Tell Me, Does it Have a Club Car?

Walking into The Club Car feels less like entering a bar and more like stepping onto a set. The pool table and long wood bar should quickly dispel any questions about just what kind of establishment it is, but something about their scale seems just-larger-than-life. On the day I went to conduct this interview, a quote in metallic lettering behind that big, beautiful bar caught my eye: “TELL ME, DOES IT HAVE A CLUB CAR?” That’s a line from the 1995 drag classic To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar—the inspiration behind the establishment’s name.

For Ryan Haase—the Artistic Director of Stillpointe Theatre and the primary owner of this 12 W. North Avenue destination—the question is both a nod to queer cinema and a mission statement for the Station North Arts District. In a city where art and nightlife often collide with a distinct and purely Baltimore edge, Haase has spent the last decade perfecting the art of marrying form to function and coming up with some truly inviting hybrids of space and content. 

The Club Car was conceived as a temporary pop-up Cabaret for the former Wind-Up-Space and opened in January 2024—a collaboration between Ryan Haase, Kitt Crescenzo, Darius K. McKeiver (Stealya-Manz Blue), Joe Pipkin, and Stacey Antoine (Karmella). It was such a hit Haase and McKeiver decided to stay on as the proprietors and make it a permanent addition to the neighborhood. They—along with Maddie, Club Car’s intrepid bar manager and her team behind the bar, Chris, Jayne, Dom, and Terrence—handle the crowd with aplomb and more than a little talent. 

“My background is in set design,” Haase says, leaning against a bar that feels as much like a prop as it does a workstation. “So, when I was creating the space for Club Car, it was a purely theatrical approach. I wanted pieces that could move, a proper kind of flow, and an aesthetic that felt unique to Baltimore—something that felt special to us, and different from the other bars we frequent.” He does that more than admirably with the choice to include a large sitting area, with big, comfy 50’s modern settees, cocktail tables, and cozy chairs that invite the patrons to settle in for a nice chat with friends or strangers. 

Haase views the bar as a dynamic environment that contrasts with other local venues, its staff acting as the “ensemble” in a nightly, unscripted “production.” Everybody belongs at The Club Car. That’s what makes it so inviting. 

I’ve known Haase since 2014, when I interviewed him for the now-defunct Baltimore Gaylife Magazine. I was so impressed with this young man who seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go with his then-new theatre venture, Stillpointe. Knowing now how The Club Car came by its name, readers might wonder: why “Stillpointe”? Ryan told me back in 2014 “We settled on the name Stillpointe because it means that moment between two breaths, or a moment between shock and awe. That’s what we wanted to create with this theatre. We just added the ‘e’ at the end to be fancy!” Figures. 

The Texas-born Haase—a classic military brat—spent time in Kansas, Germany, and a handful of other bases. But it was in Hawaii, of all places, that the theatre bug bit him hard. When the family moved back to the Baltimore area, he finished high school here and enrolled in Towson University, graduating as a Theatre Design major. He describes his love of set design as having been born of his need to create “order out of chaos.” Haase likes to see things in exactly the right place—even if the design calls for an untidy collection of miscellaneous objects. He wants each one placed just so. 

He had the opportunity to design cohesion out of a chaotic collection during his tenure at the wonderfully funky shop in Hampden, Wishbone Reserve. (Side note: I bought my dining room chandelier from them after they bought my old one.) Yet he describes theater as the “ex-boyfriend I can’t quit.” Haase now uses his superpower of putting everything in its place to help guide Stillpointe Theatre. Productions like Grey Gardens or Assassins are designed and executed with precision. And Haase has learned to embrace the tension between the desire to keep creating, reaching in brand-new directions, and staying true to presenting strong work. 

The Club Car, by contrast, is pure improv—though with no less attention to the details that make the place run.

“In a bar, the patrons are the audience, but they’re also part of the scene,” Haase observes. “Instead of actors, I have DJs and a bar staff—those are my musicians and performers. We host every night like it’s a show; we put our best foot forward and hope everyone leaves happy. I’ll be honest: running a bar feels easier than running a theater company. There’s so much more support here than in a completely art-focused venture.”

Smiling, he says, “I always tell my landlord that we are essentially a safe haven for the arts masked behind the guise of a cocktail bar. We’re cocktails second, even if it looks like we’re cocktails first.”

The Club Car exists in a peculiar geographical pocket. While Haase initially describes it as a “neighborhood bar,” he quickly corrects himself, calling it a “destination bar.” Located near Penn Station, it draws a transient but loyal crowd—commuters from DC, grad students from MICA and Peabody, and a queer community looking for a space that feels both safe and edgy with a queer/hipster combo vibe.

“We’re an island in a weird way,” he says. “There’s not much housing directly next to us, but we’re picking up traction. People from the counties, from DC, even Philadelphia—they’re hearing about us. Each year we’re here, it gets bigger. And as things open around us, we become a destination block instead of just a bar.”

He’s looking forward to the arrival of the Carpet Company and a second iteration of Good Neighbor just around the corner. To Haase, Station North has always been “about to pop off,” and after years of managing temporary spaces which turned into short-term leases and finally a long-term home, it feels like the neighborhood and Club Car might finally be the anchor Haase and Stillpointe need.

The “art” in this art-bar isn’t just a byproduct; it’s curated with the same precision Haase brings to a stage. Working with gallery curator Beth Yashnyk, the walls rotate every six weeks, currently featuring the works of Wayne Hollowell and Douglas Johnson.

“I got into theater design because I never considered myself a great visual artist, but I understood architecture,” Haase admits. “I was always drawing a ‘perfect world.’ Now, I get to provide the room for other artists to do the same.”

Whether he’s hosting the Baltimore Playwrights Festival readings on a Saturday morning or eyeing the Parkway Theatre for a potential two-act production of Sunday in the Park with George—with Act II moving across the street to the bar—Haase is clearly directing a larger narrative for Baltimore.

“Any space has to be more than just one thing to survive these days,” he says. “I like creating spaces where people feel something is special today. Whether that’s through a cocktail or a high-concept musical, the goal is the same.”

As he prepares for a full renovation of the space later this year—a move that might finally give him time to revisit those “simmering” musical ideas he’s been working on with friends—Haase remains one of the district’s most dedicated stage managers, ensuring the lights stay on and the room remains a safe, beautiful, and just-hip-enough place for Baltimore to gather. As long as he can draw a crowd, he guarantees that experiencing one of Stillpointe’s stellar productions or a night out in one of Baltimore’s coolest locations will be well worth it.

The Club Car is located at 12 W. North Avenue and open Thursday through Sunday. Hours and event listings can be found on their Instagram.