Emerald Coast Theatre Company Rejuvenates Culture in the Gulf Coast
- Sarah McNair
- Mar 29, 2016
- 3 min read

Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) is inspiring communities along the Gulf Coast to expand culture and passion for live entertainment productions.
Although ECTC is based in Miramar Beach, Fla., its mission to enrich and entertain spans much further, providing live professional and educational theatre to communities throughout Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay counties.
In 2012, Nathanael Fisher, M.F.A., Producing Artistic Director, and his wife Anna Fisher, M.A., Associate Artistic Director, founded the non-profit organization with high hopes to share their love of theatre with the Emerald Coast. Since they began their organization, the pair have been greeted with a rapidly growing level of community involvement. ECTC offers both professional and educational theatre programming as well as TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) shows and a family friendly live comedy improv show in the summer months.
Currently, ECTC transforms public stages and venues such as Destin’s Harborwalk Village and the Panama City Centre for the Arts to stage its performances. Past professional productions by ECTC include such performances as Almost, Maine, by John Cariani, and A Dickens Christmas, which is Fisher’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. This year, the company launched its first annual Lip Sync Battle, a fundraising contest that engages the public by giving them an opportunity to lip sync to their favorite songs on stage.
Emerald Coast Theatre Company focuses on getting children involved in theatre too. It offers youth training and summer camps. These programs allow children as young as four years old to explore and become actively involved in the creative world of theatre. Classes focus on activities that enhance acting, singing, and dancing through exercises, games, and rehearsals.
All of the programs close with a children’s production. Some of the current performances include School House Rock Live, Jr. and Into the Woods, Jr. Parents who are looking for a summer program for their children may find some valuable options with ECTC's summer camp programs, which are available for elementary through high school aged children.
During these camps children are taught the skills they need to master productions such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Peter Pan. ECTC’s most recent addition to its children’s program is the Youth Traveling Competition Troupe, which will represent the Gulf Coast by participating in the Florida Theatre Conference Youth Theatre Festival held in Gainesville, Fla. These classes, rehearsals, camps, and performances are held at local schools and venues across the area.
“I believe that getting children involved in theatre at a young age helps them shine in other areas of their academic and personal lives,” said Anna Fisher.
According to studies from the American Alliance of Theatre and Education, there may be some truth behind that thought. Their studies show that involvement in drama activities helps students score higher on their SAT’s by an average of 65 points on the verbal component and 34 points in math. Not only do these acquired theatre skills promote higher academic achievement, they also increase their success in other important areas such as self-esteem, public speaking, and reading comprehension.
Emerald Coast Theatre Company embodies this with its ambition to inspire, educate, and empower the community and artists of all ages to achieve the highest level of cultural excellence through collaboration, productions, and educational programs that promote lifelong learning and provide excellent, professional entertainment to the Emerald Coast Community.
Sources
American Alliance for Theatre and Education. (2014). The Effects of Theatre Education. Retrieved from http://www.aate.com/?page=effects
Swanson, J. (2014). Emerald Coast Theatre Company Was Founded by Two Passionate Theater Lovers. Emerald Coast Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldcoastmagazine.com/February-March-2014/Emerald-Coast-Theatre-Company-Was-Founded-by-Two-Passionate-Theater-Lovers/
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