Baltimore's Messenger

Hello everyone,

Almost a year  ago I watched with the rest of the world as the city that raised me boiled over with frustration and anger.  Baltimore’s streets erupted into war zones and a curfew descended upon us.  Our neighborhoods, our mothers, our sons, our lives were thrust into the national spotlight.  They showed uslooting, rioting and marching at Mondawmin, Penn North and City Hall.   Growing up in Baltimore City, I witnessed first-hand the position that a voice can afford you, but I also saw that lack of that same voice could disenfranchise, isolate, and defeat.  For far too long, Baltimore communities have felt abandoned, powerless, and voiceless.

Baltimore needs a voice.  My name is Robert Lee Hardy, critics have described me as a passionate storyteller and in 2006*** I wrote my first of many one man shows entitled, “Me, Myself & Us” where I play eight different characters from Baltimore that have inspired my career.  In every performance I shine a spotlight on my city.  Baltimore, the city that raised me, that helped me hone my skill, the city that gave life to my dream.  At times when I am in my darkest despair and contemplating giving up on living an artist’s life, the people of Baltimore push me forward, you support my talent, you are my breath of fresh air. 

Now, more than ever, it is important for me to give the world a true glimpse into what it means to be from Baltimore.  It is my desire to take my one man shows, comprised of Baltimore characters we all know and love, to a larger audience.  The reporters are gone.  The news cameras are gone.  The armed guards are gone.  The dialogue is done but our true story still hasn’t been told.  Help me make“Me, Myself and Us” into a nationally touring show.  I have made the connections, I have forged the way, I have set up the meetings but in order for me to tell the story that deserves to be told I need support for theater rentals, lights, sound, props, costumes and promoters.  It took a lot for me to start this campaign but the truth is I need help.  Help me share who we are.  Help me give Baltimore a voice on a national platform.  Baltimore, our stories can inspire a nation.