Entertainment Archives - Page 86 of 114

Imagination Stage Announces 23-24 Season

Published June 15, 2023 at 4:55PM

Per Imagination Stage: Imagination Stage™, the metro DC region’s largest professional theatre dedicated to young audiences, announces our six shows for 2023-2024–a “greatest hits” season celebrating 20 years in our beautiful theatre arts center in downtown Bethesda. The international hit, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (September 22- October 22), kicks it off, with one-quarter of its performances in Spanish and three-quarters in English. That show is best for ages 3-8. Next up are three for the elementary-age crowd, returning hits A Year with Frog and Toad (November 15- January 7), Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale (February 14-April 7), and Miss Nelson is Missing! (June 20-August 10). For the youngest audiences, ages 1-4, the two beloved returning shows are Mouse on the Move (January 13 – February 11) and Inside Out (March 3-30).

Founding Artistic Director Janet Stanford–who has been at Imagination Stage since before the move to downtown Bethesda–chose these “timeless stories to speak to key milestones in youth development including imagining new possibilities, appreciating other cultures and traditions, and empathizing with others.” Managing Director Jason Najjoum says, “We can’t wait to introduce these wonderful shows to a new mini-generation of children. It has been very encouraging to see families returning to the theatre following the pandemic. So many of us all fell out of the habit, and we believe this “greatest hits” season will keep bringing them back.”

Barstool-Rated Pizza Places in MoCo

By MCS Staff

Published June 14, 2023 at 5:11PM | Updated June 14, 2023 at 8:36PM

At one point Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, ate pizza every day for two years while getting his “One Bite” pizza reviews started on Instagram and YouTube. Through the years, he has eaten pizza from various restaurants across the country– providing a 1-10 rating for each slice, with over 1,000 ratings overall. While many disagree with his opinion on pizza, the ratings are some of the most popular across the country (in terms of social media views). Most of his reviews come from pizza places in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey, but some restaurants operate stores locally here in MoCo. Check them out below:

Buca Di Beppo (New York, NY, #1024, 1.2). An incredibly low score for the Italian family-style chain restaurant. It’s sole MoCo location can be found in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood.

126,000 SF Indoor Water Park Opens Today in Maryland

By MCS Staff

Published June 14, 2023 at 5:28AM

Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville, MD, officially opens at 10am today, Wednesday, June 14th. Great Wolf Lodge Maryland will be the company’s 20th resort in North America, and their largest. It will offer 700 family-friendly suites, a 126,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 57,000 square-foot entertainment center, and 12,000 square-feet of conference space. Perryville is about 70 miles and a little less than an hour and a half away from most parts of MoCo.

Per Great Wolf Lodge: Careening down slides, jumping over waves, floating down a lazy river, and getting drenched by a thousand gallons of water cascading from a giant tipping bucket are a few of the water-filled adventures families will discover at the all-new Great Wolf Lodge Maryland. The indoor water park is the marquee attraction at Great Wolf Lodge, and the water park planned for the company’s Maryland resort will be the largest Great Wolf Lodge has ever built. The water park at Great Wolf Lodge Maryland will offer more than 128,000 square feet of enclosed fun with slides, pools and water play for all ages, and a cozy 84-degree temperature year-round.

Maryland Resident Pat Sajak Announces He Will Retire Following Upcoming Season of Wheel of Fortune

By MCS Staff

Published June 12, 2023 at 8:17PM

Maryland resident Pat Sajak, host of Wheel of Fortune since 1981, has announced that the upcoming 41st season of the show will be his last. Sajak and his wife Lesly Brown-Sajak are longtime residents of Severna Park, MD.

Sajak has received 19 nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host, winning three times. As a longtime Maryland resident, he has become an avid fan of the Washington Capitals and has been a season-ticket holder, making an on-ice appearances, for years– including prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018.

Quince Orchard Alumnus Charles Lee Hired As Top Assistant Coach by Boston Celtics

By MCS Staff

Published June 12, 2023 at 10:14AM

Boston Celtics Head Coach, Joe Mazzulla, has hired MoCo native Charles Lee as their lead assistant coach under Mazzulla, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Lee has been an assistant in the NBA since 2014, helping the Milwaukee Bucks win an NBA championship in 2021. Lee, a 2002 graduate of Quince Orchard High School, grew up in Gaithersburg and was a student-athlete at Quince Orchard before moving on to Bucknell, where he attended school and played until 2006.

He went on to play professionally, primarily in Europe and Israel. After his professional career came to an end, he returned to Bucknell as an assistant coach and later served as an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks from 2014-18. He joined the Bucks as an assistant, becoming the top assistant after Darvin Ham left to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. His name appeared as a potential candidate for the Washington Wizards coaching job, prior to the Wizards naming Wes Unseld Jr. their head coach. Now, Lee joins a Celtics team that was a game away from the NBA Finals and is coming off of a 57-win season.

Churchill’s Ian Rubin Wins 2023 Best Actor Award

By MCS Staff

Published June 9, 2023 at 4:53AM

The National Theatre has presented the Brandon Victor Dixon Awards for excellence in high school musical theatre, a regional partner of the National High School Musical Theatre Awards® (NHSMTA®), also known as The Jimmy Awards®. The awards program is named in honor of Brandon Victor Dixon, a Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award nominee originally from Gaithersburg. Dixon recently portrayed Terry Silver on the STARZ hit series ‘Power.’

