The Guide 8.24 - Flipbook - Page 7
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FREE TIME
ON THE STAGE
The best entertainment options in Anne Arundel County
By Benjamin Rothstein
At a time when arts organizations
across the country are shuttering or
cutting back on programming, many
Anne Arundel County performing arts
organizations are thriving.
The region is home to several community theater companies. During warmer
months, several theater and dance
groups perform outdoors at historic
venues.
Led by Music Director José-Luis Novo,
the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra is a
part-time, professional orchestra. Add
an opera company, a summer chamber
music festival and opportunities to hear
concerts at the U.S. Naval Academy and
St. John’s College, and the county has a
number of classical music options. Here’s
a sampling of what’s onstage during the
2025-2026 performing arts season:
Annapolis Opera bumps up to four main-
stage operas for its 2025-2026 season. Up
first at Maryland Hall is Mozart’s “Don
Giovanni” on Oct. 21 and Nov. 2, followed
by a New Work Reading at the Unitarian
Universalist Church on Feb. 22, and then
Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and
Gretel” in mid-March. The 38th annual
Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition
takes place April 19 at Maryland Hall, and
admission is free. See annapolisopera.org
for more information.
Annapolis Symphony opens its season
on the shores of the South River with its
annual Pops in the Park concerts, set for
11:30 a.m. Aug. 29 at Downs Park and 5:30
p.m. Aug. 30 at Quiet Waters Park. The
monthly Signature Series concerts begin
Oct. 10 and continue until early April
2026. annapolissymphony.org
The Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre
offers outdoor musicals in a setting unlike
any other in the area, with high-quality,
nonequity productions of new and classic
musicals. “Groundhog Day,” a musical
based on the Bill Murray film, tells the
story of Phil Connors, a weatherman
trapped in a time loop, and runs through
Aug. 31 at 143 Compromise St. in Annapolis. summergarden.com
Ballet Theatre of Maryland is one of the
Sequel (Sandy) and Jules Kanarek (Annie) in the award-winning musical“Annie,” which runs Sept. 19 to Oct. 19 at Compass Rose Theater
at Maryland Hall. JOSHUA HUBBEL/COMPASS ROSE THEATER
few professional dance companies based
in the state. Most of its performances take
place at Maryland Hall, but the troupe
also melds movement with flowers and
colonial architecture at Ballet in the
Garden, Sept. 21 at Hammond Harwood
House. The indoor season opens Oct. 17
with “Giselle,” which follows a peasant
girl who falls in love with a nobleman in
disguise. The company’s performances
continue with “The Nutcracker” in
November and December, “Momentum”
in February and “La Esmeralda” in April.
801 Chase St. in Annapolis. balletmaryland.org
150-seat theater tucked away in wooded
Whitemarsh Park, off Route 3. Up next
is the murder mystery “Web of Murder,”
running from Oct. 31 to Nov. 16. After
that, the troupe tackles “Women Playing
Hamlet,” from March 6 to 22. bctheatre.
com
Bowie Community Theatre produces
its shows in the Bowie Playhouse, a
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