Baltimore Rock Opera Society

CITY PAPER COVER!

September 30th, 2009

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Photo by Michael Northrup. Article by Michael Byrne.

The floor of the cavernous old church sanctuary space of 2640 is a minefield of under-construction props. A new second stage, lower and forward of the old one, bears a fresh coat of gray paint. The rough façade of a small wooden village sits in pieces around the room. Against the rear wall sit nearly 20 freshly fabricated, badass-looking fake guitars. A handheld saw bleats, and somewhere underneath all of this mess is the titular Gründlehämmer, a massive ax with soon-to-be-functional LEDs that is promised to look very, very cool.

It’s about two weeks out from the premiere and three-night run of the Baltimore Rock Opera Society’s (BROS) first ever production, Gründlehämmer. Looking around the space–which has been fully and completely dominated by the production–it’s immediately apparent BROS is onto something huge with this; or, more importantly, something that couldn’t be huge enough.

The four principles of the production–Aran Keating, John DeCampos, Dylan Koehler, and Eli Breitburg-Smith–seem surprisingly relaxed as they chat with a reporter while overlooking the set from 2640’s balcony. Things are running late, injuries have mounted, and Gründlehämmer is costing more than double what was originally budgeted, already, but there’s no question that the rock opera is going to go off and go off in epic fashion……

Go to www.citypaper.com for the full article.

One Week till showtime!

September 25th, 2009

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Hello Hello!

Aran K. here director of Gründlehämmer! We are one week away from the show and we are freaking out with excitement! We are working hard every day to get ready for the show, finishing building and repairing all the crazy guitars, painting sets, installing lights and drilling all the songs so that they sound tight and heavy! Things are truly coming together in an epic and face-melting way. Pre-sale tix are available now! Buy them up before we sell out!

Check out some photos below of guitars in progress and set in progress.

Also, the Nice Package Productions studio track is reposted here for your listening/downloading enjoyment.

See you next weekend,
AK

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Vengeance and Guide My Hand MP3

Check out our mention in The City Paper’s Best Of!

September 18th, 2009

From this week’s City Paper:

Best Trend: DIY Theatre
In the last year, Baltimore’s multi-talented, artistic twentysomethings have demanded the spotlight, pursing an active interest in DIY theater productions. Perhaps best exemplified by overlapping theater factions of Wham City, the Annex Theatre, and Missoula Oblongata–all of whom contributed to the outstanding Hanna-Barbera Play Festival last October–the productions are big, bold, and unendingly impressive. Puppets, live music, hand-made costumes, and a healthy dose of humor have become the most memorable elements of plays such as the recreation of Harry Nilsson’s The Point! (directed by Ellen Nielsen) and the dramatization of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (directed by Ryan Mitchell and Michael Farley). Hosted by a number of venues, including the Annex, Load of Fun, the Zodiac, and Fifth Dimension at the H&H building, the productions have grabbed the interest and support of the local arts community. Far reaching in scale–more than 100 people have participated in various productions since last September–current productions are preparing for national tours, while new DIY theater groups–the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, for example–continue to emerge.