City: Baltimore, MD

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (410) 332-0033

Address: 700 North Calvert St.

Description: CenterStage is the State Theater of Maryland and has been in business for 45 years. The theater is in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, just 2 blocks east of the Washington Monument, in what was once the building for Loyola College and Preparatory School. The building was donated by the Jesuits in 1974. There are two theaters in the building, the Pearlstone Theater and the more intimate Head Theater. The larger Pearlstone has 541 seats with excellent sight lines from every seat. CenterStage mounts six shows every year—some Broadway, some classic, some more avant-garde. A recent season featured Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. There are also always offerings by new writers as well. Children under 5 are not permitted unless the show is specifically advertised for all ages. Sascha’s Express in their Mezzanine Café serves light dining before each performance. Irene Lewis is the company’s resident director. The season runs from October to June, but the theater is never really dark.