Best Play Festival: Fells Point Corner Theatre’s 10x10x10 Play Festival
Fells Point Corner Theatre offered a play festival this August that showcased 10 plays with a rotating cast of characters from their 10-actor ensemble no longer than 10 minutes each. The festival explored themes of queerphobia, abortion, addiction, and the internal conflicts that rock our worlds and lay us bare to the emotional crisis of feeling. Each play was striking and creative while giving the audience a great opportunity to watch local actors in several roles. A few favorites from the bunch were “Birthday Manicure,” “The Screening,” “Monster Mash,” and “The Kvetching Tree.”
Best Culture Keeper: Ducky Dynamo
Baltimore Club music might not always get the respect it deserves outside Baltimore, but thankfully, within city limits, we have Meagan “Ducky Dynamo” Buster. Ducky has been a steadfast protector of the culture for years, putting out mixes, supporting other artists, hosting dance events, mentoring younger DJs and more.
“It IS the Charm that makes up the Charm City name, in part, and in a city that faces such turmoil and negativity, something like this [needs] to be protected and loved,” she told director Amy Oden about the Baltimore Club scene in an interview last year. When she was among those honored as a club music trendsetter on Baltimore Club Music Day on June 17, it was a no-brainer.
FYI: She’ll be hosting a monthly DJ workshop beginning in January.
Hardest Workers: DJ Sun and Tromac
As 2022 closed out and 2023 began, Tromac and DJ Sun’s “Break A Leg: NYE Edition” had the Compound, a DIY event space in East Baltimore, packed with people of all ages and expressions. Tromac and DJ Sun facilitated a nonstop, high-energy night where they swapped sets with some of Baltimore and the DMV’s finest DJs. The crowd went from mosh pits to dance circles with folks even climbing up a rope that hung from the ceiling in the middle of the dance floor. It was a fitting start to a year that found both DJs continuing the “Break A Leg” series, while individually traveling up and down the East Coast and out to Los Angeles and beyond, making names for themselves.
Our personal favorite moment was at our Beat Summer Jam in July. Euphoric vibes engulfed the courtyard that night as the two did an unforgettable impromptu B2B set to keep the party going.
Best Homecoming: André De Shields
Actor, singer, and humanitarian André De Shields has racked up countless awards and accolades, but his most important accomplishment, he says, has always been making his hometown proud.
“It’s always been essential to what I do in my life and in my career that people understand that I am who I am because I was made in Baltimore,” he told us.
De Shields made a name for himself as a legendary Broadway performer. He was the original wizard in “The Wiz.” He delivered a Tony Award-winning performance in “Hadestown,” and also recently performed in “Death of a Salesman” alongside “The Wire” actor Wendell Pierce.
On September 21, the southwest corner of the 1800 block of Division Street was renamed André De Shields Way, and the day itself was declared André De Shields Day.
“De Shields has been an inspiration to both aspiring and established artists alike,” said Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture Senior Adviser Tonya Miller Hall. “His work has not only captured the spirit and beauty of the City of Baltimore, but it left an indelible mark in the artistic landscape of our city, bringing acclaim to the community.”
Most Ubiquitous: Brandon Woody
From Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s inauguration to Wendel Patrick’s monthly hip-hop series Boom Bap Society, talented trumpet player, composer, and curator Brandon Woody has been everywhere this year.
Woody told us that the music he makes is as much for himself as it is for us.
“I try to make beautiful music that expresses who I am and where I’m coming from. That is kind of like an agent of healing for me,” he said.
Worst ‘Why Not Us?’: Renaissance World Tour
This year, Beyoncé went on the road with her Renaissance World Tour. The tour ran from May 10 to October 1, spanning cities from Stockholm, to Chicago, to Dallas before concluding in Kansas City. The tour was amazing, and we think Beyoncé can basically do no wrong, but we have one little quibble:
Why did she pick FedExField in Landover, Maryland, over our very own M&T Bank Stadium? FedEx, built in 1997, has been plagued with issues for years. The problems with the venue are so notorious that when tour stops were announced, some fans purchased tickets for her Philly stop rather than attending right here in Maryland.
When she performed there for the second night of her Maryland stop, the skies opened up and rain began to pour just as fans were filing in, delaying the show start by two hours. Beyoncé still gave an amazing show, but maybe that was a sign from God?
Beyoncé, next time you (or Blue!) go on tour, swing by the Bank, home of the Baltimore Ravens, not the Washington Commanders.
Best Props: Baltimore Club Music Day at AFRAM
This year marked the debut of Baltimore Club Music Day. The event was scheduled during AFRAM weekend. Club music trailblazers, pioneers, and trendsetters like Mighty Mark, DJ Quicksilva, Rye Rye, and more were honored for their contributions to Baltimore’s iconic club culture.
Best Reason to Read: CityLit Festival
The CityLit Festival, helmed by local literary dynamo Carla Du Pree, marked its 20th year in 2023. The event offered panels, opportunities to meet one-on-one with local editors, and opportunities to hear from well-known writers like Hanif Abdurraqib.
This city has deep literary roots — Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, and W.E.B. Du Bois have all called Baltimore home. The CityLit Festival is the perfect way to honor that past while also helping nurture the next generation of literary greats.
Best Preservationist: SHAN Wallace
A photographer, a collagist, and a preservationist, SHAN is a Baltimore cultural institution in her own right. This year, she concluded a stint at the Enoch Pratt Free Library as their first artist in residence. To celebrate the end of her residency, she hosted the first ballroom event in the Enoch Pratt Public Library’s history. SHAN also does the important work of documenting the lives and faces of Black Baltimoreans. She’s currently fundraising so that she can interview and film LGBTQ elders for the upcoming film “Glory Days,” about LGBTQ nightlife.
Best Chaotic Comeback: Artscape
In October 2022, Artscape announced a 2023 post-lockdown return. Moving the event from steamy July to late September evoked city-wide skepticism. That skepticism grew when organizers had to change the schedule again due to Yom Kippur, and got bigger still when internal issues at the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts made it to the pages of the Baltimore Sun and the Baltimore Banner. In spite of staff changes (longtime Director Donna Drew Sawyer was asked to resign), headliner changes, and a Saturday cancellation due to rain, Artscape happened.
Friday night was movie-like; with a drone light show, Anderson .Paak as DJ Pee Wee, an epic Station North Stage closing with Blakwater and Mighty Mark bringing out a slew of Baltimore artists-newcomers and legends.
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