Maryland State Summer Theatre
Olney Theatre
Montgomery County
The Olney Theatre became the State Summer Theater of Maryland in 1978 (Chapter 1003, Acts of 1978; Code State Government Article, sec. 13-309). Located in Montgomery County (12 miles from Washington, DC; 35 miles from Baltimore), the Olney Theatre is a nonprofit professional theater producing a nine-show season. Renovated in 1993, Olney Theatre then extended its season to year-round. Some 118,000 patrons attend the theater annually.
At the Olney, performances in the 2010 season emphasize 20th-century American classics, new works, area premieres, reinterpretations of classics, and musical theater. In the summer, the Olney Theater also hosts the Potomac Theatre Festival, an annual festival of political theater.
Opened in 1941, the 450-seat Olney Theatre hosts several community projects. These include the free Summer Shakespeare Festival and the National Players Touring Company, a classical touring group of young actors.
Maryland State Summer Theatre : Olney Theatre
Opened in 1941, the 450-seat Olney Theatre hosts several community projects. These include the free Summer Shakespeare Festival; the National Players Touring Company, a classical touring group of young actors; and the National Players School Project, an education program performing for Maryland public schools. Also at Olney is the Potomac Theatre Project of experimental and provocative plays.
Located just north of Washington, D.C. in arts-rich Montgomery County, Maryland, Olney Theatre Center for the Arts offers a diverse array of professional
productions year-round that enrich, nurture and challenge a broad range of artists, audiences and students. One of two state theaters of Maryland,
OTC is situated on 14 acres in the heart of the beautiful Washington-Baltimore-Frederick "triangle," within easy access of all three cities.
An award-winning regional theater, Olney Theatre Center operates under an Actors' Equity Association Council of Stock Theaters (COST) contract, one
of only three theaters in the country to operate under such a contract.
In addition to its mainstage season, which emphasizes 20th-century American classics, new works, area premieres, reinterpretations of classics and
musical theater, OTC offers a wide range of programs and affiliations including: National Players, America's longest running classical touring company
(since 1949), which performs for high school and college audiences in over 25 states; Potomac Theatre Project, which offers experimental and alternative
plays that explore provocative and challenging human situations, ideas and visions; special school performances of mainstage shows; a free Summer Shakespeare
Festival; and post-show discussions.
Maryland Law
The law designating the 'Olney Theatre' in Montgomery County as the official Maryland state summer theater is found in the Maryland Statutes, Title 13, Section 13-309.
STATE GOVERNMENT
§ 13-309 - Theaters
Universal Citation: MD State Govt Code § 13-309 (2013)
§13-309.
(a) Center Stage in Baltimore City is the State theater.
(b) Olney Theatre in Montgomery County is the State summer theater.
