Articles Tagged With: Laura Stark

A Very Jewish Christmas a Maryland Ensemble Theatre 📷 David S. Spence

A Very Jewish Christmas at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews December 4, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

“Embracing happiness is f**king terrifying.” ~Sarah Shulman A Very Jewish Christmas

We don’t usually censor words around here but tis the season and you never know which little ones might be reading alongside the adults in hopes that Santa Claus or Hanukkah Harry or whichever present-bringing seasonal deity will see them being a good little offspring, reading the theatre review of the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s latest new work to grace their mainstage.

Sense & Sensibility at Maryland Ensemble Theatre ???? Spence Photographics

Sense & Sensibility at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews September 24, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Tis your ambition to be happy? Then come to Maryland Ensemble Theatre as they open up their 2024/2025 main stage season with Kate Hamill’s sprightly adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. Indeed, the season of MET’s happiness kicks off swimmingly with this exuberantly energetic movement-based comedy, Directed by Gené Fouché, this most agreeable and enjoyable afternoon of quirky comedy meets winsome romance is a delightfully balanced romp of pathos and silliness,

Inebriated Holiday at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews December 1, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

Deck the MET with cans and corks! Fa-la-la-la-laa! La-la-la-laaa!

Gather round ye hist’ry dorks! Fa-la-la-la-laa! La-la-la-laa!

Don you now your drunk apparel! Fa-la-la-la! La-la-la! La-la-laaaa!

And hear the tale of A Christmas Carol! Fa-la-la-la-laa! La-la-la— hold-up. Nah. That’s not right. Shoot.

Inebriated Holiday. D’oh! That’s the one this one is about! Good grief, how many Three Kings draft beers did I have at Maryland Ensemble Theatre last night!?

Sean Byrne (left) as Jim Fingal and Jack Evans (right) as John D'Agata in The Lifespan of a Fact. ????michaelmasonstudios

The Life Span of a Fact at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews September 30, 2022 Amanda N. Gunther

Story is the way organize our lives. Narrative is how we make sense of what’s happening around us; it serves as a way to conceptualize, to frame our existence. But what about truth? What about facts? And where do they fit into our narrative? Our story? Opening their 25th Anniversary season with a play that feels topically relevant to this day and age, with a prescience that is unmistakable given that the essay, book, and play itself predate the concept of ‘fake news’,

No, Virginia- A Grown-Up Holiday Farce at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews December 10, 2021 Amanda N. Gunther

Up on the housetop, reindeer paws— out jumps good ol’ Santa Claus. And Sandy Claws! And Odin!? Why, yes, Virginia! There is— someone on your roof— or something— heck— it could even be— THUNDERSNOW! Put on your believing hat and your holiday hat and wind your way on over to the Maryland Ensemble Theatre this December season for a MET original— No, Virginia— A Grown-Up Holiday Farce. Written by company member J.D.

Karli Cole in Midsummer: A Most Rare Vision

Midsummer: A Most Rare Vision at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews June 18, 2021 Amanda N. Gunther

I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say that indeed dreams— rare visions or not— do come true; live theatre with in-person audiences have returned to us once more. The Maryland Ensemble Theatre is at their finest in bringing a most peculiar, wondrous and intriguing theatrical endeavor to those of us who have waited so long to return to the theatre. Directed by Julie Herber,

Rapture, Blister, Burn at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews April 8, 2018 John Nunemaker

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Ever wonder what life would be like if you chose to take the opposite path? What if you could live whatever life you wanted what would it be, and do you really think that would be the key to eternal bliss or end in eternal sorrow? Rapture, Bliss, Burn written by Gina Gionfriddo, directed by Suzanne Beal and on stage now at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick,

A Christmas Story at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews December 7, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time! NO WAY, KID! YOU’LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT! So instead Santa’s going to bring you tickets to see A Christmas Story at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre this year! Hey, it beats Lincoln Logs or Tinker Toys! Directed by Gené Fouché this non-musical stage adaptation of the classic Turner Entertainment Co.,

Review: Rocky Horror Show at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews November 1, 2016 Mark Briner

In the early 70’s, an out of work British actor, Richard O’Brien, amused himself during his hiatus by writing a campy ode to indulge the passions of his youth— science fiction, B horror movies, Steve Reeves muscle flicks, and 50’s rock and roll. Accentuating the unintentional humor and over-the-top dialogue of the so-bad-they’re-good movies he was saluting, he paired it with a catchy pop/rock score and wrapped it in layer after layer of camp to create The Rocky Horror Show.

MET Marches On: An Interview with Artistic Director Tad Janes about the 2016/2017 Season at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Interviews June 8, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s that time of year when all the theatres start making their big announcements for what’s coming to their stages in future seasons! After a roaring successful season of new works, fun shows, area premieres, and much, much more, the Maryland Ensemble Theatre is ready to roll straight into their 2016-2017 season. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we’ve sat down with Artistic Director Tad Janes to talk about the company’s rich history, how they continue to fight the good fight of professional theatre in Frederick and what’s next for them as the new season gets underway.

Shelly Hierstetter (left) as Cinderella and Daniel Valentin-Morales (right) as Prince Champion in the MET Fun Company production of Cinderella

Review: Cinderella at Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company

Reviews April 19, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

True love can be recognized without sight or sound, but you simply must come see and hear the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company production of Cinderella to experience one of the loveliest non-Disney retellings of the classic fairytale. Adapted by Theatricks Music and Meryl Cullom and Directed by Julie Herber with Musical Direction by Jennie Huntoon, this charming performance is spellbinding with its magical characters, dazzling with its vivacious costumes,