Maryland Ensemble Theatre Announces Summer Line-up

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) has a full slate of programming this summer including a handful of Ensemble Member produced shows, the annual community collaboration with Frederick Community College, and The Comedy Pigs' anniversary shows. In addition to those shows the MET is also offering four sessions of Fun Camp and The Ensemble Schoolis offering an adult acting class and an adult improv workshop series.

First up on the summer docket is the comedy variety show, The Annual Live 2: The Sequeling. The Annual Live originates from The Annual, a locally run, bimonthly humor magazine. It's a comedic adventure that can safely be called The Larry Sanders Show meets Nunsense meets Everybody Loves Raymond meets The Glass Menagerie. It is written by Annual writers Kevin Cole, Andrew Michaels, and Scott Travers, and will feature cast members (Lisa Burl, Karli Cole, Kevin Cole, Caitlyn Joy, Colleen Kelly, Andrew Michaels, and Scott Travers) playing fictional versions of themselves. The show will run June 27 and 28 at 9pm at MET, located at 31 W Patrick Street in downtown Frederick. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at marylandensemble.org or by calling the MET box office at 301-694-4744.

On June 29 at 7pm the reunited Miss Lonelyheart will play at MET to benefit the on-going Capital Campaign for a second performance venue. Miss Lonelyheart played hundreds of shows across the U.S. from 1994-2004 sharing the stage with the likes of Fugazi, Rye Coalition, Burning Airlines, Most Secret Method and hundreds of other bands. The original 4-piece version of the band started rehearsing again in Dec. of 2013. On June 20th they began their first tour in over a decade and will conclude that tour with Sunday's performance. Fellow rock bandsBishops and Dead Monks will join them. There is a $5 minimum suggested donation.

Next up is Lee Blessing's masterful play, Eleemosynary. The play focuses on the lives of a family of three very brilliant women. In his examination of their relationships, Blessing highlights the human need for connection and forgiveness, and illustrates the tensions that can stress a family to its breaking point. MET Ensemble member Tim Seltzer will direct Karli Cole, Lia Seltzer and Allison Duval. The show will run at MET on July 11,12, 18, 19 at 8pm and tickets are 16.50.

At MET on July 25 and 26 at 9pm comes an all new in your face, multimedia comedy blow-out entitled Green House. From the creators of the hilarious Laugh Station series anything goes in this fast paced, surreal and somewhat sexually confused original sketch show. Tickets are just $10 and it is recommended for mature audiences only.

Last summer MET ensemble members Lisa Burl and James McGarveypremiered the original show Balls Deep in Love, and they are returning this summer with Balls Deep(er) In Love. It promises to be bigger, badder, and deeper than you could have imagined. James and Lisa return to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to relationships in a roller coaster of sketches, songs, and monologues. The show will run at MET on August 1, 2, 8, 9 at 8pm and tickets are $15.

MET and FCC will continue their community collaboration in August with the World Premier of The Wizard of Odd by Caitlyn Joy and directed by Julie Herber. In this re-interpretation of the classic tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, outsider Dee finds herself in an odd fantastical world filled with strange creatures. In her journey to find her way home, she meets a trio of misfits who help her discover the true meaning of friendship, home and self worth. The show will run at FCC's JBK Theater (7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick) on August 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors and can be purchased at marylandensemble.org or at 301-694-4744.

Doug Wright's fascinating play I am my own Wife tells the tale of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a real-life German transvestite who managed to survive both the Nazi onslaught and the repressive East German Communist regime. The show featuring Eric Jones and directed by Rebecca O'Leary will run at MET Thursdaythrough Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm on August 14-17 and 21-24. All tickets are $15.

The Comedy Pigs, MET'S hilarious sketch and improv group, will celebrate 21 years of laughter on August 29 and 30 at 8pm. The Pigs have written hundreds of sketches and songs, played over 500 performances, and have had over 40 people call themselves "Pigs." This anniversary brings back many familiar faces and sketches. Tickets to The Comedy Pigs 2nd Annual 20th Anniversary Shows are $20 and can be purchased at MET.

The MET is offering a special Summer Flex Pass that includes six tickets to use however you would like. Treat five of your friends to one show for a great evening out or attend all six performances yourself. The Flex pass is good for all summer events except the Comedy Pigs Anniversary shows. You can purchase your Summer Flex Pass for $85 at MET. For more information or to purchase tickets to any of the upcoming shows visit marylandensemble.org or call the MET at 301-694-4744.

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