GOLD2023

MARYLAND ENSEMBLE THEATRE INC

aka MET   |   Frederick, MD   |  www.marylandensemble.org

Mission

We are a professional, collaborative theatre ensemble broadly connected to our community by inspiring passion for the arts with courageous, relevant, accessible programs that enable people to feel more, think deeper, and laugh longer.

Ruling year info

1996

Producing Artistic Director

Tad Janes

Managing Director

Katherine Dubois

Main address

31 W Patrick Street

Frederick, MD 21701 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

52-1964330

NTEE code info

Arts Education/Schools (A25)

Theater (A65)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

VISION: MET is an accomplished ensemble recognized for providing extraordinary theatre experiences, producing high-quality classic and contemporary works for adults & young audiences. We offer an array of educational programs by expert faculty with a pre-professional curriculum and avocational theatre classes for all ages & skill levels. Our Frederick County theatre program exists in all elementary & middle schools, reinforcing the important role that art plays in child development. MET has multiple stages in state-of-the-art facilities that attract a diverse array of audiences & artists. The theatre is well-supported, allowing us to provide training programs and industry-standard compensation for all artists & staff. MET is an artistic Main Street destination that makes major contributions to the cultural & economic vitality of Historic Downtown Frederick. We are part of a collaborative theatre district that has joined together to ensure that theatre arts in Frederick thrive.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Maryland Ensemble Theatre

MET annually produces a Mainstage Season consisting of 5 plays/musicals that run from September through June.
MET's FUN Company produces 4 Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) productions annually.
MET's Ensemble School provides classes in theatre and improv for children (ages 5 - 18) and adults as well as specific programs for veterans and senior citizens.
MET's Comedy Night presents weekly shows featuring our two residence troupes, The Comedy Pigs: a sketch comedy and improv troupe, and Oh Crit!: A Dungeons and Dragons improv troupe.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth
Seniors
Veterans

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Frederick Magazine's Best Theatre 2019

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

MET's current Strategic Plan encompasses five overall goals:

GOAL # 1: Staff and Ensemble
We will ensure that MET is an artistically excellent, streamlined, professional organization with fully staffed artistic, technical, and administrative personnel.
GOAL # 2: Fundraising
We will identify and recruit dedicated, reliable, and sustainable funding sources to ensure MET’s financial goals are achieved.
GOAL # 3: Facilities
We will have and main facilities and equipment to meet our needs reflect our brand and anticipate advancements in our art form.
GOAL # 4: Audience Development
We will attract, grow, and sustain capacity audiences that are diverse who share an appreciation of and find value in the stories being told through the variety of MET programming.
GOAL # 5: Programming
We will sustain and enrich our unique MET programming and promote our brand locally, regionally, and nationally.

Strategies include:
- Properly staffing the administrative side of the organization, including development personnel & adequately paying our artists;
- align our Board of Trustees to a fiduciary board;
-establish an endowment;
-conduct a financial audit, availing MET of larger funding opportunities;
- maintain existing/form new community partnerships;
-manage and tout our brand;
-enhance current facility;
-sustain current audiences and grow new audiences; and
-continue to focus on education and MET original works.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) has been enabling our community to feel more, think deeper, and laugh longer for nearly 22 years. Dedicated to providing the highest quality theatrical experiences, MET is a professional ensemble theatre and 501(c)(3) located in the heart of the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Frederick, MD.

MET’s Ensemble is comprised of 40 professional performers, directors, dramaturgs, musicians, designers of all things scenic, lighting, and sound as well as master technicians who pool their individual talents and share one 2,700 square foot theatre space to illustrate, incubate, inform, astound and create works of art for the benefit of our community. We, the Ensemble, collaborate in order to inspire passion for the arts.

In partnership with our community, we reach out to the public and promote theatrical experiences through courageous, relevant, accessible arts experiences & programs.

We believe we can help all patrons who enter MET each year enjoy and be emotionally affected by theatre. By making experiential changes for the benefit of the community we serve, we will provide Frederick with programs and a state-of-the-art facility that attracts a diverse array of audiences and artists, and remain the artistic main street destination that makes major contributions to the cultural and economic vitality of Historic Downtown Frederick.

MET's plan requires roughly 28 points per year to be marked completed in order to finish the plan within 5 years. In year one of MET's strategic plan, the following represents how many progress markers were addressed:

-22 started;
-28 completed;
-30 ongoing; and
-28 to be addressed.

In year one, MET has accomplished the following percentage of each of the five goals, vis a vie plan marker completion:
GOAL # 1, Staff & Ensemble: 29%
GOAL # 2, Fundraising: 17%
GOAL # 3, Facility: 39%
GOAL # 4, Audience Development: 0%
GOAL # 5, Programming: 6%

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback

Financials

MARYLAND ENSEMBLE THEATRE INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

MARYLAND ENSEMBLE THEATRE INC

Board of directors
as of 10/18/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Trish Southwell

Tad Janes

Marty Erlichman

Rona Mensah

Carol Topchik

Kathy Young

Tabetha White

Robin Jones

Trish Southwell

Cody Weinberg

Kiki Wilson

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 4/4/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/25/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.