Two performances at 11:00am and 2:00pm!

Baltimore School for the Arts Theater Department is excited to present History Behind “Hairspray”: the Dance of Desegregation. These three short plays with student actors and designers explore what the history books leave out. For the past 15 years the Baltimore School for the Arts Theater Department has collaborated with historic sites in Baltimore to present student generated work rooted in research. Past partners include the Walters, the National Park Service, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, the Enoch Pratt Library Central Branch, The Eubie Blake Cultural Center, and the Jewish Museum of Maryland. This year’s topic, History Behind “Hairspray”: the Dance of Desegregation; explores the true story of the protests to integrate the Buddy Deane Show, historic Black Carr’s Beach, and the cultural landscape of Baltimore in early days of school integration.

Our plays bring guest artist Ayesis Clay, and faculty members Tony Tsendeas, Lynne Childress, and Paul Reisman to write and direct material based on student created characters. Students researched and conducted oral history interviews with people who lived through this challenging transition in our city’s history. We are excited to be performing this year at the Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum. This historic building has had many purposes in its life, including a school for Black students as early as 1870. (You can read more about the Peale’s role in Black educational history here School One – The Peale.) After the performance, the audience is invited to a short talk back with the BSA team about the research, the process, and the history.