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Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is dedicated to the creation and production of extraordinary theatre art through the combined voices of a diverse ensemble of professional resident artists who are influential leaders in the community and visionaries in the art of theatre.
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. Julie sets up her office (desk by Jessica and Christopher).
The new office wasn't the only place getting some work this weekend. To get the new office space, we have to give up our current box office and costume shop. Now that the office is almost totally moved, we can move on to the costume shop. The plan is to get rid of a bunch of stuff in the Greene Room (which was done on Saturday) and build a new costume shop at the far end of the Greene Room.
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Incorruptible opens in less than two weeks, so a set build was also taking place over the weekend. Set designer Joann Lee and technical director Matt Weese led the charge:
Strike for "Runaways" was held on Saturday night, and everyone was back at work Sunday morning, working on "Incorruptible." You can see the graffiti from "Runaways still surrounds the in-progress monastery.
Several mini production meetings were held:
Gené and props mistress Milee McDonald test a prop with cast members Bette Cassat and Denny Grizzle.
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Milee and Stage Manager Ken work on the monastery walls.
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And of course, moving an office, costume shop and building a set isn't enough for one weekend! We held a bridal shower for ensemble member Amy Easton - who is to marry ensemble member Matt Baughman next month. Luau theme!
And the day ended with auditions for A Doll's House:
It was amazing weekend. The energy from so many people working on MET stuff was contagious and energizing. As always, there's still plenty of work to be done! But we hope to be settled in our new spaces in the next 2-3 weeks. Check back for updates!
Playwright Michael Hollinger’s comedy Red Herring opened our tenth season with such a blast of energy that we thought we would look to the author once more for this season’s kick-off. Hollinger, a professor of theatre at Villanova University, has a background in musical performance and as a result his plays rely highly on tempo, rhythm and timing. This was evidenced in last season’s offering (think the overseas call delayed and masterfully performed by Matt Baughman and Amy Easton), but he adds a bit of slapstick and a dash of vaudeville to Incorruptible, making it a highly physical tour-de-force.
MET ensemble members Mark Barnhart, Julie Herber, Tad Janes, Karen Paone and Reiner Prochaska join the cast. Joann Lee (sets), Julie Herber (costumes), Carey Rausch (lights), Tom Majarov (sound), and Milee McDonald (props), all ensemble members, have joined forces as our design team. Keeping us all on track and on time is company member Ken Poisson, our stage manager.
We’re very excited to be back in the rehearsal hall and very grateful to the Frederick community who has supported our work for the last decade.
- Gené Fouché, Director