From the outside, one could very easily overlook the corner neighborhood bar in Pigtown, Baltimore as someone’s apartment. But an emblem of a red pig upon the Maryland flag background designates Old Major as a dive bar upon entrance on the corner of Carey and Herkimer Streets. Walk in on an average night to find the bar crowded, about 12 stools crowding the bar without much walking space.

But go upstairs to find a space for performances, shows, and music. A 12 by 8-foot stage leaves not too much room for performers to move around. In the next room is a jukebox with tables, for patrons who want to engage with the performances and leave the hustle and bustle of the downstairs common area. Kay Vaughn, the new manager of Old Major, cited a performer once having 30 people in the upstairs of the bar, almost fitting max capacity.

Patrick Regal, seventh-grade teacher at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School, seeks to break the norm of the upstairs space, and use the small stage for seats, and the whole space of the top floor for the action of the play. Seats would surround the action, commonly known in theater as an “in the round” style of seating. With this style, Patrick plans to maximize the space to seat almost 40 people.

The space is to be used for his upcoming Charm City Classics Company (CCCC), a theater company Patrick plans to center in Old Major that focuses on the classics rather than modern plays. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a classic is a “work of enduring excellence,” and the company focuses on the works well-known playwrights like Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, and some contemporary playwrights.Using a small space with the upstairs of Old Major, there’s a specialty to CCCC’s approach to theater: they focus completely on content, rather than spectacle. Although Patrick loves the spectacle of other local classic-focused theater companies like the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, which perform works replicating Shakespeare’s own staging conditions, CCCC is working with a much more minimalist space in a more streamlined fashion than bigger-budget companies.

“We want to show why the play we are doing is worthy of production by showcasing the text,” Patrick said. “That means stripped-down, actor and playwright focused shows.”

I know Patrick as a cohort member and friend in the Baltimore City Teaching Residency, as both of us are currently first-year teachers in Baltimore City. In his own experience as a student, works deemed classics didn’t always resonate with him, and as teachers, he and I have both found that these works especially don’t appeal to our students. As a recent college graduate, Patrick majored in theater and has worked extensively as a director on multiple projects in college, and wished to continue his passion while giving back to Baltimore City.

Partnering with Patrick are two people he worked extensively with Studio 115, a student theatre organization at the University of Mary Washington. These two include his girlfriend, Taylor Malone, and friend, Neal Gallini-Burdick. Taylor is finishing her last year as a Communication & Digital Studies and Theater major at school, assisting with content, marketing, and many administrative tasks of CCCC, while Neal will focus on being a playwright and an actor. Currently, Neal is working with a nonprofit theatre called Virginia Rep on Tour, which brings educational plays to schools and public venues across the country. Although Neal is based in Richmond and commuting to Baltimore can be a challenge, he relishes the opportunity to be an actor and playwright while continuing his work with Patrick. In fact, one of his favorite roles was playing Macbeth back in college.

“The depths of the characters [in Shakespeare plays] aren’t matched by anything else,” Neal said. “There’s something really special about the scope of the plays and universal about them.”

Taylor, when prompted by Patrick to be a part of CCCC, graciously accepted the offer, despite clear obstacles in having on-campus jobs and academics to worry about. With the role of broadening and growing the company’s audience, she helps apply for grants and market CCCC to the general public. She has profound faith in Patrick’s ability to make the company succeed as a director and in its day to day operations.

“It’s definitely a challenge, but there’s nothing that motivates me more than the work that I do,” Taylor said. “When I was given an opportunity to be a part of the company, I just felt like I couldn’t say no.”

If you think that CCCC’s smaller budget and smaller space is a disadvantage in comparison to other theater companies, think again. I have worked closely with Patrick in various teaching activities in our rigorous, 6-week, 10-hour a day program to obtain our Resident Teaching Certificates. Patrick brought passion and vibrancy into each team-building or instructional activity we had, ranging from understanding Common Core standards or practicing attention-grabbing techniques for students. Patrick spoke into existence one of the chant of his subteam in BCTR, “Reveur!” to bolster the pride among Reveur members, the cringes and laughter of other BCTR members. If there’s anyone that can make everyone passionate about antiquated language from the 17th century, I believe it’s Patrick, as well.

“When you can count the number of actors on one hand and there’s no set, no stage lights, and very few costume pieces or changes,” he said. “There’s only one thing to focus on: the words.”

He has made the connection between his work in the classroom and his work in the theater, and this connection of his passion to his work is a lesson for all teachers to find similar intersections with their passions. He ideally aims to have productions per week, and needs actors that represent the vibrancy and diversity of the city help make it happen on stage. Although he wants to see the growth of CCCC, Patrick’s primary loyalty, as a teacher and playwright, is to the plays and the literature themselves.

“I want to show people why this literature that has stood the test of time is worth being discussed,” Patrick continued. “There’s a reason. Let’s find it together.”

CCCC is exclusively crowdfunded: for it to succeed, it needs more contributions to get started for production budgets, marketing, and infrastructure costs, and you can contribute here. Patrick, Taylor, and Neal are also looking for season sponsors to make their dream a reality, and CCCC needs our support to bring education into the theater of Baltimore City.