Oldtown
- Caitlin Lewis
- Oct 12
- 4 min read
Local news covering the Oldtown area
The Arts Take Shape in Oldtown
When I was pulling together material for this column, it struck me that the majority of my snippets centered around art—some static pieces, some performance-based. How charming to live in a city that offers opportunities to participate so creatively! If you are yearning for more aesthetic joy in your life, here are some local options.
Readers Theatre of Laurel
As a high school student in Buffalo, New York, Charles Clyburn began a lifelong journey with the performance art known as “readers theater,” in which actors perform dramatic readings without props or sets. Clyburn first performed with a group of other teenagers at a local Jewish community center. While living at Delta Towers in Washington, DC, he revisited his passion for readers theater by forming and directing a group of vocal actors who performed throughout Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties, as well as in the District. The group entertained at churches and assisted living homes, offering their performances for free.
In his professional career, Clyburn served as a director of youth programs. Now retired and living in Oldtown, Clyburn is again reviving his passion for performing arts. Under his leadership, a small group of seniors have formed the Readers Theatre of Laurel. Although it has existed only six or seven months, the group already has seven dedicated members. Clyburn hopes to recruit several more individuals so they can perform a specific piece that requires nine readers. Clyburn’s group mainly performs a mix of folklore, short stories, and poetry. A number of Langston Hughes’ poems are in their repertoire. One particularly humorous piece for two voices is titled “The Lord’s Prayer” and includes a back-and-forth discussion between two readers.
The Readers Theatre of Laurel has already performed at the Laurel Mill Playhouse and in Ellicott City. (Notably, Clyburn himself performed in the very first play staged at the Laurel Mill Playhouse.) The group is considering doing a podcast.
If your organization is interested in booking a performance by the Readers Theatre of Laurel, or if you are 55 or over and interested in joining the group as a reader, contact Charles Clyburn at 443-413-679 or clyburncharles@hotmail.com.
Mural on Main and Fifth Street
On the corner of Main Street and Fifth Street, a mural featuring renowned ornithologist Dr. Chandler Robbins was recently completed. The artist, Jeff Huntington, also known as Jahru, is a former professor at Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University. He works in layers, starting with a base layer of latex concrete, adding layered colors of spray paint, and finishing with a proactive varnish coat. Huntington began painting with oil-based paints at the age of eight and says he feels like “a kid in a candy store” when painting murals. He began creating murals fulltime in 2016 and has painted almost 200 murals in six countries.
Trash Cans at McCullough Field get a Facelift
The Laurel Arts Council and Volunteer Laurel hosted a number of community art events this summer at McCullough Field and the Sturgis-Moore Recreation Area. Volunteers washed, prepped, and primed trash cans, then painted them a bright blue or green to match the colors used on the already-existing monarch mural. Individuals then painted pollinator-themed designs on the trash cans.
New Art Studio on Main Street
Elizabeth Espinal’s art studio is now hosting events at 515 Main Street. She offers a multitude of different classes and sip & paint events. For more information on the artist and class offerings, see books.elizabethespinal.com.
Upcoming Play at Laurel Mill Playhouse
Opening on October 31, the Laurel Mill Playhouse will present Agatha Christie’s The Hollow, a whodunit intrigue set in England. The play will run on Fridays and Saturdays for three consecutive weeks. The run will also include two Sunday matinee performances.
Laurel Manor Bed and Breakfast Closes
In the spring column for Oldtown, we covered the story of Dave and Lisa Everett’s purchase and renovation of the old Phelps House, as well as their plans to put the house on the market in preparation for moving to Pennsylvania. After running the Laurel Manor Bed and Breakfast for seven years, the Everetts sold the house on July 22 and the new owners have chosen not to continue running a bed and breakfast on the property. We are saddened to see the Laurel Manor Bed and Breakfast close, but we wish the Everetts well, and we welcome to Laurel the new owners of the Phelps House.
Holiday Parade
Laurel’s annual Holiday Parade and Armory Illumination is scheduled for Saturday, December 6, starting at 3:45 pm. Last year, my family and some friends participated. Most of us wore angel costumes, and we thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the parade. It was much less fatiguing than the 4th of July parade! If you feel like adding some holiday cheer to the event, contact gwade@laurel.md.us, and maybe we’ll see you in the parade.
Caitlin Lewis holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Covenant College. She worked as a high school English teacher both in the U.S. and Greece, but currently works at home raising her four children and writing her column.
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