The Baltimore Comedy Festival takes over the Parkway Stage this Labor Day Weekend!
Friday, August 30
MAN ON THE MOON – 6pm
Live! BCF OPEN MIC – 8pm
TALKIN’ DIRTY AFTER DARK – 9pm
Saturday, August 31
JO JO DANCER, YOUR LIFE IS CALLING – 5pm
Live! BCF PREMIER SHOWCASE – 8pm
Spend your Labor Day weekend with boundary-pushing, legendary and hilarious comedians Andy Kaufman, Martin Lawrence, and Richard Pryor as the Parkway and the Baltimore Comedy Festival bring some of our favorite stand-up films to the big screen!
Comedians are taking to stages across the city Labor Day weekend for the annual Baltimore Comedy Festival, so we’re keeping the laughs going with a selection of classic laugh-filled films.
Between checking out your favorite live sets, the Parkway is offering a glimpse behind the mic, with these three films hand-picked together with our friends at the Festival!
MAN ON THE MOON
Friday, August 30 – 6pm
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW
Jim Carrey won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as the legendary comedian Andy Kaufman in this 1999 biopic that also features Danny DeVito, Courtney Love and Paul Giamatti. With his boundary pushing absurdity and perpetual blurring of the lines between performance and real-life, Kaufman remains a vital influence for many contemporary comics. Though filled with brilliance, mystery and, of course, laughs, the film forces us to question if Kaufman took his jokes a little too far.
“What the filmmakers have accomplished here is the simplest and best thing they possibly could have done. For two hours, they have brought Andy back to us just as we remember him – brilliant, provocative and, yes, very funny.” – Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
TALKIN’ DIRTY AFTER DARK
Friday, August 30 – 9pm
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Maryland’s own Martin Lawrence stars as a struggling stand-up comedian who seems to always find his way into trouble. A favorite among many of our local comedians, Talkin’ Dirty offers an unfiltered look at backstage life can be like for rising comedy talent. Filled with dirty jokes, affairs, and a struggle to pay the phone bill, it’s a filthy, hilarious, and loveable time capsule from the early career of one of comedy’s enduring stars.
“A classic comedic masterpiece that gives you a sneak peek of what happens backstage…a classic among comedians.” – Ivan Martin, founder of the Baltimore Comedy Festival
(1991, DVD, Rated R, 1h29m)
Saturday, August 31 – 5pm
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Called “the Picasso of our profession” by Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor remains one of the most revered stand-up comedians of all time. In this loosely autobiographical film written and directed by Pryor, he plays JoJo Dancer a stand-up comedian trying to reconcile with his self-destructive behavior while recovering in the hospital from a drug related accident. Released six years after Pryor was hospitalized for accidentally burning himself in similar circumstances, the film showcases his remarkable ability to find humor in tragedy while offering a warning on the pitfalls of fame.
“Above all, Pryor emphasizes…Jo Jo’s elusive selfhood – the fundamental problem of what performers who feel fully alive only while onstage or on camera do with the rest of their time.” – Richard Brody, New Yorker
(1986, BluRay, Rated R, 1h37m)
Want Even More Laughs?
Check Out These Free* Live Comedy Events at The Parkway
BCF PREMIER SHOWCASE – SATURDAY, AUG. 31 at 8pm
BCF OPEN MIC – FRIDAY, AUG 30 at 8pm
The Baltimore Comedy Festival is presenting live comedy showcases at multiple venues throughout Baltimore, and the Parkway is thrilled to be one of them for the 8th annual festival. Besides hosting an open mic session and a side-splitting Premier Showcase, Parkway will also screen the trailer for Humility – The Baltimore Comedy Festival, a documentary about the uniqueness, talent, and grit that separates the Baltimore comedy scene from the rest of the comedy world.
*Admission to the Premier Showcase is free with 2-drink minimum
Celebrate Artscape at The SNF Parkway and Experience a Groundbreaking New Public Art Installation!
