Community Calendar

Step into the shimmering world of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams’ haunting and beautiful memory play that has captivated audiences for generations. This deeply moving story, rich with longing, fragile dreams, and unforgettable characters, reflects the heart-tugging tension between hope and reality—perfectly resonant for anyone who’s ever chased big dreams while holding tight to family ties. As the Wingfield family navigates love, loss, and the tug of the past, you’ll be drawn into a world as delicate and stunning as the glass menagerie itself. Join us at Church Hill Theatre for an evening of poetic drama and emotional depth that will stay with you long after the curtain falls. Don’t miss this regional favorite!

Marlene Dietrich is quoted as saying, “It’s the friends you can call at 4 a.m. that matter.” Becca, Tammy, and Kim are those kinds of lifelong 4 a.m. Friends with humor and heart and the ties that bind. A myriad of iconic moments, people, and fashion from the 1970s to the present propel these friends as they laugh, fight, argue, support, and love through some of life’s most challenging hurdles -- growing from their teens to their sixties. You know, just like you might do with your own 4 a.m. Friends.

4a.m. Friends runs from Saturday, April 18th through Tuesday, April 21st at the ESPloft (16 East Patrick Street, Frederick, MD, 21701) and Thursday, April 23rd through Tuesday, April 28th at Sky Stage (59 South Carroll Street, Frederick, MD, 21701).

Please note that our Tuesday, April 21st performance will feature a special post show discussion with the playwright.

Tickets are available on a pay what you will basis starting at $0 with general admission seating. Tickets can be reserved online at www.esptheatre.org or in person immediately prior to the start of a performance.

THE CRUCIBLE

BY ARTHUR MILLER
DIRECTED BY JULIE HERBER

APRIL 3 – 26

Preview April 2
ASL Interpreted Performance April 10

A group of teenage girls creates mass hysteria as they accuse fellow villagers of witchcraft in the rigid Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The accused face the choice of maintaining their ideals or conforming in order to survive in this play about the dangers of unchecked fear, the fragility of justice, and the consequences of history.

Based on the beloved Newbery Medal- and National Book Award-winning novel—and the hit 2003 film starring Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, and Jon Voight—this theatrical adaptation is a thrilling ride for audiences of all ages. When teenager Stanley Yelnats is hit by a pair of falling sneakers, his unlucky family curse strikes again. Wrongly convicted of stealing the sneakers and sent to the mysterious Camp Green Lake, Stanley joins a ragtag group of boys digging endless holes under the blistering sun—all in the name of building character. But as the layers of dirt pile up, so do the secrets buried beneath them. Part mystery, part adventure, and packed with heart, Holes is a wildly imaginative tale about friendship, fate, and the courage it takes to rewrite your story. Holes is “a fast-paced and inventive family show that works on every level” (The Stage).

1999 Newbery Medal
1998 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
1999 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction

Bringing The Hunchback of Notre Dame to life through dance​.

Join us for the company and Maryland premiere of La Esmeralda! This romantic ballet follows the noble-hearted Esmeralda as she defies the wicked Archdeacon Claude Frollo to protect herself and her love, Captain Phoebus.

A Soldier's Play is a gripping adaptation of the acclaimed 1984 film A Soldier's Story. This powerful production dives deep into the complexities of race, duty, and justice within the military, exploring the mysterious murder of a Black sergeant on a Louisiana Army base during World War II.

A Musical Journey to the Birthplace of Jazz in 1920s New Orleans. The Squirrel Nut Zippers Jazz from the Back ‘O Town show is an intriguing look at the birth of Jazz, focused on the prodigious musical neighborhood of New Orleans called Back O’ Town.

The Zippers present a delightful view into a magical era of the late 19th century through the Roaring 20s in New Orleans’ Back O’ Town neighborhood. Performing reverent yet exciting renditions of such seminal NOLA classics as Jelly Roll Morton’s “Animule Ball,” Louis Armstrong’s “Back O’ Town Blues,” the Zippers also perform favorites from their own catalog adapted and arranged to more closely echo the sounds of 1920s New Orleans.

Exiled, the magician Prospero rules over a remote island with his daughter. As past betrayals resurface, redemption and forgiveness collide in a storm of magic in Shakespeare’s spellbinding, final masterpiece.

The show runs Friday, April 24 through Sunday, May 17.

Lee Ritenour, guitar
Giorgi Mikadze, piano
Munir Hossn, bass
Wesley Ritenour, drums

For Lee Ritenour, there aren’t many ‘firsts’ left to achieve. During his dazzling five-decade career, the fabled LA guitarist has taken his music to the outer limits, alighting on every genre and occupying every position in the rock ‘n’ roll firmament. He’s been an enfant terrible of ’70s fusion, a crossover star of the ’80s pop chart, an honorary exponent of Brazilian jazz, and the fingers behind ’90s supergroup, Fourplay. Ritenour’s accolades include: 45 albums, Grammy award winner, plus 16 Grammy nominations, Alumnus of the year at USC, Los Angeles’ Jazz Society Honoree (2019), plus thousands of sessions with legends such as Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd, B.B. King, Tony Bennett, among others.