Our History :
In the summer of 1992, a group of determined thespians got together and formed what later became Encore Theatre Company. From the beginning, ETC attracted a cross-section of the community: all ages and professions. A few had professional experience; many had no experience in theatre at all. There was no money for scripts or lights, but this small, determined band of players was committed to produce "Quality Community Theater". The fall of 1992 marked ETC's first ambitious season with the productions of Nunsense, The Importance of being Earnest and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. With a whole lot of help from the community, our first season was a great success. Each year since then, we have produced three (and sometimes four!) quality productions between September and May.
During the early years we schlepped our sets from venue to venue to perform. In 1995 we found safe haven, (no more set schlepping), upstairs over the Pasquotank Arts Council Gallery. After receiving permission from PAC to renovate the unused upstairs, members scrubbed, cleaned out, threw away, added power, lights, sound, seating, and control booth, turning this space into a 131-seat theater now known as "The Main Street Stage".
In the Summer of 1997, with the impetus of Tom Campbell, ETC began the Starlight Readers Theater program to develop new directors and help give non-members a chance to "get their feet wet" in a forgiving environment. We perform three free performances a summer on Mulligan's Deck: many shows with children's themes to encourage participation by our younger thespians.
During the past 14 years, Encore Theatre Company has presented over three dozen main productions ranging from musical comedy to farce to serious drama. Our audience has grown so that during the past three years we've performed to 97% capacity. We've also added to the number of performances per show because of increased ticket demand.