The SNF Parkway proudly presents its 2024 Artscape program, Openings, featuring a bold series of short films, an inspiring new public art installation, and a special after party to celebrate local creators.
Friday August 2:
- In Theater Screenings: 5:00pm-9:00pm
- The Get Down After Party: 9:00pm-11:00pm
Saturday August 3:
- Doors Open: 1:30pm
- Wide Angle Youth Media Filmmaker Q&A Panel: 2:00pm-2:30pm
- In Theater Screenings: 3:00pm-7:00pm
Sunday August 4:
- Doors Open: 1:00pm
- JHU-MICA Film Centre Filmmaker Q&A Panel: 1:30pm-2:30pm
- In Theater Screenings: 3:00pm-7:00pm
SNF Parkway Theatre, 5 W North Ave, Baltimore, MD
As well as 10 local businesses and storefronts, located on the 1800 Block of North Charles Street and the adjacent East and West blocks of North Avenue
This event is free and open to the public, and seats are first come, first served.
The SNF Parkway’s 2024 Artscape Program, Openings, features the visionary work of Baltimore’s filmmakers and media artists, plus a handpicked selection of works from around the globe. These works have been curated to challenge assumptions, spotlight the power of community, and offer fresh perspectives.
July 26 & 27: Come One, Come All –
Let’s Get a Move On!
In Partnership with Mobtown Ballroom
We do hereby swear: you will not – you can not – get this at home.
Mobtown’s got the floor open, and you’re expected.
The Parkway’s got the lineup ready, and you’re welcome.
And Mobtown x Parkway have partnered to bring you a mad hot weekend of ballroom on screen and live and in person!
So come on out and…
Binge on five great films…
Find a partner, make a friend, cut a rug…
Go big, dress to kill (there’s prizes, oh there’s roses in store)…
Learn a move, with the pros or the kids…
Or, just hang in the dark AC, under the big bright beam and watch it all unfold!
Tickets and max-value experience packages are on sale now!
Friday, July 26, 2024
3:30 PM: All That Jazz (1979) [R] (125 min)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%/85%
Fosse!!! Did Kubrick really confess: “this is the best movie I’ve ever seen”? The flawed, mesmerizing Roy Schieder (as ersatz Fosse), is the director-choreographer on a tragic tear, tumbling toward opening night. The “dazzling, frenetic, and ultimately poignant examination of the life of a brilliant yet tortured artist” (New York Times) is just half the action here; Fosse’s meticulous, angular precision and provocative sensuality are on full display in the film that set a new standard for the genre.
Watch the trailer.
6:00 PM: Strictly Ballroom (1992) [PG] (96 min)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%/87%
The classic ballroom experience on film, Baz Luhrman’s “exuberant and sheerly romantic comedy…in its mixture of camp and reality…is irresistible”. (San Francisco Chronicle). The wonderfully zany, high-energy world of competitive ballroom dancing is turned on its head when rebel Scott Hastings dares to break from the stifling rigidity of traditional steps, landing him in hot water with the powers that be. That is ’til he finds Fran, the clumsy newbie who, as it turns out, is also a maverick. Scott and Fran’s sizzling chemistry ignites both on and off the dance floor, amidst sequins, spray tans, and a cast of delightfully over-the-top characters – culminating in a spectacular showdown of glitz, glam, heart and soul.
Watch the trailer.
8:00 PM Lindy Hop Class and Open Social Dance at Mobtown Ballroom (60 min)
The stage is set, the lights are on and the drinks are ready just over North Ave. at Mobtown Ballroom, where newcomers and pros alike come together on the floor for the always hot Friday night Swing and Lindy Hop scene. Mobtown has got a big special in store for the Parkway fam: a drop-in beginner lesson (no partner or experience required), followed by an open social dance. Go on, and get out there!
