The most-visited Stoop in Baltimore has never been more polished.
When "O Little Town of Baltimore: A Holiday Live Radio Show" takes the stage on Thursday, it will begin a record run consisting of eight performances instead of, at most, three. The show is being co-produced by Center Stage, and it's the most recent indication that the Stoop Storytelling series, which began four years ago as an experiment, has the potential to become Charm City's newest professional troupe.
Laura Wexler and Jessica Henkin, the organization's two 30-something creators, are elated at the speed with which their series has found an audience. Most individual shows sell out, and last year's holiday extravaganza at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall filled 1,400 seats.
"This is thrilling for us, because we don't come from theatrical backgrounds," Wexler says "Center Stage is keeping our vision and our vibe and sort of refining it. They're helping us to be better."
At the same time, the women aren't at all certain they want the Stoop to move uptown. They fear their marble stairs would be out of place fronting an elegant townhouse. They'd like the Stoop to stay just as it is — the kind of place where someone can sit a spell in front of a painted screen door and shoot the breeze.
"Both of our fathers are old-school businessmen, and they will cringe when they read this," Henkin says. "But neither Laura nor I think we want to incorporate as a nonprofit organization, and make Stoop into our careers."
And yet, "O Little Town of Baltimore" clearly represents a new stage in Stoop's development.
Professional backdrop
For the first time, the local residents telling unscripted anecdotes about their lives will stand on a set built by a professional scene shop. The stage is done up in a 1960s palate of turquoise, black and silver, and contains both a knee-high cocktail glass and a chandelier resting, incongruously, on the floor.
For the first time, Wexler and Ron Spencer will have sophisticated props at their disposal to create such distinctive sound effects as windshield wipers and a slamming door.
And for the first time, the Stoop folk have the chance to learn the tricks of the trade from seasoned pros. At a recent rehearsal, Mike Schleifer, Center Stage's production manager, advised Aaron Henkin of WYPR-FM, who is hosting his wife's holiday spectacular, how to preserve his cold-stressed voice for eight performances.
"Get a bottle full of Gatorade, and when you're off-stage, spray it into the back of your throat every 20 minutes or so," Schleifer says. "The first time I heard that, I thought it was crazy. But I know a lot of actors who swear by it."
Because "O Little Town of Baltimore" is performed as a live radio show, the eight storytellers (five chosen in advance, and three from the audience) are interspersed with scripted sketches performed by a company of radio actors.
The skits tackle such ripe targets as "Baby's First Christmas," featuring dueling in-laws, and a behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on in Santa's workshop. (The elf union rep, Twinkly Twizzlebutt, agitates for a dental policy — essential because the elves eat nothing but gumdrops — and for Santa to recognize elf/gnome civil unions.)
Musical interludes include singer/songwriter ellen cherry, Dundalk's BSQ Barbershop Quartet and Nepalese folk singer Prem Raja Mahat. In addition, Wexler and Jessica Henkin, who created The Stoop in 2006, sing a touching duet in which they search far and wide for their missing holiday spirit before locating it in a can of Natty Boh.
Though Stoop has been renting Center Stage's Pearlstone Theatre for the past three years, this is the first time that both organizations have joined forces. Center Stage is making "O Little Town of Baltimore" its holiday offering, and promoting it to its 30,000-member mailing list.
It's a testament to Wexler and Henkin that Center Stage artistic director Irene Lewis didn't hesitate to pursue a partnership between Baltimore's largest regional theater and what technically is an amateur company.
"We definitely wanted to do a holiday offering, but Irene is against doing anything too soft and sentimental," Schleifer says.
"She wanted something with some chops to it. She has been to see Stoop's shows, and she has been a fan of theirs for a long time. Stoop's product is great. They have killer bands, really good radio performers, a great emcee, and Laura and Jess are terrific. Maybe there isn't a union emblem behind their name, but they put on a solid, polished production."
The Center Stage gig is also important symbolically.
