"Art Beat" With Stephanie Kaye - Thursday, March 4, 2010

(March 5-12) THE BLUEST EYE University of Maryland's theater department tackles Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland, opening tomorrow and running through March 12th. The play centers on an 11-year-old African-American girl growing up in 1940s Ohio, who blames her dark skin for the discrimination she faces and prays for a pair of blue eyes. Next Tuesday's performance includes a "talk back" session with UM faculty from the English and history departments.

(March 5-28) LAUREL ART GUILD The 41st Annual Laurel Art Guild features the work of Maryland, Northern Virginia and D.C. artists, with an exhibit that opens tomorrow and runs through March 28th. You can see what the local talent's up to as awards are parsed out on Sunday.

(Through March 21) DEAR SARA JANE The scrappy staff at Hub Theatre is mounting its newest production, "Dear Sara Jane" at The Soundry art space in Vienna, Virginia, through March 21st. Victor Lodato's portrait of a young military wife is a humor-filled yet unrelenting examination of a culture of violence both abroad and at home.