Community Calendar

Declared by The Huffington Post as “the real hero of sitcom TV,” Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) is a comedian, author, radio host, podcaster, and actress. Her critically acclaimed multi-Emmy nominated sitcom The Ms. Pat Show, produced by Lee Daniels and Brian Grazer, is entering its 5th Season. The R-rated series is streaming on BET+ and Paramount+ with an edited version airing on BET linear. The premiere of the show shattered viewership records on the streamer, almost crashing the app, and garnered Emmy nominations in the “Outstanding Direction for a Comedy Series” category in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The Ms. Pat Show, based on Pat’s real-life story of an inner-city drug dealer turned suburban mom, has been a hit with fans and critics alike. The Hollywood Reporter raved, “Think Roseanne of the 1980s and 1990s, but even rawer,” and Essence Magazine gushed, “Ms. Pat is headed for the comedy stratosphere.”

Following the success of The Ms. Pat Show, BET/Paramount Global signed Pat to a multi-genre overall deal under which she debuted her weekly court show Ms. Pat Settles It on BET linear. Another hit for the rapidly emerging entertainment mogul, the series will premiere its 3rd Season on November 4th, 2025.

Pat’s previous standup special Y’All Wanna Hear Something Crazy?, directed by comedy legend Robert Townsend and Executive Produced by Wanda Sykes, is currently streaming on Netflix. The New York Times described the hour as “superb material” while Indiewire offered, “There are a lot of comedy specials on Netflix these days, but Ms. Pat breaks through the noise.” In addition to her standup and TV projects, Pat recently costarred in the remake of the 90’s classic film Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead alongside Nicole Ritchie and June Squibb, and she hosts her own top-rated comedy podcast The Patdown.

SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS

BY BESS WOHL
DIRECTED BY PETER WRAY

FEBRUARY 13 – MARCH 15

Preview February 12
ASL Interpreted Performance February 20

Six strangers find themselves at a silent retreat in the woods, each seeking connection while struggling with their own, silent, inner demons. Both awkwardly hilarious and strangely compassionate, Small Mouth Sounds asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.

In a single room, three women slip between fantasy and reality, acting out the moments they’re too afraid to live in real life. What begins as playful role-play becomes a raw excavation of longing, connection, and the emotional legacies passed between mothers, sisters, and lovers.

Blending the sharp wit of a romantic comedy with the searching depth of an existential drama, Trinity is a lyrical, layered portrait of womanhood that’s as funny as it is fearless. As NPR so aptly put it, “Waithe’s TV shows and films are powerful empathy engines”—and Trinity brings that same emotional truth to the stage. Directed by BCS Artistic Director Stevie Walker-Webb, you’ll want to see it more than once to catch every subtle shift, every emotional turn, and every truth just beneath the surface.

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

You are cordially invited to our Jane Austen-inspired improv show! Featuring arranged marriages, nosy neighbors, and plenty of scandals.

Big Bang Baby transforms ancestral divinity, folklore, and science into a radiant universe of light, color, and controlled chaos. At its center are fantastical feminine figures creating universes and experiencing their own divinity. Inspired by Afro-Dominican spiritual traditions of “carrying a mystery,” as well as Native Taíno Zemi goddesses, LUSMERLIN celebrates the gift of spiritual presence and creation in women. Across pastel, acrylic and LED-lit sculptural forms, the exhibition asks: What does it mean to be stardust, to be a source of divinity?

Towson University Department of Art + Design, Art History, and Art Education Faculty present examples of their recent aesthetic concerns in a broad range of media.

Rob Cook - Take a Hike: Cook’s sculptures and drawings investigate recent scientific research indicating positive correlations between spending time in nature and well-being, primarily through a sustainable practice incorporating fallen trees, invasive species, and plant waste to express his ideas. Rob's mission is to inspire attendees to interact with nature and to take a hike.

Kari Miller - To Whom It May Concern: Miller explores the beauty, joy and complexities in parenting a child with a disability while working in collaboration with her daughter who has Down syndrome. To Whom It May Concern is an ongoing conversation surrounding the impact of the history of institutionalizing individuals with an intellectual and developmental disability. This immersive installation dives deeper into educational policy, practices and experiences with audio interviews from teachers, parents and former students that have a disability.

Electra Lowe - Made From Scratch: Lowe untangles the labor and rituals of home to reveal the hidden threads of gender, labor, and consumption. Using tactile materials, symbolic foods, and altered domestic objects, the installation critiques the patriarchal structures embedded in everyday rituals—specifically, who eats, who serves, and who is seen.

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.

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.