ASGT presented The Prom in 2024. Photo courtesy ASGT.
Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre ready to shine this season
Among the quirkiest historic landmarks in Annapolis is a 19th-century blacksmith’s shop that’s forged a new identity as an open-air playhouse. The Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre is an outdoor community theater that blossoms every June through August, presenting three live musicals “under the stars” with an energy that spills right over the walls and into the surrounding neighborhood.
“Often, people don’t even realize there’s a theater” behind the blue clapboard exterior on Compromise Street, says David Iams, vice president of ASGT. “But then they’ll hear the music, and that pulls them right in. The next day, they’re back to buy tickets. Every once in a while, someone arrives with their blankets and dogs, thinking they’ll be on the grass,” he says laughing.
Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre lights up summer evenings in the Historic District. Photo by Jim Lodico/Chesapeake Aerial Photo.
Inside the theater, a live band and top-quality sets and lighting, as well as a talented cast, provide a stage experience that’s both exciting and intimate. Each year, ASGT chooses shows that are big on fun, short on stuffiness, and in sync with the mood of a summer evening. Through July 19, it will present The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, followed by Groundhog Day from July 31 to August 31. Performances run Thursday through Sunday evenings and regularly sell out.
“Next year we’ll celebrate our 60th anniversary,” says Carolyn Kirby, who serves as president of ASGT and has been involved with the group for 38 years. During her tenure, she’s seen firsthand the enormous challenges that come with owning and maintaining their own building—very rare for a small theater. “This year, we had backstage renovations, which are now wrapping up,” she says. “We’ve rewired and moved our tech to the attic, out of the flood zone.” She credits an intensely loyal group of ASGT volunteers with making sure the show goes on. “It’s like summer camp for adults,” Iams remarks. “A real community.”
ASGT’s actors, directors and choreographers start rehearsing months ahead for their summer shows. Traci Denhart, the leading lady of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, says that the unique experience of performing outdoors is part of the draw. “You’re just drawn into another world when you’re in there,” she explains. “It’s really a challenge for the actors, element-wise—no climate control, wind, street noise. When it rains, the performance stops and the stage crew dries off the stage. But as soon as those lights come back up, you’re just transported back into the show.”
Denhart, a high school theater teacher and former cruise ship performer, has been acting at ASGT since 2017. She says the role of Miss Mona, the heart–of-gold proprietress of Chicken Ranch (played by Dolly Parton in the film version), is one she can relate to. “Miss Mona cares about the working girls of Chicken Ranch, but she’s a business woman, too! The show’s opening number, ‘A Little Bitty Pissant Country Place,’ is great. ‘The Bus From Amarillo’ is the story of her life. The boys and girls have wonderful chorus numbers. It’s a lot of fun.”
Audiences line up outside the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre on Compromise Street. Photo by Lauren Winther-Hansen.
Musical theater demands performers with talent as both singers and actors, and ASGT casts deliver. “Many of our actors have moved on to professional work with touring companies, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, and Olney,” Kirby notes. “Others do audio books and training seminars. That’s part of what community theater is all about—having experiences that give you confidence and improve your communications skills.
“In the last five years there’s been a lot more crossover between ASGT and other local theater groups,” Kirby continues. “John Purnell, the current president of Colonial Players, was the lighting designer for our first show, and he’ll have a role in Best Little Whorehouse, too.”
Whether people participate as actors, stagehands, band members, ushers, or audience members, an ASGT experience is all about enjoying a live performance in one of the most unique theaters in the region. “The Best Little Community Theater in Maryland”? Quick, grab a ticket and judge for yourself.
Visit summergarden.com for showtimes and ticket information.
