Maryland Ensemble Theatre Presents TOP GIRLS

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) begins 2017 with a timeless 80's classic. From its highly entertaining and dramatic opening, Churchill's female-centered play "Top Girls" examines what it means to be a woman in a male-driven world, and looks at the sacrifices women have to make in order to gain happiness and fulfillment. Churchill's work shows the ways that politics and personal desires shape our lives, and asks questions we are still trying to answer.

It's the early 1980's, and career-driven Marlene is sitting down to a dinner with some of history's most famous historical and fictional women, all renowned for how they managed to survive in their patriarchal societies - always at some cost. There is Isabella Bird, a Victorian explorer; Lady Nijo, a medieval Oriental concubine turned pioneering Buddhist nun; Dull Gret, who led a female charge through hell in Breugel's painting Dulle Griet; Pope Joan, who may have presided briefly over the Vatican in the ninth century; and Chaucer's Patient Griselda. Each woman talks about the sacrifices she made, and as the play goes on, we learn of the things Marlene herself has given up for her career.

This show will be performed at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre, and is directed by MET veteran and Rep Stage's co-Artistic Director Suzanne Beal. Ms. Beal reminds us that not only was Churchill one of the leading playwrights of the 20th century, "she wrote a complex and thought provoking piece with interesting ways of overlapping dialogue, shifting time, place, and style all to explore questions about our own expectations of women and the politics of the time." Asked if a play from the 1980's might feel dated, Suzanne suggested a better question might be How much HAS actually changed? Marlene (the main character) and her struggles are surprisingly relevant.

Beal will be assisted by a top notch design team that includes Jennifer Adams (Costumes), Tabetha White (Lights), and Cody Gilliam (Sets). The cast is led by Gené Fouché and Julie Herber, MET's Associate Artistic Directors. All performances of "Top Girls" are at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701. The show runs from February 10th through March 5th. Tickets are $26 for adults and $22 for students and seniors, and may be purchased by phone at (301) 694-4744, online at marylandensemble.org or in person at the MET box office.

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