Emerald Coast Theatre Company Presents Ways to Virtually Stay Engaged With Theater Lovers

By: Apr. 10, 2020
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Emerald Coast Theatre Company Presents Ways to Virtually Stay Engaged With Theater Lovers

In show business, the show must go on. Leave it to Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) creative minds to give that notion a healthy twist.

Though they are following CDC guidelines and have closed their physical doors at their performance space at 560 Grand Boulevard in Grand Boulevard in Miramar Beach, due to the COVID-19 crisis, ECTC has continued to remain engaged with its theater patrons (especially its young thespians) by offering innovative ways that the show can go on ... online, that is.

"Over the past two weeks our children's classes of Disney's 101 Dalmatians, Disney's High School Musical 2, and the Film and Theatre Intensive have continued rehearsing and working on their skills all while safely social distancing at home," said ECTC co-founder and producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher.

The online classes were so successful, ECTC today announced three more "dramatic" opportunities for theater lovers (of all ages) to get involved online:

ECTC Virtual Talent Show, April 10-25

Got talent? Roll the video camera and tape yourself or whoever you are quarantined with and show us what crazy, fun or wacky talent you have and win a prize in your category with the chance to also take home a prize.

The ECTC Virtual Talent Show is free (to enter) and open to the public.

Virtual Talent Show categories include:

Group/Family/Business: Get the family, group, or your roommate/quarantined pals together and have some fun.

Sassy Seniors (65 and up): We know you've got talent no matter your age, show the kids today how it's done.

Talent Pre-K-Grade 5: Let the kids be creative - roll the camera and see what happens.

Talent 6-12 Grade: Shine in the spotlight like the stars you are.

Talent Adult: Come on, show us your best Tiger King impression.

Video submissions are welcome April 10-20. The contest timeline is as follows:

Round 1 - Friends, family, and fans vote for finalists by liking videos on YouTube beginning. Voting closes on April 23 at noon.

Round 2 - Top three finalists in each category will be available for the second round of voting. Voting closes April 25 at 7:30 p.m. for winners in each category and People's Choice.

Round 3 - Guest celebrity Adam Silorey hosts ECTC's first-ever Facebook live Virtual Talent Show event on April 25 at 7 p.m. CST.

A panel of judges will select Best Overall and Most Creative from winning finalists and the public will vote for the People's Choice Award.

To enter the contest, email (your name, the title of the video and category your entering in the Subject Line) along with your photo and link of your YouTube video (two minutes or less) to phillip@emeraldcoasttheatre.org between by April 20.

For details on the ECTC Virtual Talent Show criteria and instructions on how to upload a YouTube video, visit emeraldcoasttheatre.org.

Camp Shine at Home, April 14-May 1, Grades 3-12

This three-week online camp offers advanced training for 3rd through 12th grade students includes all your favorite aspects of theater in one convenient online camp in which everyone gets a part and culminates with a final performance on May 1 at 4 p.m.

Instructors include: PJ Padgett (Camp Leader, Improv and Actor Coach, Director for "The Show Must Go Online," Peter Lake and Rebeca Lake (Vocal/Singing Coaching), Laura Price (Dance Training).

Two Saturday special Master Class appearances include Nicolas Ward ("Lion King" on Broadway) on April 18 and film/television professional Matt McVay of Atlanta on April 25.

During 40-minute classes offered Tuesdays-Fridays at 1 p.m. (with Saturday bonus Master Classes at 11 a.m.), students get one-on-one actor coaching, vocal coaching, group dance training and improv skill building throughout the week. Grow your skills as you work with ECTC's Teaching Artists through virtual classrooms. Each day is a unique experience that culminates in the hilarious new musical "The Show Must Go Online!" Live group classes will be recorded for those who cannot sign on at the given time and one on one sessions will be scheduled individually.

