at the bickering, brawling and back stabbing among a trio of soon-to-be legendary actors who just happen to be making a monster movie that will change the course of cinema history. Frustrations, petty rivalries and no-so-secret vices all come to the surface in a comedy that also contains a deeper story of fathers and sons, their mortality, and the legacy they leave.
THE SHARK IS BROKEN runs January 9 – February 1, 2026, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. And check out a special “Thursdays on Broadway” performance January 29 at 8 p.m. when all tickets are just $12.
For tickets, cast and show info visit www.vagabondplayers.org. Special discounts and group rates are available online.
Jan 23 Friday
This focus exhibition of 10 works explores the relationship between burning fossil fuels—namely, coal—and the emergence of European modernism. Drawing on research conducted by climate scientists and art historians, the exhibition presents a range of paintings and works on paper by Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, James McNeill Whistler, and others to explore the ways that their artistic practices and style emerged, in part, in response to widespread pollution in London and Paris.Presented as part of the Turn Again to the Earth environmental initiative.
2nd Annual Rotunda Rocks Returns to Hampden Neighborhood this SpringFamily-friendly Night of Rockin’ Fun Begins May 3 and Runs Every Friday Until End of September
Whether you like to jam to rock, folk, blues, Indie, Latin or reggae, there is something for everyone as the second annual Rotunda Rocks concert series returns to Hampden this spring/summer (711 W 40th Street). This family-friendly FREE concert series, presented by MCB Real Estate, features live music on the plaza and a street festival atmosphere with delicious local food and drinks, fun games and local vendors on Fridays, 6-9 p.m. beginning May 3 and running until September 27. Rotunda Rocks is open to the public and welcomes families and pets. A portion of proceeds from beverage sales benefits the Maryland SPCA. For more information, log onto Rotunda Rocks | The Rotunda (rotundabaltimore.com) or call 410-662-0104.
SCHEDULE OF BANDS: May 3 Mambo Combo (Latin and tropical rhythms)May 10 Strykers Posse (reggae)May 17 Go Dog Go with special guest Garage Sale (garage rock and hot rockin’ Surf)May 24 Harlan County Kings (original rock)May 31 Patrick Alban & Noche Latina (Latin and acoustic rock with a touch of salsa and South Beach feel)June 7 Barry Prosser and the Vaguely Absurd (classic rock)June 14 Monkton Road Band (rootsy folks laced with deep country)June 21 The Natty Brohs (classic rock and blues)June 28 The Soularites (SoulFULL reggae and Ska)July 5 Kyf Brewer & Friends (hues of 60’s pop radio, British invasion, early Nashville, rhythm and blues and ancient Celtic melodies)July 12 Justin Trawick and the Common Good (Americana-bluegrass, country and folk)July 19 The Players Band (infectious rhythms and horn-heavy ska sounds)July 26 Gaelic Mishap (Celtic rock)August 2 Tumblehome (rock, soul, rhythm & blues)August 9 Kurt Deemer Band (guitar driven rock & roll)August 16 Barleyjuice (Celtic rock)August 23 Red Sammy (honest, slow-burn Americana folks rock)August 30 La Unica (Irish Latin)September 6 ZOCKO! (surf garage)September 13 Western Run (funked-up country rock)September 20 Guys In Thin Ties (Alternative 80s band)September 27 The Rock-A-Sonics (rockabilly, vintage country and atomic age rock n’ roll)