About Oldfields
Oldfields School, founded in 1867, is an independent all-girls day and boarding school in Northern Baltimore County serving grades 9 through 12. It’s mission is to “embrace each student’s authentic self, educate through collaboration, empower the individual voice, and inspire confidence and continual growth, leading to a life of purpose.”
1500 Glencoe Road
Sparks Glencoe, Maryland 21152
Megan Mardiney
mardineym@oldfieldsschool.org
(410) 472-4800
About Manor Mill
Manor Mill, built in 1743, is a newly restored, pre-revolutionary grist mill that now houses a fine arts gallery, musical performances, ceramics, yoga and meditation, workshops across all disciplines and organizational retreats. Manor Mill is a community built upon creativity and learning, rooted in history and situated in the most beautiful area of rural Baltimore County.
2029 Monkton Road
Monkton, MD 21111
info@manor-mill.com
For Immediate Release
June 27, 2024
Manor Mill and Oldfields School Form Partnership
Angelo Otterbein, owner of Manor Mill, a creative arts, education and gallery space in Monkton, Maryland, and Ansley Smithwick, Head of Oldfields School, have announced a new partnership. This collaboration will create unique opportunities for people interested in a broad range of creative disciplines and for Oldfields’ students seeking to participate in firsthand learning experiences working with professional craftspeople, musicians and artists.
Angelo Otterbein and Ansley Smithwick, Head of Oldfields School, make plans for collaboration between Manor Mill in Monkton and Oldfields one mile away as the Gunpowder River flows. Two concerts and the play Our Town are scheduled for this fall to take place in Oldfields’ David Niven Theatre.
“Over the last three years, Manor Mill has become a creative hub housing fine art, musical performances, yoga, workshops and more, spurred by tremendous growth,” says Otterbein. “But the property also has natural constraints when it comes to parking, total capacity, outdoor options, and performance space. Meanwhile, Oldfields is a beautiful campus with plenty of space and available facilities guided by a mission to provide its students with unique educational offerings. We feel the time is right to reconnect these two historically significant places.”
The first collaboration will be the performance of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, produced and directed by Vanessa Eskridge, a career actor and theater professional who currently runs the popular Play Club at Manor Mill. Auditions for the show will begin in July with the play slated for this coming October. Larger musical performances, small festivals, and overnight retreats are being contemplated.
“It’s exciting,” says Smithwick. “We see a long and fruitful partnership ahead, and the possibilities are truly energizing. Manor Mill has developed rich programming that we can help to expand, and which in turn can create new opportunities for our students to engage with artists and creative professionals. We have much to figure out, and we want to walk before we run. But it will be fantastic when we start to run!”
Our first collaboration! Manor Mill hosts the Whiskey Feathers and Pressing Strings performance in the David Niven Theater at Oldfields School to a sold out show.
