Best 2014-2015 College Productions In Baltimore

If you think that the only clean entertainment outside of your house are movies, then there's good news. Local colleges are perpetually putting on all kinds of entertaining productions from musical concerts, to stand-up comedy, to plays, to dance recitals and more! Go treat yourself, your date or your family to something unique, and check out these fascinating productions from some excellent local schools.
"Thirteen Clowns: An Evening Of Clown Bagatelles"
Towson University
Center For The Arts, Fine Arts Dr.
Towson, MD 21204
(410) 704-2787
www.events.towson.edu

Date: Nov. 19-22, 2014

Towson University is a large and widely respected college just north of Baltimore City, and itc Center for the Arts is one of the most respected in Maryland. In this comedy vignette, "Thirteen Clowns" returns to a bygone comedy tradition, but adds a modern twist. Enjoy an evening watching these clowns stumble their way through life's common problems, experiencing failure after failure. The failures combine, however, into a final success of finding the missing Thirteenth Clown, the piece of the puzzle that fulfills their quest.

Goucher College Jazz Ensemble
Merrick Lecture Hall
1021 Dulaney Valley Rd.
Towson, MD 21286
(410) 337-6000
www.events.goucher.edu

Date: Dec. 2, 2014

Once an all-girls school, Goucher has since expanded to be a college that welcomes everyone into a friendly and competent world of learning. Despite being a smaller college, Goucher has a talented and diverse group of music students. In December, you can see its music department show off its stuff in an evening of jazz that covers the range from jazz standards, free-form and original compositions – all under the direction of the incomparable Jeffery Chappell.

"The Lost World"
University of Maryland
3800 The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center University Of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-2787
www.theclarice.umd.edu

Date: Feb. 13-21, 2015

The time is the mid-90s. "Jurassic Park" is in the theaters, every bookstore is crammed with books on dinosaurs and all of the toy stores have big tyrannosauruses in the windows. Set in the height of dino-mania, "The Lost World" is a play about a couple of adolescent kids who discover that beneath their bed lies the gateway to an entire prehistoric world. Exploring this world beneath their mattress is risky, but not – it turns out – as risky as telling others what they have found. Symbolic of the transition from childhood to adulthood, "The Lost World" asks "is it possible to balance imagination and maturity, chaos and control, and to hang onto the wonder of childhood without being trapped within it?" This uniquely crafted play with astounding special effects is brought to you by the creative team at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at University of Maryland.

Related: Baltimore's Best Art Schools 

22nd Annual Concert For Children And Families 
Johns Hopkins Shriver Hall
3400 North Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 516-7164
www.pages.jh.edu

Date: March 8, 2015

Johns Hopkins – located right in the backyard of Baltimore residents – is world-renowned for its standards in art and education. Such lofty institutions, when they feature productions of theater or concerts, tend to appeal to the intellectually elite, or the well-matured crowds of jaded adults. However, for 22 years, Johns Hopkins has been bringing art to the next generation by inviting children and families to enjoy the classics of symphony music presented in a light and colorful way to appeal to the budding curiosity of a child's growing mind. Bring your family in and enjoy selections from Russell Steinberg's "Cosmic Dust," and "The Mother Goose Suite" by Maurice Ravel. After the performance, families are invited on-stage to meet the musicians and to see their instruments up close.

"A Prayer!?!" 
Morgan State University Murphy Fine Arts Center
2201 Argonne Dr.
Baltimore, MD 21251
(443) 885-4440
www.murphyfineartscenter.org

Date: Dec.5-7, 2014

In his brand-new play, playwright Dwight R.B. Cook takes a careful look at the culture, atmosphere and ideology of the Southern Black Church. Come explore a topic that is intimately familiar to some and entirely new to others, and see an honest look at the spiritual life that characterizes a large part of the community in Baltimore and across America. Guaranteed to be both enlightening, energetic and entertaining, this is an experience not to be missed.

Related: Best Small Theater Companies In Baltimore

Joel Furches is a freelance writer and researcher for The Examiner and Logos Software, and also manages his own catalog of writing on Hub Pages. Joel is on the board of directors for Ratio Christi. He has a bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Education.