Hippodrome Foundation, Inc. - HFI

06/12/2026

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 excite!

Our Director of Development, Katie Pike Norton, had only studied classical music on the violin until joining the pit orchestra for her high school's production of Hello, Dolly!

"Playing in the pit required a whole new type of collaboration and skill - it was exciting to be an integral part of a larger production. It also got me excited to step outside the boundaries of classical music. I still play today and enjoy trying all different types of music. And, whenever I attend an opening night at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, I gain extra energy for the next few days to tell anyone who will listen all about the awesome things 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 do for kids."

If theater gets you pumped too, you can help more kids experience it! www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate

06/12/2026

We welcomed leaders from across the state of Maryland to the historic Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center yesterday! It was awesome to see the awe on their faces, field their questions (and sometimes find answers together), and hear how our theater and others have enhanced their lives and the lives of their fellow community members. Thank you, Leadership Maryland and the entire executive class for including the importance of the performing arts in your learning and advocacy!

06/09/2026

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 excite!

A special kind of excitement results from experiential learning. When Doktor Kaboom visited the M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center for a student performance this spring, elementary students from Charlesmont Elementary School, Relay Elementary, Sandalwood Elementary, Winfield Elementary, Sussex Elementary School, James McHenry Elementary Middle School, Mary E. Rodman Elementary School, Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School, and The Loyola School saw science come to life on stage.

They’ll never look at a lever the same way after a brave student from Winfield Elementary caught a marshmallow, launched across the stage by a catapult, in his mouth! The room erupted with cheers of "Kaboom!" and students left excited to get back to the classroom to continue learning.

Performances like this aren’t accessible to all children, so the Hippodrome Foundation steps in to reduce barriers so that 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 excite kids about school. We know how important early exposure to future pathways can be in a child's development.

Help us expose even more students to shows that create unparalleled energy and excitement: Visit www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate to give today!

06/04/2026

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 employ!

Through our Career Pathways program, students sample the many behind-the-scenes roles of the theater and entertainment industries. Industry professionals lead them through parts of the Hippodrome Theatre most people never see, and enable them to get hands-on with the tools of the trade.

Career Pathways provides exposure to previously unknown paths, knowledge about how to enter them, and the start of a professional network to lean on. Demand is high to grow this program and 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 help!

Visit www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate to introduce even more students to the places 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 lead.

06/02/2026

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 employ!

George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology students took a deep dive into costume design this year through our Career Pathways program. They’ve learned about career paths related to costuming, which can include sewing, shopping, dressing, organizing wardrobe, design, and more - and they’ve gained skills that will support their advancement in the performance industry.

Read more about their experience here: https://hippodromefoundation.org/theater-can-create-opportunity/

Donations to the Hippodrome Foundation enable students nearing graduation to learn about opportunities for employment that theater can provide. When you give, you can help a young person start down a path toward employment in theater!

Visit www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate to give today!

05/29/2026

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 give a voice to stories that history tried to silence.”

This statement, made by REACH! Partnership School student Azeia from the stage of the M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center to a group of 240 of her peers and local business and philanthropy leaders, floored us! Thank you, Azeia, for being brave enough to speak up and share the impact 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 have on learning.

Azeia’s teacher, Mr. Xander Conte reflected, “As a teacher, it was empowering and fulfilling to see this program give opportunities to Baltimore City Public Schools students to not only watch, but to engage through sharing their own experiences while being supported by their peers, on stage alongside working professionals. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 bring people together from all different backgrounds, and 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 connect our communities to remind us we’re all living the human experience. I am so thankful the Hippodrome Foundation uses its platform to show students in Baltimore the healing power theatre has and to reveal the strength in our students’ voices to enlighten the future.”

This special student programming, built around themes from Suffs Musical, was made possible by a grant from the Baltimore Community Foundation and by philanthropic support from individual donors. The Hippodrome Foundation provides free programming year-round, leveraging the many ways theater can enhance learning and create opportunities for young people.

The Hippodrome Foundation is a non-profit, and we count on the support of the community to keep all of our programs completely free for the thousands of local students we serve each year. Join us as a donor today, and help even more kids benefit from the energy only theater can provide.

Visit www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate now!

Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center

05/27/2026

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 educate!

This Spring, students from six Baltimore City Public Schools and Baltimore County Public Schools high schools cemented learning about the women’s suffrage movement through theater. Building upon the Suffs Musical, the Hippodrome Foundation created a 3-part educational program, beginning by partnering with teachers on in-classroom learning.

Next up, we welcomed students to the M&T Bank Exchange at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center for “Standing on Her Shoulders: The Power of Women - Past, Present, and Future,” inviting wisdom from panelists Rachel Sussman (SUFFS Lead Producer), Elaine Weiss (author and Historical Advisor to SUFFS), Tanya Terrell of the T. Rowe Price Foundation, Maria Tildon of Johns Hopkins University, and WBAL-TV 11's Megan Rivers. Six students inspired their peers with short speeches on something they think is worth fighting for and brought down the house!

Finally, all of these 240 students will take in an evening performance of SUFFS alongside patrons at the historic Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center this week - and what a show they'll experience!

While learning about powerful movements in our nation’s history is always memorable, we know that 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 make it even more so: we’re certain the lessons SUFFS imparts about voting, equal rights, collaboration, and activism will stick with these students for a long while.

We’re looking forward to offering more in-depth programming like this, with your help! When you support the Hippodrome Foundation, you affirm that 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 educate, and you help make it happen.

Visit www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate to give today!

05/20/2026

Theater can inspire!

Catonsville High School/ Baltimore County Public Schools student Lily S. participated in a tech tour and props creation session through the Hippodrome Foundation Career Pathways program.

Of her time at the Hippodrome, Lily says…
“I've never had such a hands-on experience where I could see and interact with so many skills from prop-making to how the set pieces work. I feel so inspired to look into a technical theater job when before I thought the different pathways were much more limited.”

When you donate to the Hippodrome Foundation, you can inspire more students to envision themselves in career paths they hadn’t known about before.

Visit www.hippodromefoundation.org/donate to give today!

05/18/2026

This school year, and for the past twenty years that the Hippodrome Foundation has existed, we’ve witnessed the power of theater. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 impact people in many ways. It can educate, empower, inspire, teach, and so much more. As the seasons change and we move from school year into summer programming, we’ll be spending the next few weeks reflecting on all that 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 do.

We’re kicking off our 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙖𝙣 campaign by inviting you to share what you know 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 do! Please comment below and let us know what 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙣 and does accomplish for you or someone you care about.

Want to get even more impact and news from the Hippodrome Foundation? Sign up for our e-newsletter here: https://hippodromefoundation.org/newsletter/

01/24/2026

Nominate your favorite Baltimore City Principal!

By Dyana Neal | Posted in Host Blogs, Interviews, WBJC Programs | Comments Off on Celebrating the best principals in Baltimore City schools