Summer at the Center

For the first time in nearly 20 years, 2024 heralds the revival of summer arts celebrations at the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC) with the debut of the Summer at the Center festival.

This festival isn’t just a celebration of, but a tribute to, Baltimore's vibrant artistic tapestry and COFAC's long history as a part of it. Set against the backdrop of the Center for the Arts’ theaters, concert halls, classrooms and dance studios, the festival will showcase performances from both Towson University departments/student groups and the wider Baltimore professional arts community.

Summer at the Center 2024 is scheduled to run from June 13 – 30.

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Upcoming Festival Events

Performances, Concerts, & More!

Cabaret Series: Sunrize "With A Z" Off-Off...OFF Broadway

JUNE 13 • 7PM • $30 A satirical tribute to musical theatre artists created by TU MFA Alum Joseph W. Ritsch ('11) combining his work as both a drag artist and musical theatre performer. This satire of contemporary musical theatre divas combines unique song stylings with reflections, sage advice and insightful backstage stories on the “business we call show”.

Art Exhibition: Awaken

JUNE 18 – JULY 26 • FREE The senses are neurological phenomena, shaping our perception of self and our surroundings. The artists in this exhibition bridge the gap between personal sensation and the tangible world, transcending the conventional boundaries of consciousness and evoking feelings of nostalgia, playfulness, and wonder. Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10AM – 3PM

ImprompTU In-Person

JUNE 20 • 7PM • $15 Enjoy an evening of spontaneous fun with ImprompTU, Towson University’s Student Comedy Improv Group. Spontaneous, joyful, and creative, this performance will include a wide variety of games and exercises sure to bring giggles and guffaws.  Beyond that we can’t tell you because it will all be made up on the spot! 

Community Dance Day

JUNE 22 • 9AM – 2PM • FREE A day of classes and workshops for all ages and abilities—Parent & Me, creative movement, ballet, jazz, hip hop, Polynesian and improvisation. An all-male and an adult with Parkinson’s Disease movement workshop are also offered. 

Awaken Hands-On Art Workshop

JUNE 26 • 5PM • FREE Rachel Stein is a Baltimore-based artist and educator who utilizes a sustainability framework, juxtaposing the body, the landscape, and plastic. Join her for a free workshop inspired by the themes of the Awaken Exhibition. Light refreshments will be served.

The Sondheim Woman

JUNE 22 • 7PM • $30 Created, written, directed and performed by Carolyn Black-Sotir, this multi-media theatrical concert combines music, stunning images, and a dramatic narrative based on extensive research and personal interviews with Stephen Sondheim. Additional featured artists include Dr. Timothy McReynolds (piano), Tom Baldwin (bass), and TU Alum Shannon Wollman ‘91 (Voice). 

Cabaret Series: What's the pointe, by Stillpointe Theatre Cabaret

JUNE 27 • 7PM • $30 Founded by TU Alum Ryan Haase ‘09, Stillpointe Theatre is one of Baltimore’s most vibrant and innovative professional musical theater companies. Join us for a cabaret performance of their repertoire showcasing many TU alumni and other popular local artists for songs you’ve always loved and those destined to be new favorites. 

Cinema at the Center

JUNE 28 • 7PM • FREE The Department of Electronic Media & Film’s curated screening of student work from the Film/Video/Digital Media Production Concentration. A brief Q&A with student media makers will follow the screening. May contain material recommended for mature audiences.

Silver Actors Culminating Showcase

JUNE 29 • 3PM • FREE Come see the culminating work of the inaugural TU Silver Actors' program, a two-week-long workshop for theatre artists over the age of 55.

Hysteria: A Play Reading

JUNE 29 • 7PM • $7 A concert reading of Hysteria, by TU Alum Eddie Stockman ('23). This ridiculous murder-mystery romp casts four actors playing 30+ roles. In the idyllic community of Far-Flung Acres, an HOA board goes missing which ignites a chain of events that sends this suburb to the brink of war with lies, podcasts and pool boys. Directed by TU Faculty Sache (Steven) J. Satta (they/he). 

TU Alumni Wind Symphony: Broadway Concert & Ice Cream Social

JUNE 30 • 3PM • $30 Summer at the Center concludes in grand fashion with a full concert by Towson University’s magnificent Alumni Wind Symphony. Conducted by TU faculty member Phillip Collister-Murray, this concert will include beloved Broadway show tunes and concludes with rousing patriotic favorites. Join us for ice cream on the patio afterwards!  

Camps & Workshops

Silver Actors Theatre Workshop

JUNE 17–28 • WEEKDAYS, 10AM –12:30PM • $350 A two-week summer workshop for seasoned to inexperienced actors, offering training and performance opportunities for adults 55+. Train together in improvisation, scene study, character study and rehearsal. At the end of the workshop, a live performance will take place on Towson University’s stage on Saturday, June 29, featuring all members of the workshop. The Silver Actors' Summer Workshop will be led by Staci Robbins (AEA, SAG-AFTRA), an award-winning actor, director, and arts educator.

Please note: A previous description of this workshop included musical theatre and script development as potential workshop topics in error.

Summer Art at TU

JUNE 17–JULY 26 • WEEKDAYS • $200–$300 TU's Community Art Center provides the best art camps for kids in our area. These affordable one- and two-week session half-day camps for students in grades K--9 culminate with a community art celebration for the whole family on July 26. 

Speak Up, Speak Out Camp

JULY 15 – 19 • 9AM –4PM • $300 Designed specifically for middle school girls (ages 11-13), this camp aims to strengthen advocacy skills, public speaking and build confidence. Girls will receive personalized coaching and mentoring and will culminate in an advocacy showcase at the end of the week.

Laban Movement Training

JULY 17–21 • 9AM – 12PM • $375 Discover how Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) can provide new insights and inspiration to performance choreography and teaching. 

Cuban Ballet Teaching Seminar

JULY 24–27 • 9:30AM – 4PM • $425 Maestra Ramona De Saa, the former director of the Cuban National Ballet School, has hand-picked her former student and esteemed Ballet Master Roberto Machado to facilitate and lead a four-day teaching seminar for dance educators. The seminar will focus on the teaching methodology used during the 4th-year of the Cuban National Ballet’s eight-year curriculum. During the seminar, participants will learn about the history, cultural traits and curriculum characteristics that make the Cuban National Ballet School’s teaching methodology distinctive. Each dance educator will have the opportunity to invite two students to attend a one-day, immersive Cuban dance intensive on the last day.

Functional Awareness Training for Dance Teachers

JULY 29 – AUGUST 2 • 9:30AM –4PM • $450 Functional Awareness®: Anatomy in Action explores the relationship between the skeletal and the muscle structures and myofascial tissue to sustain a dynamic elasticity and promote efficiency of movement. It provides strategies to ease tension in daily movements, as well as improve ones practice in movement skills such as dance, yoga, running and other physical training. 

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Maryland Arts Festival History: 1981–2006

COFAC has a long and distinguished legacy in presenting performances, exhibits and cultural events for both the campus and the Baltimore metropolitan region.

While much of this presenting work is focused on student capstone experiences, the Center for the Arts is fully equipped to work with professional presenters within its state-of-the-art facilities.

From 1981–2006, COFAC was home to the Maryland Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary summer arts festival producing or presenting professional theatre, musicals, chamber music, dance and film. The Maryland Arts Festival showcased performances like "Gypsy," "Ragtime: The Musical," "Cabaret" and "Forever Plaid."