Baltimore Center Stage

Baltimore Center Stage The State Theater of Maryland
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Baltimore Center Stage is a professional, nonprofit institution committed to entertaining, engaging, and enriching audiences through bold, innovative, and thought-provoking classical and contemporary theater. Named the State Theater of Maryland in 1978, Baltimore Center Stage has steadily grown as a leader in the national regional theater scene. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Stephanie

Ybarra, Baltimore Center Stage is committed to creating and presenting a diverse array of world premieres and exhilarating interpretations of established works. Baltimore Center Stage believes in access for all—creating a welcoming environment for everyone who enters its theater doors and, at the same time, striving to meet audiences where they are. In addition to our Mainstage, Off Center, and Family Series productions in the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, Baltimore Center Stage ignites conversations among a global audience through our digital initiatives, which explore how technology and the arts intersect. The theater also nurtures the next generation of artists and theatergoers through the Young Playwrights Festival, Student Matinee Series, and many other educational programs for students, families, and professionals.

08/24/2026

"Baltimore: You Laughed. We Heard You! BOCKING IS EXTENDING THROUGH SEPT 13!

Baltimore is eating up this wild new comedy—and now you have more chances to see what all the Bocking is about. This bold new work by Preston Crowder is hilarious, outrageous, and just inappropriate enough.

⚠️ Warning: BOCKING contains explicit content and is very risqué. It’s also laugh-out-loud funny, deeply real, and full of heart.

🎟️ Get your tickets NOW at centerstage.org"

HAPPY OPENING, BOCKING!Tonight, we celebrate the cast, creative team, crew, and everyone who brought this wild, hilariou...
08/22/2026

HAPPY OPENING, BOCKING!

Tonight, we celebrate the cast, creative team, crew, and everyone who brought this wild, hilarious, unforgettable new play to life.

Congratulations on the WORLD PREMIERE of BOCKING by Preston Crowder—a bold new voice who is quickly proving why they're one of the most exciting voices in American theatre.

From the first rehearsal to opening night, you’ve built something fearless, funny, provocative, and completely original.

Here’s to taking risks, championing new voices, and giving Baltimore a world premiere that refuses to behave.

NEXT UP AT BCS: Direct from an acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements comes Laura B...
08/21/2026

NEXT UP AT BCS: Direct from an acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements comes Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, a one-woman comedy show from the mind of Tony Award® winner Laura Benanti running Sept 17 – 26 here at BCS!

Known for her dazzling Broadway performances and razor-sharp wit, Benanti takes the stage to share her hilarious, heartfelt, and sometimes brutally honest takes on motherhood, people pleasing and the joys of aging. Blending side-splitting storytelling with original songs, New York Times Critic's Pick Nobody Cares is a love letter to recovering people pleasers, mothers, and anybody working on themselves.

Get your tickets NOW at centerstage.org

08/18/2026

NEXT UP AT BCS: Direct from an acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements comes Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, a one-woman comedy show from the mind of Tony Award® winner Laura Benanti running Sept 17 – 26 here at BCS!

Known for her dazzling Broadway performances and razor-sharp wit, Benanti takes the stage to share her hilarious, heartfelt, and sometimes brutally honest takes on motherhood, people pleasing and the joys of aging. Blending side-splitting storytelling with original songs, New York Times Critic's Pick Nobody Cares is a love letter to recovering people pleasers, mothers, and anybody working on themselves.

Get your tickets NOW at centerstage.org

08/14/2026

✨ FLASHBACK FRIDAY ✨

Last week, we were in the room for the "Bocking" designer run. Now? PREVIEWS START TONIGHT!

From the first laugh to the final bow, this production has been pushing Baltimore Center Stage into some seriously unexpected territory.

As Artistic Director Stevie Walker-Webb puts it: “Bocking is like nothing we have ever done at Baltimore Center Stage.”

And honestly? We think that’s exactly the point.

Come take the risk with us. Come laugh. Come get uncomfortable. Come see something you truly haven’t seen here before.

🎟️ Previews start TONIGHT.
"Bocking" runs NOW through September 6. Get your tickets at centerstage.org

08/12/2026

Offended easily? Squirm at s*x talk? “Bocking,” a new irreverent comedy debuting at Baltimore Center Stage, might not be the play for you.

08/10/2026

“My community at the theatre has been my joy. This play has been my joy.” ❤️

Adrienne C. Moore sat down with WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore to talk about the joy, community, and wild ride of BOCKING at Baltimore Center Stage.

See Adrienne and the incredible cast in this wildly irreverent, laugh-out-loud world premiere—a play that asks what happens when we stop being ashamed of what brings us joy.

BOCKING by Preston Crowder
Aug 14 to Sept 6

Come find your joy. Get your tickets at centerstage.org.

BOCKING is officially on sale. And trust us, you’ll want to say you were there first. Tickets are now available, link in...
08/06/2026

BOCKING is officially on sale. And trust us, you’ll want to say you were there first. Tickets are now available, link in bio.

From the brilliant mind of Preston Crowder and directed by Stevie Walker-Webb, this scandalous satire and wildly irreverent world premiere comedy takes on family, faith, respectability, and the secrets we work overtime to keep buried. Presented by , Bocking is bold, outrageous, and laugh-out-loud funny. A theatrical event that refuses to behave.

Then stay for one of our Special Events & Post-Show Talkbacks:

Aug. 14 — Lena Waithe & Stevie Walker-Webb
Aug. 15 — Blaq Pride Night with Romance by Myoshi & Preston Crowder
Aug. 19 — Karrueche & Preston Crowder
Aug. 20 — Kink Night
Aug. 22 — Lena Waithe & Preston Crowder
Aug. 23 — Jonathan Burke
Aug. 26 — Sis Thee Doll & Monroe Alise
Aug. 27 — HBCU/D9 Night with Kalen Allen & Carla Hall
Aug. 29 — Jordan E. Cooper & Preston Crowder
Sept. 2 — La La Anthony
Sept. 5 — Alana Bowers

Be among the first to experience the comedy everyone will soon be talking about!

🎟️Tickets are NOW ON SALE - https://www.centerstage.org/events/bocking/

Address

700 North Calvert Street
Baltimore, MD
21202

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 6pm
Wednesday 12pm - 6pm
Thursday 12pm - 6pm
Friday 12pm - 6pm

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