ETC is a non-profit theatre company that resides in Philadelphia. Through the use of masks, pantomime, puppetry, dance, and magic the theatre entertains and enriches Philadelphia area youth.

Description:
Enchantment Theatre Company exists to create original theatre for young audiences and their families. Our mission is to engage the imagination and spirit of our audience until a transformation occurs and the true grace of our mutual humanity is revealed. We accomplish this through the imaginative telling of fables that inspire, challenge and enrich our audience and by providing theatre-related educational programs.

History:
For more than 20 years, Enchantment Theatre Company (ETC) has been producing imaginative, high quality children's theatre for families all across America. As a Philadelphia-based theatrical company, ETC has focused its energy toward creating beautiful and inspiring family theatre works characterized by its unique signature blend of magic, mask, pantomime, puppetry and original music.

Since its inception in 1978, ETC has toured its original productions all over the world. It has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Lincoln Center in New York City and the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Closer to home, the company has performed at the Academy of Music and The Kimmel Center with The Philadelphia Orchestra, at the Annenberg Center as part of the International Children's Theatre Festival and at neighborhood venues throughout the Philadelphia area. ETC has toured in the Far East four times, performing in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

In 1985, ETC premiered The Symphony and the Sorcerer, a unique production introducing young people to the magic of symphonic music. The premiere of this work with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra initiated the creation of a whole series of symphonic programs featuring physical theatre, magic and music. The company has appeared with major orchestras nationwide, including the Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, Minnesota, St. Louis and Oregon Symphony Orchestras and with the Boston Pops on the PBS Christmas at the Pops television special, which aired nationally for five years.

In 1997, ETC explored new possibilities in the creation of fine theatre for families by integrating life-size puppets, shadow play, masks, stage illusions and original music. The result was the creation of its most innovative production to date, Beauty and the Beast. Over the next two seasons, ETC presented more than 260 performances of Beauty and the Beast for 175,000 children in more than 120 venues across the United States.

Concurrent with the evolution of Beauty and the Beast, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra commissioned ETC to develop a choreographed pantomime piece set to a suite from Prokofiev's ballet, Cinderella. The production blended puppetry, mask, magic, physical theatre and simple scenery to be performed in front of the orchestra. The company has since performed this version of Cinderella with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Des Moines, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Houston Symphony Orchestras.

Based on the success of Cinderella, ETC expanded the piece into a fully staged touring production, integrating original music, sophisticated lighting and magical scenic effects. Cinderella went "on the road" in the fall of 2000 and continued touring through the spring of 2002.

In 2001, the Board of Directors re-established ETC as a non-profit, resident theatre company dedicated primarily to Philadelphia families. In December, ETC performed its first long-term run in Philadelphia with 34 performances of Cinderella at the Plays and Players Theater. In the 2002 season, the company presented 36 performances of Beauty and the Beast, also at Plays & Players, to an audience of more than 5,000.

With its audience in Philadelphia growing steadily, and the increasing support of funders, ETC went on in 2003 to present another original and spectacular adaptation, this time of The Snow Queen.

After its highly successful run at The Mandell Theater in West Philadelphia to an audience of more than 8,000 student groups and families, the show toured across the U. S. in the winter of 2004 to critical acclaim and the enthusiastic applause and laughter of thousands of children.

Also in late 2003, ETC premiered its original theatrical adaptation of Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, in collaboration with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Presented on the main stage at The Kimmel Center before the full orchestra, The Firebird captured the imagination of more than 15,000 students, as part of the Orchestra's Young People's series. In 2004, this same production will be presented by The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony.

The 2004-2005 theatre season finds ETC preparing for a busy year. In the Fall, it will send Beauty and the Beast on tour again. And, in December, it will launch an exciting new production at The Mandell Theater of the poignant and touching coming-of-age tale, Pinocchio. The Company anticipates an audience in Philadelphia in excess of 10,000. In May of 2005, ETC will present a delightful show, The Great Alexi, the story of a Ukrainian magician who comes to America to seek his fortune and finds success and love. Presented at the Iron Gate Theatre, the show will mark another milestone for ETC - a second prolonged run in the city, a step towards a full season of quality theatre for children.

Contact person: Kate DeRosa, Administrative Manager, (phone), (email)

Address:

1321 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.enchantmenttheatre,org

Miscellaneous Information

Are court referrals welcomed?
	No