When the Weinberg Center for the Arts closed its doors on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff thought it would just be a matter of weeks before they re-opened. Now over a year later restrictions from the State of Maryland, Frederick County and the City of Frederick are being lifted to allow the Weinberg Center for the Arts to carefully reopen.

First on the schedule are community dance recitals. Mid-Maryland Performing Arts Center (MMPAC) kicked off the season with their recitals this past weekend, to the excitement of dancers and their parents. Executive Theater Manager, John Healey, commented, “Thousands of young dancers have had the opportunity to perform on this professional stage in front of sold-out houses of families and friends.  One of the most frequent comments I hear from adult patrons coming to shows at the Weinberg is ‘I danced on that stage when I was young.’ When COVID-19 shut everything down last March, dance students from area companies lost an important arts experience.  As restrictions have started to slowly ease, we felt it was important to the Frederick dance community to give their students the chance to perform at the Weinberg Center for the Arts.”

Gina Korrell owner of 24/7 Dance Studio shared her thoughts on returning to live performances this spring, “Last year we were heart broken when we were unable to have an end of the year performance. We are very excited to have the opportunity to perform in our “home” theater again. We have been hosting our shows at the Weinberg Center for the past 15 years and it just seems fitting.”

Donna Grimm owner of Dance Unlimited told us, “This past year has been one of change on so many levels.  While it’s been challenging, we have navigated the twists and turns with success, so to close out our dance season on stage at the Weinberg is a fitting opportunity for celebration and to thank all who have helped us get to this point.  This will be our 32nd Recital Showcase at the Weinberg, which we’ve appropriately titled Unstoppable.”  Joining MMPAC, 24/7 Dance Studio & Dance Unlimited for recitals at the Weinberg Center will be Center Stage Performing Arts Academy, The Dee Buchanan Studio of Dance, YMCA and Elower-Sicilia Productions of Dance (ESP).

Many improvements were made to the building over the past year to ensure theater patron’s safety upon the theater’s reopening. Ultraviolet lights and Hepa filters were installed in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. These systems have been proven 99.9% effective in removing airborne viruses such as COVID-19.  Touchless paper and soap dispensers were installed in all the theater restrooms. Hand sanitizing stations have been placed throughout the lobby areas. Automatic door openers were installed in the front doors, so patrons can enter the building without touching the door handles. Automatic light sensors were installed in the bathrooms, and floor markings are in place throughout the building to encourage social distancing.

Although capacity restrictions for indoor venues were relaxed on May 15th by Governor Hogan the Weinberg Center for the Arts will continue to follow Frederick County Health Department guidelines, requiring masks at all times and social distanced seating for the safety of our performers, staff and patrons. Tickets to the dance recitals are sold in pods of 2, 3, and 4 with every other row blocked and two seats empty between parties for adequate social distancing. In addition, arrival and departure times will be staggered to reduce crowds in the lobby areas.  Masks will be required for anyone in the building and temperature checks will be done upon entry.  No concessions will be sold or allowed in the theater for these performances in May and June, but the Weinberg plans to resume concession sales when the theater opens for its new season in Fall 2021.

The Weinberg Center’s full 2021-22 Season will be announced August 5, 2021. More information about programming at the Weinberg Center for the Arts can be found at WeinbergCenter.org.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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