Community Calendar

The Rotunda Welcomes Back Popular Family-Friendly Concert Series this May
3rd Annual Rotunda Rocks Begins Friday, May 2 and Runs Every Friday through Friday, October 3

Grab a blanket or dust off your favorite portable chair and head on over to Hampden this spring for the return of the popular family-friendly concert series, the 3rd Annual Rotunda Rocks. This FREE weekly 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 and will take place Fridays, 6-9 p.m. beginning May 2 and running until October 3. (711 West 40th Street). Whether you like rock n ’roll, folk, bluegrass, Indie, Latin, Celtic or reggae music, there is something for everyone and the event is open to the public. Pets are welcome and 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.

MET's Teen Ensemble presents
THE PROM
Book and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Book by Bob Martin
Music by Matthew Sklar

Note: The Prom features student actors who are still in training.

Directed by Zack Callis and Becca Benson
Musical Direction by Melynda Burdette Wintrol
Stage 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.

Just Fine – The Ultimate Mary J. Blige Tribute Band takes you back to your favorite days and times in the go-gos, celebrating the music of multi-award winner Mary J. Blige!

This 7 piece band’s groove and sound provides you with amazing throwback memories, as well as the more recent feel good vibes, from this musical icon. Led by professional recording drummer Rashad King with Tye Tribbett, Dooby Powell, Noel Jones and lead vocalist Ms. Tre’ Jae, who delivers the look and sound of her musical idol, Mary J. Blige.

Just Fine will highlight hits such as “Real Love”, “You Remind Me”, and “My Life”, to name a few. Just Fine will provide the ultimate tribute concert experience, satisfying and supplying you with your MJB fix!

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes… In one of Shakespeare’s most haunting tragedies, Macbeth plunges audiences into a dark world of ambition, prophecy, and betrayal. When three mysterious witches foretell that Macbeth will become king, a deadly chain of events is set in motion, blurring the line between destiny and choice.

Set against a foreboding backdrop of war and witchcraft, Macbeth explores the corrupting power of unchecked ambition and the psychological unraveling of a man consumed by power. Is Macbeth a pawn of fate or the author of his own downfall? This timeless classic continues to captivate with its powerful language, unforgettable characters, and eerie supernatural elements. ESPtheatre is proud to present this must-see for fans of dramatic theater, classic literature, and suspenseful storytelling as our next main stage production.

Performances run January 9th through February 3rd at News Spire Arts and the ESP Loft. Tickets available now!
Friday, January 9th - 7:30pm at New Spire Arts
Saturday, January 10th - 7:30pm at New Spire Arts
Sunday, January 11th - 3:00pm at New Spire Arts
Friday, January 23rd - 7:30pm at New Spire Arts
Saturday, January 24th - 7:30pm at New Spire Arts
Sunday, January 25th - 3:00pm at New Spire Arts
Saturday, January 31st - 3:00pm at the ESP Loft
Sunday, February 1st - 3:00pm at the ESP Loft
Monday, February 2nd - 7:30pm at the ESP Loft
Tuesday, February 3rd - 7:30pm at the ESP Loft

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 BROKEN
Jan. 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 can
pull 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.

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.

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.

"Free 8-Week Work Readiness Program for Individuals with Disabilities

Build Skills. Discover Strengths. Prepare for Work.

In a small, supportive group setting, you will gain the skills and confidence needed to find and succeed in a job.

Free and open individuals with disabilities ages 16+.
Space limited to 8 participants.
You do not need to be a current JCS client."