By Natalia Weiner

What began as agroup of theatre students from University of Colorado at Boulder became the“Best of Baltimore” Theatre Company according to the City Paper in 2009. SingleCarrot Theatre began in 2007 and has quickly become one of the best knowntheatre troupe’s in the Baltimore community.

Elliott Rauh, managing director of Single Carrot, considers starting this troupe to bethe alternative to Graduate school. “[We wanted] something better than just beingextras in commercials. We wanted to focus on theatre and the arts.” The troupe’s original name was “New 22 Productions” when they began in Colorado. Thetroupe then began to scour the country for a place to start.

“We didn’t want a place that was oversaturated,” states Elliott. He explains thatthey wanted to set down in a city where they could produce new and originalworks. After narrowing it down to four cities, Baltimore was the troupe’s topchoice. Havingno permanent home and knowing only two people in the city, finding connectionswas no simple task. “We started rehearsing in living rooms,” Rauh comments. But now, the troupe’s couple of hundred dollars in start up funds has ballooned to over 120,000 dollars a year.

When the troupe got to Baltimore, they needed a new name. “Not all 22 company members were going to be here for the long haul,” states Rauh. So the troupehad to try and find a name that was innovative and creative. Finally, they cameupon a quote by French artist, Paul Cezanne: “The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.” The name Single Carrot stuck with them. “[We like the] message of takingsomething so simple like a carrot or a piece of theatre and setting off a revolution,” explains Rauh.

Single Carrot just finished their run of Playing Dead and have already begun rehearsals for their rendition of Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake). The troupe has high hopes for success. Since becoming the Best of Baltimore Theatre Company in 2009, their ticket sales have raised significantly. “Playing Dead sold at 91 percent capacity and the past threeshows have sold at over 90 percent capacity,” states Rauh. Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake) opensApril 30th and will have sneak previews on April 28th and 29th for half price. Rauh hopes that Single Carrot will be able to grow as an arts organization. “We want to be part of the cultural community here in Baltimore.”