Maryland Ensemble Theater Launches Met-Reach

The Maryland Ensemble Theater's family theatre, The Fun Company, is proud to present, MET-Reach, a new community youth outreach program supported in part through Fun Company sponsor's PNC Bank and GTI Federal. Under the banner of MET-Reach the Maryland Ensemble Theatre will provide free tickets to local non-profits for all Fun Company performances in the 2011-12 season. The mission of MET-Reach is to provide the youth in our community the opportunity to experience live theatre and all the benefits of exposure to the arts that may not be currently accessible to them.

There is growing evidence that the arts contribute not just to learning across disciplines, but also to the thought process itself. In March 2008, the Dana Foundation released Learning, Arts and the Brain, the Dana Consortium Report on Arts and Cognition a series of studies, conducted by leading neuroscientists from seven prestigious universities. The cognitive neuroscientists who participated in the study found a "tight correlation" between exposure to the arts and improved skills in cognition and attention for learning. Among their major findings include that children motivated in the arts develop attention skills and memory retrieval that also apply to other subject areas.

MET-Reach Coordinator, Cassandra Clair commented, "There have been numerous studies down the years that show the benefits of exposure to the arts and arts education but not all children have the resources or opportunity to get the theater or to the museum. MET-Reach is a way that we are hoping to help provide that. Hopefully we can get the word out and have some of our great youth based non-profits take advantage of the program. And the Fun Company Shows are always entertaining as well as educational so the kids always have a good time."

MET-Reach will provide non-profits with 10 free tickets to any performance they choose, and if an organization requests additional tickets for that performance those tickets will be discounted 50%.

All Fun Company performances take place on Saturday and Sunday at 2PM, and are appropriate for ages 5 and up. The shows participating in the MET-Reach program will take audiences of all ages on exciting adventures with classic characters as well as some new ones with MET's World Premiere original work. The Fun Company, under the Artistic Direction of Julie Herber, has been entertaining and enlightening Frederick families since 1998. This November and December, The Commedia Pinoccio, offers a classic tale told in a classic style know as commedia dell'arte. In March and April the Fun Company offers MET-Reach participants the World Premiere production The Young Olympians and the Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever!. Finally in May and June the little girl from the Swiss Alps makes her way to the MET stage with Heidi. Additional show information is available at marylandensemble.org.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre has a long tradition of community involvement and arts education including the in school productions Artist Residency Program. Through that program the MET is able to work with public school children over the course of six weeks to mount a full production.

Local non-profits who would like to be involved in the MET-Reach program should contact the MET-Reach Coordinator, Cassandra Clair at cclair@marylandensemble.org or 301-694-4744.

For over a decade, Maryland Ensemble Theatre has been producing thought-provoking theatre, fun family entertainment, artist residency programs for public schools, challenging classes and the side-splitting Comedy Pigs. The MET is an artistic leader in the region and at the forefront of the creation of Frederick's Theater District.

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