Local writer imagines a Baltimore suburb

By Laura Bogart
Posted on March 28, 2017

St. Bart’s Way could be any affluent suburb in America: rich with the histories — and the secrets — of the families who believe that their opulent homes with well-manicured lawns, and the high-powered jobs that keep the lights on, will somehow protect them from the seedier side of life.However, this well-to-do Baltimore ‘burb comes straight from the imagination of... READ MORE

Shifting shapes at renovated Center Stage

By Dan Collins
Posted on March 27, 2017

Those coming to Center Stage to see award-winning playwright Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of The White Snake, an ancient Chinese fable, may expect to see dazzling lights and remarkable transformations on the Head Theater stage. But they will also be surrounded by the transformations wrought by the theater’s recent $28 million renovation.The entrance, the lobby, the box office,... READ MORE

Annette Bening moved by her current film

By Lindsey Bahr
Posted on March 13, 2017

In 1979, Annette Bening was 21 years old. A year earlier, she had moved from San Diego to San Francisco to study classical drama. She remembers it as a time of tremendous change and uncertainty — and big moments, like the day Harvey Milk and George Mascone were killed. But for the most part, her head was in Chekov and Shakespeare and Shaw and Arthur Miller.So when she read the... READ MORE

A top-notch Show Boat cruises at Toby’s

By Rebekah Alcalde
Posted on March 03, 2017

With its the soaring score, complicated love stories and realistic portrayal of racism, Show Boat, now on stage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, treats the audience to an epic story that is both fun and dynamic, but also serious.Show Boat tells the story of those living aboard the Cotton Blossom, a 19th century show boat travelling the Mississippi River. The musical follows the... READ MORE

Women named to Hall of Fame

By Jamie Lee Pricer
Posted on February 27, 2017

Without exception, the five women who will be inducted into Howard County’s Women’s Hall of Fame in March credit others for the support and encouragement that led to their success.The county’s Commission on Women has inducted its honorees each year as part of Women’s History Month since 1996. The women are heralded for their community service. “Once again, I am so impressed by... READ MORE

Sykesville couple design an artistic life

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on February 21, 2017

Julie and Ken Girardini are married not only to each other, but to their art as well. The husband and wife design team have been creating contemporary metalwork pieces since 1990, working out of a studio on their 3½ -acre property in Sykesville.The Girardinis met when both were living in Colorado. They’ve been married for 30 years, and designing and crafting together for... READ MORE

Shall we dance? Absolutely!

By Carol Sorgen and Danielle Rexroad
Posted on February 20, 2017

Christine and Lee Gedansky began ballroom dancing lessons in 1991 in preparation for their wedding. Unlike most couples, though, they never stopped dancing.In 2002, they decided to establish their own dance studio, Beginning Ballroom, “to bring real dancing to real people,” said Lee, who will soon turn 50.Throughout their marriage, the Gedanskys have continued dancing, taking... READ MORE

Nominations sought for volunteer awards

By Beacon
Posted on February 14, 2017

Montgomery County’s Montgomery Serves Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday, April 24 at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md. The annual event will honor some of Montgomery County’s most outstanding community leaders and dedicated volunteers.“Montgomery County is the very special place it is today in large part because many extraordinary public citizens work every day to ... READ MORE

Stoppard at Studio: intellectual acrobatics

By Michael Toscano
Posted on February 13, 2017

A 30-ish male tutor and his 22-year-old female student at an English university are debating the prosaically labeled “hard problem,” which concerns how biological brain tissue creates complex feelings, thought and action.Of course, it’s obvious they’re lovers, too. He’s all ego, much less id. She’s a believer that absolute morality is the innate quality... READ MORE

Exhibit looks at Howard’s Jewish settlers

By Robert Friedman
Posted on February 03, 2017

For the Howard County history books: Even before early Israeli settlers established collective agricultural communities (kibbutzim) there in 1909, Russian Jews attempted something similar in the early 1900s along the Patapsco River outside of Ellicott City.The evidence is in the exhibit being put together at the Howard County Historical Society museum by Dustin Linz, the museum manager,... READ MORE