Maryland Ensemble Theatre Offers SPELLING BEE, DRACULA, et. al. for 2010/2011 Season

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is celebrating 13 years of producing a full season of professional theatre in downtown Frederick, MD. The 2010/2011 season will consist of classics as well as some new work. More information can be found at www.marylandensemble.org.

Opening the 2010/2011 season is the Broadway hit musical THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (music by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin). In this hilarious tale of overachievers' angst, six adolescents in the throes of puberty, overseen by grownups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. In the end, this Tony Award-winning musical's quirky characters learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. The show runs from September 11 to October 10, is directed by Gene’ Fouche’, musical direction by Alison Shafer, and choreographed by Jenifer Dobbins.

DRACULA, written by Steven Dietz and directed by Tad Janes, will be next on the calendar running from October 22 to November 13. “I want your fear. For your fear, like a current, rushes through your body. Your fear makes your heart pound, it renders your veins rich and full,” whispers Dracula in this classic thriller. Rich with both humor and horror, this new adaptation restores the suspense and seduction of Bram Stoker's classic novel. As Count Dracula begins to exert his will upon the residents of London, they try to piece together the clues of his appearances.

For the holiday season, the MET will continue the Frederick tradition of presenting its original version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Weinberg Center for the Arts December 16 to 19 and will also take the show to the Carroll County Arts Center from December 9 to 11. In addition during the holidays at Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s home base, the hilarious play, A CHRISTMAS TWIST by the Illegitimate Players, will grace the stage. Join Tiny Tim as he discovers who he is and mingles with a host of characters who don't seem to know what play they are in. A mixture of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, these characters are thrown together in a big bowl of literary Christmas punch to create a fresh take on what Christmas really means. The show is directed by MET ensemble member Allison Lepelletier.

February 4 through March 5, the MET showcases the play DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Towson faculty member and regional director/actor Peter Wray. In the play, there is an incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café, a stranger at the next table who has had enough, and a dead man – with a lot of loose ends. So begins this wildly imaginative dark comedy, tracing the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

Since its recent successful run on Broadway, BOEING, BOEING has regained popular notoriety. Written by Mark Camoletti and translated by Beverly Cross, the MET production of this hilarious play will be directed by Tad Janes (director of “The Canterbury Tales” and “Planet Claire.”) The storyline: Bernard, a successful Parisian architect, juggles three flight attendant fiancées. He tracks their airlines' timetables, resetting the menus and bedroom decor depending on the arrivals and departures. Unfortunately for Bernard, a new, faster Boeing jet changes the timetable. Weather delays occur, and complications arise when the girls' behavior does not match Bernard's careful planning. A classic farcical romp! The show opens on March 25 and closes on April 16, 2011.

The final production of the 2010/2011 MET season selection is the cult favorite A CLOCKWORD ORANGE by Anthony Burgess. In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society's crime problem... but not all goes as planned. Forget your memories of the cult film, this infamous darkly comic morality tale will bend your mind in a whole new way. The play runs from May 20 to June 18 and is directed by MET Associate Artistic Director, Julie Herber.

The MET offers two different ticketing packages. SEASON TICKETS are sold for $105 and include one ticket for each main stage show (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dracula, A Christmas Twist, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Boeing Boeing and A Clockwork Orange) as well as one voucher for a Comedy Pigs show and one voucher for a Fun Company family theatre matinee. Tickets are show specific and not interchangeable. This package has a value of over $150, a total saving of $51 or 33% off the face value.

FLEX PASSES ($115) consist of six vouchers that may be used in any combination for main stage shows (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dracula, A Christmas Twist, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Boeing Boeing and A Clockwork Orange) as well as one voucher for a Comedy Pigs show and one voucher for a Fun Company family theatre matinee. Tickets are NOT show specific and can be used for any MET main stage performance. This package has a value of over $150, a total saving of $41. SEASON TICKETS and FLEX PASSES both may be purchased online at www.marylandensemble.org or through our box office by calling 301-694-4744 or by mail at 31 W. Patrick St., Frederick, MD 21701.

The MET 2010-11 season is brought to the Frederick community, in part, through generous support of the Ausherman Family Foundation, Dr. Mark and Shawn Pitts, the Frank Greene Fund for New Work, the Tom Mills Education Fund, Comcast, Key 103, 106.9 the Eagle, Gazette Newspapers, the Frederick News-Post, the Frederick Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Frederick Tourism Council.

Photo Credti: Joe Williams

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