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In 2002, ETC created an original musical version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, adapted by Dan Polier, with music by Parmer Fuller and lyrics by L.A. Poetry Festival Director Suzanne Lummis, and performed at Robinson Gardens in Bevely Hills, and in La Jolla. The piece features charming and witty new songs sung by Narrators who weave in and out of the action and double in supporting parts, creating a true ensemble cast where each member has plenty to do. It is an ideal piece for school or youth theatre programs, giving parts to a large ensemble, with an expandable chorus of Singing Narrators. For information on performing ETC's Twelfth Night, email info@etctheatre.org.
In 2006, ETC produced the workshop production of Chalet Mirabel (working title) at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. Written and produced by ETC founders Parmer Fuller and Narcissa Vanderlip, and directed by L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award and Ovation Award Winner Larry Sousa, this new musical is set in 1960 at a strict Swiss boarding school for children 6 to 14. In January 2010, ETC produced a fireside reading of the new version of the show, directed by Mary Joan Negro, again at the Miles Playhouse. Further readings may be held later in the year as the script and music is further refined and the development process proceeds. Response at both the workshop and reading has been overwhelmingly positive.
In 2007, ETC forged a new partnership with Boom Kat Dance Company. Boom Kat is a group of young artists striving to explore the boundaries of movement and communicate story through dance. All members of the group seek to express, evoke, question, and challenge. Inspired by life, music, the human body, and each other, the ensemble has a strong focus on collaborative choreography. Boom Kat emphasizes process, as well as product; together, the group discusses what it wishes to say, decides on a theme, and works on choreography, slowly creating a dynamic full-length piece of performance. Every member of the company has a distinct voice - one that is powerful, and willing to be shared. Boom Kat offers something new, something smart, something important, and something true. Boom Kat has presented the thematic-based Revolutions , an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and NeverWonderLand, first in 2009 and again in 2010. All of these exciting, original shows have sold out consistently, and received critical and audience acclaim. For more information, visit boomkatdance.com.
ETC has presented two Shakespeare productions in spectacular garden settings. To be sure that even the youngest or least prepared audience member can follow the story, costumed Narrators weave in and out of the plot, keeping the audience up on the action despite the Bard's rich but sometimes challenging language. We have found that young actors who are very well prepared, who truly understand the text, and who can perform at a high level, are more entertaining and charming than professional adults who are not topnotch. Our audiences of all ages seem to agree.
In 2000, ETC's inaugural production was A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented on Midsummer Night itself in Italianate gardens in Palos Verdes. Instead of changing the scenery, the audience moved between acts, discovering the gardens as they followed the story. They enjoyed a gourmet picnic supper during intermission. The evening ended as magic hour descended, with a wedding cake in honor of the play's nuptials and ETC's birthday on the terrace after the performance, as the sun set into the Pacific.
In 2002, ETC teamed with the Friends of Robinson Gardens to present an original adaptation by director Dan Polier of Twelfth Night in the Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills, with music by Parmer Fuller, lyrics by poet Suzanne Lummis - and a delightful tea served at intermission by the Friends of Robinson Gardens. The Narrators who proved so successful in our Midsummer here became Singing Narrators, choreographed into the action and playing supporting parts in the play. The production was restaged in yet another beautiful setting, in a private outdoor theater in La Jolla, with the Pacific Ocean standing in for the sea off the coast of Illyria from which Viola and Sebastian emerge from their shipwreck.
Besides creating professional-quality musical theatre experiences that have won grant awards and audience acclaim, providing entertainment for all ages at affordable prices, ETC is committed to reaching out to the community. We invite outreach audiences - from Boys and Girls Clubs to Alzheimer's patients - to the theaters where we perform. For younger outreach audiences, including children who have sometimes never been to a theater, we follow the show with a Question and Answer session. Young audience members learn how much work musical theatre is - and how much fun - from our hard-working and fun-loving cast members.
ETC creates traveling musical revues for audiences in retirement homes, hospitals, schools, children's residential, treatment and afterschool programs, and shelters. Young performers hone their musical theatre skills, learn to share their gifts, and serve the underserved while earning school community service credit. After the show, our troupe visits with audience members. Participants get a tour of the facilities where they perform, learning about those whose lives are more difficult than their own. Participants pay tuition for training, live accompaniment, rehearsals, production and administrative costs. Community Service hours are certified for school requirements.
To book ETC for your community organization or inquire about participating
in a tour, email info@etctheatre.org.
College students gain experience in direction, choreography, stage management, design, fundraising and non-profit theatre management. To inquire about an internship, email info@etctheatre.org
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