""My mother said, 'Laura, you're in show business,'" Wexler says. "To me it's a total surprise. But it feels like it happened organically. We started something we loved and followed our own interests and talents. It's an outgrowth of who Jessica and I are as people."
Stoop is starting to get offers for paying events outside its regular season of six storytelling and two live radio shows. Johns Hopkins Medicine has hired Stoop to put together a program of stories for the spring about health, disease and treating patients.
In addition, the Maryland Humanities Council has hired Stoop to work on "Practicing Democracy," a new program that brings people with differing points of view together for a civic dialogue. Wexler and Henkin will prepare a storytelling program based on the theme of public transportation that is expected to be held in February at the Walters Art Museum.
Phoebe Stine Davis, the council's executive director, has been attending Stoop shows since moving to the Free State in 2008. In her view, the storytelling format fosters a supportive atmosphere and mutual respect.
"Many stories have been very thought-provoking," she says. "I really like the trust that develops between the audience and the storytellers. Storytelling is personal, but it's also communal. It allows people to open up their minds and let new ideas in."
After all, audience members know that the folks on stage aspirating into the microphones aren't professional performers, that the words coming out of their mouths are true and deeply felt — and that the storytellers are scared stiff. It's hard not to root for them.
About those dreams
Both founders have dreams for Stoop. Wexler would like to bring the series to the people. She envisions driving around the city, stopping passers-by in the streets and parks, and recording their stories. Henkin would like to put on storytelling workshops for kids in Baltimore schools to help them express themselves and understand one another.
But these dreams come with a price, and both women are balking at paying it. They have even gone so far as to discourage a potential sponsor.
"A friend of my father's told me, 'I'd love to invest in you,' Henkin says. "But we aren't sure what there is to invest in. I don't think this will ever be a full-time thing for me or Laura."
And indeed, a large part of Stoop's charm always has been its unpredictable — frankly, amateurish — quality. If the series were to become too slick, the very attribute that makes it so appealing might get lost.
"The music and sketches are great, but they're value-added," Wexler says. "The storytellers have always been the heart of what we do."
There are similar storytelling series in other U.S. cities. Some, like The Moth in New York or SpeakEasy in Washington, have incorporated as nonprofit organizations. They have staffs and rent out their services for corporate retreats. Other series, such as San Francisco's Porchlight, have remained resolutely volunteer.
"Right now, doing shows and meeting people and hearing stories feels like a gift," Wexler says. "I'd hate for that to change."
And yet the women realize that organizations inevitably are in flux, constantly moving in the direction of either getting bigger or smaller. As much as they want the Stoop to remain the same, that might not be possible.
Lots on their plates
The two women already are stretched thin. Both are married and the mothers of two preschool-age children. Henkin, 36, commutes to her job at Baltimore's Crossroads School from her home in Annapolis. Wexler, who lives in Charles Village, is a senior editor at Style Magazine and teaches graduate writing courses at Goucher College.
Not surprisingly, making the Stoop sparkle takes lots of time. Henkin and Wexler began working on their holiday show in September.
It's easy to anticipate that in the not-too-distant future, they might get an enticing, work-intensive offer that promises to open up all kinds of new horizons. Either the duo will have to turn down the opportunity, or someone will have to quit her job.
What will they do, then?
"I'm trying not to have any feelings about it before it happens," Wexler says."This is a storytelling moment in our culture. Series like ours across the country are thriving. But in the future, people might not be as interested in it as they are right now. The demand might fade a bit."
Back in the Pearlstone, Aaron Henkin was getting ready to rehearse the "Santa's Workshop" sketch. He called the group to attention:
"Radio actors, are you ready? Sound-effects team, ready? Laura, Jessica, ready? Are we ready to go on?"
If you go
"O Little Town of Baltimore: A Holiday Live Radio Show" runs at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St., Thursday through Dec. 19. $23. For showtimes, call 410-332-0033 or see the Stoop Storytelling event listing on FindLocal, The Baltimore Sun's events/venues database.