The Towson Children's Chorus and the Charm City Choir won the "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Choir Challenge" in a singing competition held last Saturday at the Milford Mill High School.
The two winning choirs will form the onstage choir for "Joseph" when the Broadway production opens its national tour in Baltimore this January. Eight Maryland choirs entered the contest.
The Towson Children's Chorus is under the direction of Doug Byerly. Lauretta Young directs the Charm City Choir. Together, there are 56 children aged 9 through 14.
The choirs will appear in 16 performances during the show's run Jan. 17-29 at the Lyric Opera House. For details, call (410) 625-1400.
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The Maryland State Arts Council is seeking applicants for its fiscal year 1996 Arts Organization Grant Program, which offers both general operating funds and incentive grants to qualified arts organizations.
General operating grants are available to organizations presenting children's events, dance, folk arts and heritage, literature, media, multidiscipline, music, theater and the visual arts. Organizations can apply for a grant in only one category, which must be closely related to the organization's predominant activities. Qualified organizations are eligible to receive up to 10 percent of their operating cash budget.
Proposals for general operating funds are reviewed on the basis of the organization's artistic merit, administrative performance, community service and strength of planning.
Incentive grants are designed to encourage or enable organizations to improve or expand their programming to reach under-served artists and audiences. The arts council can award grants for up to 50 percent of the cost of a project.
These incentive grant proposals will be reviewed on the basis of the project's artistic merit, the ability of the applicant to carry out the project, the significance of the project for the intended artists involved -- as well as for the intended audience -- and the financial feasibility of the project.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 1. For details and applications, call (410) 333-8232 or TDD/TTY (410) 333-4519.
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"Das Barbecu," the musical retelling of Wagner's "Ring" cycle that ran at Center Stage last season, has generated critical praise since it opened two weeks ago at the Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village.
Critic Clifford Ridley calls it "the most engagingly goofy show this side of 'Crazy for You' " with a libretto "that has the cunning of a prairie fox." Ben Brantley dubs it "a slick, affable and perky retelling of Wagner's 'Ring' cycle with a Texas twang." To critic Mary Campbell, it is "fun and almost as campy as 'Rocky Horror Picture Show.' "
The Seattle Opera commissioned and presented "Das Barbecu" in 1991 to accompany the company's "Ring Cycle." Since then, it has been produced by Center Stage and Goodspeed Opera in Connecticut. Christopher Ashley, who directs this off-Broadway production, also directed "Das Barbecu" in Baltimore.
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Danny Hoch's one person show "Some People," which ran at Theatre Project last summer, has extended its run at New York's Public Theater until Dec. 11. In his show, the 23-year-old New Yorker portrays a dozen characters of different ages, races and genders. He brought "Some People" to Theatre Project in order to fine tune it for its New York opening and filming for HBO.
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The deadline is Dec. 1 for playwrights to submit unproduced one-act plays to ACT ONE '95, a festival of plays that will be produced next spring at the Met Theater in Los Angeles.
Rita Bramon Garcia and Jerry Levine will produce the plays in association with Showtime television network, which plans to option two plays for full-length development as films.
The plays should be sharp, witty and daring and run no longer than 35 minutes. You may submit as many plays as you like, as long as guidelines are met. Do not resubmit any plays. For details, call (213) 469-0696.
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Theatreworks/USA, a creator and producer of theater for young audiences, will present a series of hour-long plays for school children during weekdays in Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College.
This season's shows include "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," "The Secret Garden," "Curious George" "Young Abe Lincoln" and "The Little Prince." Tickets are $4.50 per person for groups of 15 or more, and $7 for fewer than 15 and for individual tickets. Most performances begin at 10:30 a.m. with some scheduled to repeat at 12:30 p.m. For schools seeking information, reservations and a schedule, call (212) 677-5959. Locally, call try (410) 337-6154.
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The Allenberry Playhouse in Boiling Springs, Pa., is seeking applicants for staff and Equity membership candidate positions for its nine-production 1995 season. Positions are available in all technical and performing areas. In addition, the theater is searching for an apprentice administrative assistant and an assistant musical director. Write a cover letter detailing your areas of interest, including a photo and resume, to: Staff/EMC, Allenberry Playhouse, P.O. Box 7, Boiling Springs, Pa. 17007-0007.
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The Johns Hopkins Children's Center has selected art by local children for this year's holiday fund-raising "Miracle Cards."
The cards present the work of Monet Chantiles-Ruby of Towson, Kate Duvall of Monkton, Kathryn Cameron of Guilford and the second grade class of Park School. The 64 students from Park School created a group version of Van Gogh's "Starry Night."
Proceeds from each $8 packet of 16 cards benefit the Children's Center. The cards are available at Greetings & Readings, Amoco gas stations, C-Mart and NationsBank branches throughout the state.
Auditions
* Auditions for Silver Spring Stage's production of "A Shayna Maidel" are scheduled from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dec. 1 and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 at Silver Spring Stage, 10145 Colesville Road in Silver Spring. The production, directed by Norman Seltzer, calls for three women in their 20s, one woman in her 40s, one man in his 60s and one man in his late 20s. Actors should prepare a two-minute dramatic monologue. For details, call (301) 762-4112.
* Auditions for Spotlighters Theatre's April production of "The Cenci" are scheduled from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 12 and 13 at the theater, 817 St. Paul St. The production calls for nine men aged from 18 to 60 and one woman in her 50s. For details, call (410) 631-3076.
* Cisum Music Productions and Rock Harvester Records are looking for bands that perform live original music ranging from alternative to "weird rock" to promote and produce. Auditions will be held at selected venues in Baltimore and Washington Dec. 1-Jan. 31. To sign up and for details, call (804) 330-0027.