Maryland Ensemble Theatre Presents Its First Feature Film SOMETHING BRILLIANT

Maryland Ensemble Theatre will present their first feature film: Something Brilliant: The Rise And Fall Of The IllumiNation Cult. Available to stream through MET's website starting Saturday March 20, this original mockumentary directed by MET's Artistic Director Tad Janes and Associate Artistic Director Gené Fouché takes a comedic look at what became of the members of the IllumiNation cult featured in MET's 2007 original stage production: Something Brilliant Will Come To Us.

In 2007, the IllumiNation Cult took Frederick MD by storm. Weekly spaghetti dinner meetings were held, meatballs were consumed, and congregants were encouraged to CHARGE UP and share their brilliance. Members of this cult enjoyed blissful ignorance of the outside world, songs, community, and a chance to start again - until it all came crashing down when their Patrick Street compound was raided by the authorities. MET's Feature-length mockumentary tells the story of IllumiNation from the beginning, so viewers need not have attended the original stage production to enjoy this hilarious look at the ill-famed hometown cult.

MET's 2007 production of Something Brilliant Will Come To Us, was an original, immersive theatrical experience that welcomed audiences into IllumiNation's Tuesday night meetings. The mockumentary is MET's first foray into filmmaking and features the return of original cast members Matt Baughman (Subway), Jeanine Evans (Lumie), Denny Grizzle (Rocker), Julie Herber (B-Fly), Rona Mensah (Doo), Karen Paone (Happy), and Reiner Prochaska (Muffin) as well as new faces Jeremy Myers (Hailei), Ray Hatch (Clarke Merriweather Johnson), Amber George (Jan Mitchell), and many more. While the film features many faces, it was shot in the spirit of COVID-Collaboration with cast members recording their segments remotely and in some cases internationally, guided by directors Tad Janes and Gené Fouché. The film is stage-managed by Shayden Jamison, with Second Unit On Location Direction by Stephen Craig, an original score by Leslie Ross-Robertson, and songs by Denny Grizzle and The Illuminators.

Something Brilliant: The Rise And Fall Of The IllumiNation Cult will be available to stream for $24 through MET's website starting Saturday, March 20. MET will follow up the release with a Zoom Watch party on Friday, March 26 giving audiences a chance to comment along as they watch and host a Q&A with cast members after the screening. For more information and to view the official trailer, visit MarylandEnsemble.org/somethingbrilliant.

To learn more about MET, visit www.marylandensemble.org.

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