l o c a l t h e a t r e
Emerald Coast Theatre Company b y S u s a n L . C a n n i z z a r o
T he desire to enrich and entertain the Emerald Coast community through education and professional theatre motivated Nathanael and Anna Fisher to open Emerald Coast Theatre Company. Once they both finished grad school in 2012 they decided to make the move to Miramar Beach, close to the area that Anna called home as a child. After seeing the tremendous growth and opportunities in the region they knew this was the right time and place to share their passion. “We really got our start when we collaborated with the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation and offered the very first after-school theatre program in January 2013. We originally had 10 children signed up. Now we have over 470 children signed up in our various educational programs,” says Nathanael. They saw an opportunity for elementary children to get involved in theater in Walton County, especially where there were no opportunities for middle school children. After they launched their first program, they kept adding more, including an education theater program, theater for young audiences, and professional theater for adults that hosts plays and musicals throughout the year. Nathanael and Anna have seen first-hand how their programs have changed children’s lives. “Kids are sometimes very shy when they start with us. Then after taking some classes and performing, they really blossom and often have the lead on the stage. Parents will tell me, “we cannot get them to talk at home and now they are on the main stage!” When the show is over, the children are so proud of themselves and the parents are so proud as well,” says Anna. “As a producer and theater educator you see the self confidence blossom in these kids, they are a product of what they have accomplished. They are not just learning to create a play but learning to interact with other humans, create story structure and enhance language skills, enhance their memory, and get valuable exposure to music. So much that happens in a rehearsal is beneficial for children,” adds Nathanael. He says some parents will admit they can’t get their children out of bed during the week, yet these same kids will get up early on a Saturday for one of their Middle School programs. “Theater is inclusive, there are no cliques. You see 25-30 kids come together to put on a show that has structure and allows the kids to be highly involved. They can come and be weird and we love and support that,” says Nathanael. “Kids are under enough pressure — we want to offer a safe place to creatively play and we start with children as young as 4 with our Little Rascals program.”
“Shrek Jr. The Musical”
Photo courtesy of Emerald Coast Theatre Company
As a producer and theater educator you see the self confidence blossom in these kids, they are a product of what they have accomplished.
and continue to look for outreach programs, create more summer camps, and continue to offer after school programs so we can enrich more lives of children and adults,” says Nathanael. They are offering several professional productions throughout the year including productions and musicals including The Fantasticks and Pinkalicious The Musicial. “We want them to come as a family to see our shows, which offer a high-quality professional theatre experience,” he adds. To find out more about Emerald Coast Theatre Company visit emeraldcoasttheatre.org or call (850) 684-0323. 560 Grand Blvd. Ste. 200, Miramar Beach, FL.
Sherry Londe is a former dancer, local volunteer, and founding board member who also started The Leading Ladies volunteer brigade. “I truly believe in ECTC’s mission, it gets the kids involved, the parents get involved, and I see the positive impact on the whole community. The VIP Membership program has different levels of giving and it has allowed school children to get to our shows and outreach programs,” she adds. If a school is not able to provide the funding for this experience, it is offered for free and often it may be the first production they have ever seen. ECTC is located at 560 Grand Boulevard, just upstairs from the Williams Sonoma Store. “We are thrilled with our partnership with Grand Boulevard and we just love our space. We have attracted a great audience base in Sandestin, including the whole west end of 30-A. We will continue to stay in the area
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