Baltimore Center Stage Family,

It is with tremendous excitement, deep gratitude, and a very full heart that I introduce myself as the new President of the Board of Trustees of Baltimore Center Stage. For me, theater has never simply been entertainment. It has been part of the soundtrack of my life.

I was born in Manhattan and raised between the Bronx and the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York, so access to the arts, and particularly theater, was woven into my upbringing. One of my earliest and most vivid memories is being six years old and having my parents take me to see the original Broadway staging of Dreamgirls. I did not understand then all that I was experiencing, but I understood the magic. The lights. The music. The costumes. The storytelling. The feeling of being completely transported somewhere else.

A few years later, I remember taking a school field trip to see Into the Woods, and that love affair with musical theater continued.

By high school, I was the student who would skip lunch to sit with my chorus teacher and watch musicals. Hello, Dolly!, A Chorus Line, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oliver! and countless others became part of my informal theater education. I sang. I created. I performed. I found my way onto the stage myself as a cast member in productions including Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, and others .

I have always been a little artsy. Actually, very artsy. I am a singer, a creator, a lover of big ideas and beautiful storytelling. I am also a wife, a mother, a nonprofit leader, and someone who believes deeply in the power of art to connect people, challenge people, heal people, and help communities imagine what is possible.

My journey to Baltimore Center Stage also feels wonderfully full circle. 

Before joining the BCS Board, I served as Board Chair of ArtsCentric, a grassroots Baltimore theater organization that I loved dearly. I was also a partner of Baltimore Center Stage, and through my work with ArtsCentric, I helped broker one of its early partnerships with BCS. That partnership introduced me to a different side of this institution and allowed me to see not only what happened on its stages, but also the people, partnerships, vision, and commitment behind the work.

I joined the Baltimore Center Stage Board of Trustees in 2023, and I have truly enjoyed every minute of my service. For the past two years, I have had the privilege of serving as Development Chair, helping to think about how we build the relationships and resources necessary to sustain this extraordinary institution.

 

On July 1, 2026, I began my three year term as President of the Board of Trustees.

It is an honor I do not take lightly.

I now have the privilege of leading an incredible group of trustees who bring talent, passion, resources, expertise, and a genuine love for Baltimore Center Stage to this work. Together, we have the opportunity and responsibility to help steward Maryland’s State Theater into its next chapter.

Professionally, I bring more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience to this role. For the past three and a half years, I have served as President and CEO of Associated Black Charities, where my work is deeply rooted in building: community, strengthening institutions, developing partnerships, expanding opportunity, and connecting people and resources throughout Baltimore and cross Maryland.

Over the years, I have been fortunate to build relationships across Baltimore’s nonprofit, philanthropic, corporate, civic, government, arts, and community sectors. As Board President, I fully intend to leverage those relationships in service of Baltimore Center Stage’s mission and future.

I am inspired by what I have seen, excited about what is ahead, and deeply committed to ensuring that Baltimore Center Stage continues to shine as a cultural beacon, an artistic home, and a source of pride for our city and our state.

Thank you for welcoming me into this role. I look forward to working alongside each of you as we write the next act of this r markable institution together.

With gratitude,

Chrissy M. Thornton

President, Board of Trustees
Baltimore Center Stage