Each actor (singer or non-singer) will receive a one-minute monologue or song to rehearse, video record, and upload remotely. When all the videos are played in order, they tell the hilarious story of a group of passionate students desperate to keep their musical alive ... online.

The schedule for a typical week would be: Tuesday - Welcome & Improv at 1 p.m.; Wednesday - Dance/Ballet 1 p.m.; Thursday ­- Private coaching for acting and voice (two separate sessions, scheduled with the instructor); Friday -Dance/Musical Theater Movement 1p.m.; Saturday - Master Class 11a.m.

Participating students will need internet access, ability to log into Zoom Video Conferencing, and a way to video record themselves.

The one-time non-refundable registration fee is $25. Tuition for Camp Shine at Home is $95 per student (a 50 percent savings off regular rates). Scholarships are available for this class (apply online at emeraldcoasttheatre.org).

Camp The Show Must Go Online, April 14-30, Grades 3-5

A weekly (Wednesdays) one-hour online class in which students rehearse, receive coaching from an ECTC teaching artist and perform in an online musical.

Camp the Show Must Go Online presents "Brushes with Greatness the Dental Hygiene Musical." Written by: Beat by Beat, this is a show within a show, about a group of theater students who are continuing their school musical from their respective homes while on quarantine. Sound familiar?

In this play every actor has their moment to shine. There are 20 roles in this show and every role has either a song or a monologue. Each actor (singer or non-singer) will receive a one-minute monologue or song to rehearse, video record, and upload remotely. When all the videos are played in order, they tell the hilarious story of a group of passionate students desperate to keep their musical alive ... online.

This camp is open to 3rd through 5th graders at any performance level. The class will meet in a large group once a week on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. until noon. (Note: if there are two casts, the second group will meet from noon to 1 p.m.). Individual students also will meet in shorter coaching sessions throughout the week to workshop their song/monologue assigned after casting.

The final performance will go live on Thursday, April 30 at 4 p.m.

"One amazing aspect of the final online performance is that our student's family and friends can go online to watch their show live or watch the recording later," said Fisher.

The one-time non-refundable registration fee is $25. Tuition for Camp The Show Must Go On is $60 per student (nearly 50 percent savings off regular rates).

ECTC Education Program Schedule Update

ECTC's production of "Treasure Island" slated for May 14-17 was cancelled to make room in the schedule for the Educational Program Shows.

The tentative new performance schedule for the ECTC's Education program is as follows:

Florida Chautauqua Theatre:
"Disney's 101 Dalmatians," May 8, 7 p.m.
"Disney's High School Musical 2," May 9, 7 p.m.

ECTC at Grand Boulevard:
"Disney's 101 Dalmatians"
Grade 3-5, May 15 & 16, 7 p.m.
Grade 2-3/Little Rascals, May 16, 2 p.m.
"Disney's High School Musical 2," May 29 and 30, 7 p.m.; May 30, 2 p.m.

Tentatively, all ECTC educational classes will resume the week of May 5.

The current Spring Break Camp students will be invited to join Camp Shine at Home, Disney's 101 Dalmatians, Disney's High School Musical 2, and the Film and Theatre Intensive have all moved to online classes and rehearsals using Zoom. Our teaching artists are working with students on a regular basis.

Major sponsors for this season are Grand Boulevard at Sandestin and Howard Hospitality. Professional Season sponsors include Ocean Reef Vacation Rentals & Real Estate, St. Joe Community Foundation, ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, Silver Sands Premium Outlets, and Vin'tij Food & Wine. Theatre for Young Audiences is made possible with support from The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and others. For more information on sponsoring ECTC, call Nathanael Fisher at (850) 684-0323 or visit emeraldcoasttheatre.org/sponsorship.

To register and for more details on all ECTC programs, visit emeraldcoasttheatre.org.

To make a tax-deductible donation, volunteer or learn more about Emerald Coast Theatre Company, find them on Facebook, call (850) 684-0323 and visit www.emeraldcoasttheatre.org.



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