The award for Best Actor went to Ian Rubin, a senior at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, for his work in Matilda The Musical. Per the MD Theatre Guide website, Ian is honored to be nominated for best actor for his performance as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical. In the fall, Ian will be attending the University of Michigan where he will be pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre. Some of his favorite credits include Young Artists of America’s Cabaret (Emcee), A Chorus Line (Mike), Into the Woods (Wolf); WCHS’ senior showcase production of The Last Five Years (Jamie), and Ovations Theatre Spring Awakening (Moritz). Ian currently studies voice with Thomas Pedersen and dances at City Dance Conservatory.

Gaithersburg to Host Jubilation Day Gospel Concert

By MCS Staff

Published June 8, 2023 at 7:29AM

Per the City of Gaithersburg: Gospel music, the uniquely American art form that gave rise to jazz, blues, R&B, and rock & roll, will be celebrated to the highest as the City presents the 17^thAnnual Jubilation Day Gospel Concert. The Concert Pavilion at City Hall will host performances of all styles of Gospel, Christian & uplifting music by local & regional artists. The event will also feature an acknowledgement of the upcoming Juneteenth Holiday.

Admission to Jubilation Day is free. Make a day of it by getting a meal at one of the area restaurants, bring a picnic, or purchase from on-site vendor Heavenly Wings. Gaithersburg’s Concert Pavilion is located at 31 South Summit Avenue in front of City Hall. The outdoor venue features lawn seating with limited chairs. Please feel free to bring your own low chair or blanket. The celebration will also feature crafts for purchase and giveaway drawings for fun prizes. Winners must be present.

Fernando Santiago of Silver Spring Selected as Winner of 2023 Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival Poster

By Patrick Herron

Published June 7, 2023 at 9:21AM

Per Montgomery County: The poster for the seventh annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival will be based on a design submitted by Fernando Santiago, a Silver Spring artist and resident. As the winner of poster contest, he will receive a cash prize of $500 donated by IHOP Wheaton. The poster contest was open to all residents of Montgomery County. After Mr. Santiago’s artwork was selected, Wheaton Arts Parade designer Josue Martinez of Corinto Gallery incorporated it into the design for the poster and T-shirt. It will be featured in all promotional materials leading up to the parade.

More than 50 festival tents are available in the 2023 festival for artists to rent to exhibit and sell their original artwork and for arts organizations and community organizations to promote their work. The day is inspired by the parade and the closure of roads so that people can pull giant floats and show off their art, play music and dance,

KID Museum FREE For MCPS Students on Sundays This Summer (Registration Required)

By MCS Staff

Published June 7, 2023 at 7:42AM

Courtesy Kid Museum

KID Museum is dedicated to expanding access for the MCPS community by providing free opportunities to participate in our programming. “Thanks to the generous support of Montgomery County Public Schools, all MCPS students and families can register for free admission to KID Museum through June 30, 2023” (registration link below).

KID Museum opened last May in its new flagship site at Bethesda Metro Center, 3 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 140— a brand new, 28,000 square foot facility “created to foster the “Mind of a Maker” and empower the next generation with the skills to invent the future.” The state-of-the-art makerspace is purpose-built for kids ages 4-14 to explore coding, robotics, engineering design, and hands-on maker learning, with the capacity to welcome more than 100,000 visitors every year. There will be grand opening events, becoming a member, or sponsoring us to help all kids discover a love of exploring, creating, and collaborating to become makers of the future.

Over $150K Raised at Brian Mitchell’s “Intentional Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament” in Rockville on Monday

By MCS Staff

Published June 6, 2023 at 10:04AM | Updated June 6, 2023 at 10:30AM

The Brian Mitchell “Intentional Celebrity Golf Tournament” took place at Lakewood Country Club ( 13901 Glen Mill Rd) in Rockville on Monday, June 5th and the event, along with the “rare night” gala following the tournament, raised $153,00 to hire the organization’s first nurse navigator to support families with children who have rare diseases. The event featured an appearance by Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera, as well as current and former Commanders players.

The Miracle of Hudson announced BMitch’s “Intentional Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament”, which took place on Monday, June 5th, at the prestigious Lakewood Country Club in Rockville, MD. The event featured special guest Ron Rivera, Head Coach of the Washington Commanders, as well as current and legendary players. In addition, the tournament hosted a star-studded lineup of celebrities, and esteemed guests such as Dr. Kurt Newman, M.D., President of Children’s National, and Dr. Debra Regier, M.D., Interim Division Chief of Genetics and Metabolism and Program Director of the Medical Genetics Residency Program at Children’s National. The tournament was able to raise $153,00” to hire the organization’s first nurse navigator to support families with children who have rare diseases.Attendees had a fun-filled day of golf, exciting activities, and exceptional prizes. The Miracle of Hudson is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing nurse navigation support, resources, and hope to families affected by rare diseases. The nurse navigator’s role will be to guide families through the complex healthcare system, providing essential support and care coordination to ensure children receive the best possible treatment and outcome.For more information about BMitch’s “Intentional Celebrity Charity Golf Tournament,” sponsorship opportunities for the future, or to donate, please visit https://theintentional.org or theintentional.org/rarenight contact the Event Organizer/Director, Marquis Evans, at 301-357-5608 or via email at [email protected].

Clarksburg Summer Concert Series Begins Saturday, June 3rd

By MCS Staff

Published June 2, 2023 at 4:25PM | Updated June 8, 2023 at 5:11PM

The summer concert series is set to begin on Saturday, June 3rd (6pm-9pm) at the Clarksburg Amphitheater off of Clarksburg Square Rd. “We are excited to ANNOUNCE, Summer Concert Series Season is among us!  We have top-notch performers COMING YOUR WAY!  As well as some of our favorite food trucks returning!  Join the fun every other week and join us at the amphitheater.” The schedule can be seen below:

• Hunter Rich will be performing on Saturday, June 3rd.