By Kate Hamill
Directed by Dr. Amy Steiger“There are monsters in this world, Mina.
Somebody has to stand against them.” – Van Helsing
In Kate Hamill’s frightening and darkly comic new take on Bram Stoker’s 19th Century novel, however, “the monsters look just like us.” How, then, do people on the side of good fight for their loved ones in a dark world where charming predators are lurking around every corner? Who will drive a stake through the heart of patriarchy? At times comical and campy, and deeply chilling, unsettling, and thought-provoking throughout, this bloody romp is a thrilling turn on the story of Dracula as it’s been told in the past.Take note: this is a horror show. It contains total darkness, jump scares, staged violence of all kinds, lots of blood, emotional and physical abuse, non-consensual physical contact, misogyny, murder, and implied suicide. It also comments on and invites critique of those things, but potential audiences who are sensitive to any of the above should be aware that the play might be upsetting. Rest assured: we have worked with a fight and intimacy choreographer whose priority is always the actors’ safety and full consent.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland Performing Arts Program is proud to present Chosen Family Values Directed by Amy Steiger

“We interlock with those before and after us in mutually strengthening connections. There is no clear line from one to another, instead we crisscross and weave creating living breathing networks of knowing constantly moving in and out of each other’s lives like a kaleidoscope. That interwoven, interlocking nature of our community feels like security.” — from an interview with a member of the community.

Four queer characters in Southern Maryland – Lauren Ipsum, a librarian; Q Smith-Smith, a stage manager; Old Bae, a drag performer; and Stormy, an activist – can’t agree on the best approach to an event to build LGBTQIA2S+ connections in the face of ongoing struggles. Should it be a lecture and panel discussion, a play, a party, or a protest? As they engage in conversations with and learn more about members of their local community, they take us on a kaleidoscopic journey that constantly changes time, place, persona and perspective to weave a theatrical net of protection made stronger by their differences.

Drawing on verbatim interviews with members of LGBTQIA2S+ communities in Southern Maryland and on SMCM’s campus, students devised and wrote this play in a course on Community-Based Theater – which is theater created in, with, for and about particular local communities to explore issues of concern to them – at St. Mary’s College of Maryland in fall 2023.
Tickets are FREE and can be reserved by emailing the box office at boxoffice@smcm.edu.
Performances are in St. Mary’s Hall, February 28-March 2 at 8:00 pm and March 3 at 2:00 pm.

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Directed by Diego VilladaIn this 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Branden Jacobs Jenkins (author of An Octoroon, Appropriate, and The Comeuppance) re-imagines the medieval morality play Everyman. Everybody is summoned by Death and must take a journey at the end of which God expects to see a presentation on how Everybody has lived, and why they made the choices they did. Assigned characters by lottery at the beginning of the play, all the other Somebodies have to decide whether or not they’ll accompany Everybody on the road to what is most likely their demise. Who will be Everybody’s companion on this most profound – and hilarious – journey of reflection on the meaning of life and morality? Stuff? Friendship? Strength? Beauty? Time? Love? … You?

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for the general public, and can be reserved at boxoffice@smcm.edu.
Performances are in the Bruce Davis Theater, April 24-27 at 8 p.m. and April 28 at 2 p.m.

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed and Choreographed by Diego Villada
An adventurer appears, offering a quest. Adopting the eager Nat and the reluctant Jo as “squires,” the adventurer leads the two best friends on an unexpected journey through their seemingly dull town. The call to battle is answered. A parakeet must be avenged, and it starts to become clear: the adventurer is hiding something. This new fantasy-inspired “fight play” is shaped around stage combat.

Original work created by smcm performing arts students

Exciting new collaborative work created entirely by SMCM Performing Arts majors! This innovative production will be conceived, devised, written, and designed by members of the inaugural graduating class of the Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies program in the Performing Arts department.

Original work created by smcm performing arts students

In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived!

Presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing Global.