EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY CONTINUES ITS 5th ANNIVERSARY SEASON BY STAGING THE ROMANTIC COMEDY “S

Miramar Beach, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2018) — Emerald Coast Theatre Company (ECTC) continues its 5th anniversary season with the delightful romantic comedy, “Sylvia,” February 15-March 4 staged at 560 Grand Boulevard (upstairs) in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, located in Miramar Beach, Florida.

A modern romantic comedy about a marriage and a dog, A.R. Gurney’s “Sylvia” centers on the world of a middle-aged New York couple turned topsy-turvy when the husband brings home an exceptionally engaging canine running loose in Central Park.

The show opens Thursday, Feb. 15. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, Feb. 18, 25 and March 4. The play runs 120 minutes and is appropriate for ages 13 and up due to mature situations.

Ticket are $28 for adults, $24 for seniors, and $20 for students. Purchase tickets online at emeraldcoastheatre.org or call (850) 684-0323.

Off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club producer Lynne Meadow and actress Sarah Jessica Parker understood this play was a little more than “love me – love my dog.” They launched it, with great results, in May 1995. Twenty years later in 2015, Mathew Broderick (married to Sarah Jessica Parker) starred in it as Greg in the Broadway revival.

Gurney, who died in June at 86, was an author, professor (MIT) and award-winning American playwright. His well-crafted plays (“Love Letters,” “The Cocktail Hour,” “The Dining Room”) are about the quiet rebellions of people trapped in an increasingly obsolete class of American society – the awkward confrontations, ironic disappointments, and small humorous victories of the more self-aware members of a once dominant tribe.

Of “Sylvia” the playwright said, “It's a timely message of the need to connect in an increasingly alien and impersonal world. There is a need to connect, not only to a dog, but to other people through the dog.”

Nathanael Fisher directs an ensemble cast that includes Hope Golds (Sylvia), Nick Trolian (Greg), Daphne Lewis (Kate) and Doug Gilliland (Tom/Phyllis/Leslie).

Golds, who holds a BFA in acting from the University of Florida, returns to ECTC’s stage having appeared in the musical “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” which opened ECTC’s 5th anniversary season. Among her credits are Regan in “King Lear” and Athena in “The House of Altreus.”

Trolian, who has appeared on stage locally with Stage Crafters Community Theatre, The Stage in Crestview and in four productions at including “Spamalot” and “Les Miserables” with the Northwest Florida State College Fine & Performing Arts program, first appeared with ECTC as a member of the Christmas Caroling troupe. This is his main stage debut with ECTC.

Also appearing with ECTC for the first time is Lewis, who counts among her stage and film roles Gloria in “Boeing-Boeing,” Sonia in “Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike” and Sarah in Christopher Durang’s “The Actor's Nightmare.”

Since he moved to the Gulf Coast Gilliland, who hails from Birmingham, Ala., has worked with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, has directed “The State of Tennessee,” an evening of one acts by Tennessee Williams at The Harold Clurman Theater in New York; and has starred in “Little Shop of Horrors” at The Kaleidoscope, Sweeney Todd in “Sweeney Todd” at The Martin and in “Rent” at Gulf Coast State College. He first appeared with ECTC in “Almost Maine” in 2016.

Set design is by Rebecca Lake. Lighting design is by Cory Tucker. Costumes are designed by Anna Fisher. And Stage Management is by Bridgett Bryant.

"We all love our dogs just as if they are part of the family. ‘Sylvia’ takes us into the delightful mind of a rescued pup whose thoughts will make us laugh out loud and wag our tails," said ECTC producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher.

The show opens Thursday, Feb. 15. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, Feb. 18, 25 and March 4. Ticket are $28 for adults, $24 for seniors, and $20 for students.

Theater patrons are encouraged to come early (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) to browse artwork by local artists showcased in the ECTC Lobby Gallery curated by Lori Drew, founder of Lowkylzart. A portion of proceeds from each sale benefits ECTC and its education outreach and scholarship programs.

This is the final main stage offering of the 5th anniversary 2017-2018 season.

Emerald Coast Theatre Company’s Professional Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) is a program that showcases professional actors performing productions especially selected for young audience members. “A Mark Twain Storybook” will stage its final performances open to the public on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. This production is designed for ages 6 and up. “Aesop's Fables” will be performed for all ages on Saturday, April 7 and 14 at 10 a.m. (Additional performances are dedicated to Field Trip visits and therefore not open to the public.)

ECTC’s 5th anniversary season is made possible with the generous support of title sponsors: Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, Howard Hospitality and Isidro Dunbar Modern Interiors. This production is made possible with support from ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals. ECTC Theatre for Young Audiences is made possible with support from St. Joe Community Foundation, Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, and Silver Sands Premium Outlets. The ECTC VIP Lounge also is courtesy of Isidro Dunbar Modern Interiors.

ECTC is a non-profit professional theater company founded by Nathanael Fisher, MFA, and his wife, Anna, in 2012 with a mission to enrich and entertain the Emerald Coast community through professional and educational theater.

After five years, ECTC has established itself as a professional theater company focused on staging thought-provoking productions, festivals and creative collaborations as well as a valued community resource for professional acting, improv workshops and even creative corporate team building.

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

PHOTOGRAPHY

Follow this link to graphic art for the 2017-18 season.

Follow this link to images of “Sylvia” cast and rehearsal.

ABOUT EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY

Emerald Coast Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) founded in 2012 by Nathanael Fisher, MFA, and his wife, Anna Fisher. Based in Miramar Beach, Florida, ECTC’s mission is to enrich and entertain the Emerald Coast community through professional and educational theater. ECTC operates year-round with a two-fold mission to provide both educational and professional offerings to the Northwest Florida community. Educational outreach includes after school and home-school programs, touring and staged productions, summer camps, workshops and classes. The professional theater efforts are focused on thought provoking productions, festivals and collaborations as well as acting and improv workshops and classes for adults.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Zandra Wolfgram

zandra@wordplayink.com

(850) 218-8805