8:00 PM Alive and Kicking (2016) [NR] (135 min)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% / 94%
Or, stick with Parkway, grab a drink, and settle in for the uplifting doc that traces swing from Harlem’s Savoy to Mobtown’s Lindy Hop – and lays out how, why and where swing builds community and even personal healing and transformation. “With its acrobatic zest, swing dancing was a perfect expression of defiant resilience during the Great Depression. For contemporary enthusiasts, it’s an antidote to the emotional disconnect of the so-called connected age. Swing buff Susan Glatzer…makes these points in her first documentary… [and] lets the dancers’ ecstatic moves do most of the talking…” (Los Angeles Times).
Watch the trailer.
Saturday, July 27, 2024
2:00 PM (105 minutes): Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) [PG]
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%/83%
Ok kids! Ok parents and grown-ups and young at heart! You’re up – this afternoon’s just for you – a film and a dance lesson and free popcorn for all. This heartwarming doc follows NYC public school students on their journey through rumba, tango, swing, merengue and fox trot – from “ick, no!” to the unfolding of self-confidence, discipline, and teamwork on the floor of the Grand Finals and the World Financial Center. This uplifting chronicle of growth and dedication “doesn’t condescend to its interviewees (students or teachers) or treat them as adorable objects…Instead, the film offers its subjects as individuals with goals and ideas, confusions and aspirations…And dancing is but one means…to help them figure out their lives.” (Pop Matters).
Watch the trailer.
4:00 – 5:00 PM: Family Lindy Hop and Partnering Class in the Parkway Lobby
As you spill out into the theatre after Mad Hot Ballroom, you’re gonna want to move! Why not stay for a fun, expressive, all-ages dance class led by Mobtown’s expert instructors? Bring the whole family!
7:00 PM (90 minutes): Screening: Nosferatu (1922) [NR]
As the sun sets and shadows grow, we take a cue from our friends at Mobtown and dare you to enter the sinister realm of “Nosferatu”, the film that redefined horror cinema! “A visual and emotional treat.” In this tale of relentless suspense and haunting beauty, “Max Schreck is unforgettable as the rat-faced, needle-fingered human stick insect who emerges from his battered castle to spread plague through the land.” (Empire) F.W. Murnau’s shadowy, atmospheric direction and pioneering special effects set a new standard for the genre. Rediscover the chilling classic that turned fear into art and experience the timeless struggle between good and evil.
Watch the trailer.
8:30 PM (60min): Costume Contest at Parkway
Did you come dressed to kill? Perfect! Catwalkers and onlookers alike are welcome in a best costume contest, with prizes sponsored by Parkway, Mobtown, and Lyric Theatre (did someone say tickets to The Sisters of Mercy?).
9:30 PM – Onwards: Goth Prom at Mobtown Ballroom
Let the eerie vibes of Nosferatu carry you as you slip into the night to join a party like no other, hosted by our friends at Mobtown Ballroom. Revel in an evening of DJ sets, tantalizing drinks, and live music by the industrial goth band Vosh. Break out that formal black you’ve been waiting to wear and join the creatures of the night for a fang-tastic night of film, dance, and music!
Tickets are available now online: BUY NOW.
For a deep dive, we have 3 film plus experience packages starting at just $30.
See you on the dance floor!
Announcing a Renewed Vision
On May 28, 2024, we hosted an event attended by hundreds of community members, where we unveiled a new vision for the SNF Parkway Theatre.
Board Chair Scot Spencer and Vice Chair Camille Blake Fall shared exciting changes planned for our theatre. These enhancements aim to make the venue more accessible and vibrant for everyone—artists, audiences, and community partners alike.
Read more about it in:
Watch the Presentation
Reach out!
Audience members, artists, community leaders, and future partners—we welcome your thoughts! Please submit your feedback to events@mdfilmfest.com. While we review every message, please note that due to the volume of messages received, our response may be delayed.
THE STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION PARKWAY FEATURES:
- A breathtaking 417-SEAT AUDITORIUM in the original Parkway Theatre
- Two smaller 85-seat theaters
- STATE-OF-THE-ART PROJECTION AND SOUND
- LOCALLY-SOURCED CONCESSIONS and a ground-floor bar lounge
- Year-round headquarters for the MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL
