Encore theatrical company
Morristown, Tennessee
Our Mission
Encore Theatrical Company believes in the power of the arts. Through live performances and educational programs, we will provide quality entertainment by creating opportunities for the artistic minds in our region to exercise, nurture, and grow their talents. By cultivating and promoting the performing arts, we will improve the quality of life in the Lakeway Area.
We Believe
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There is a strong positive correlation between the quality of life and the economic development of a region. Sustainable growth in one is dependent on sustainable growth in the other.
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Improving the Lakeway Area’s quality of life (and thus, economic development) is the responsibility of an entire community, not just a select few. A strong arts program is dependent on collaborative support from individuals, the business community, the education establishment, and the government.
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The arts are a vital part of the educational process, which is another key to economic development and improved quality of life. Arts education and opportunities help participants develop skills in critical thinking, goal setting, team building, problem solving, conflict resolution, and craftsmanship.
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If the Lakeway community fails to provide opportunities for its creative class, it risks permanently losing those individuals and their supporters to other areas.
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The performing arts are a combination of many other art forms, including visual arts, acting, music, dance, public speaking, handcrafts, and creative writing. Thus, a strong performing arts program is the most economical and efficient way to deliver cultural opportunities to artists, students, and audience.
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The Lakeway Area deserves a multitude of strong, diverse performing arts opportunities. Our residents should not believe they must leave the community to enjoy quality entertainment, taking their dollars with them. Our creative class should not have to leave the area to ply their trade.
Executive Summary
Encore Theatrical Company, or ETC, is the Lakeway area’s most ambitious performing arts program. Chartered in October of 2006, the curtain rose on ETC’s first major production, Peter Pan, in April 2007. Peter Pan was followed by five full seasons of mainstage shows, educational programs, and development projects, including the popular productions of Cats, Annie, The Sound of Music, The Producers, Steel Magnolias, Chicago, and White Christmas, The Full Monty, and Hairspray.
Encore’s strategic concept is that the performing arts are a key component of a community’s quality of life, and thus are strongly linked to an area’s economic development. This indicates that supporting the Lakeway area’s arts structure is the responsibility of the entire community, not just a select few. A strong arts program is dependent on collaborative support from individuals, the business community, the education establishment, and the government.
The Company is structured to reflect this collaborative responsibility. ETC has engaged key community leaders to develop its financial resources, the area’s strongest performers and educators to guide its programs, and talented business professionals to support its management.
Encore pursues its mission by delivering integrated programs of quality entertainment, performance opportunities, and educational initiatives.
How Encore was Created
In 2006, Micah-Shane Brewer, Drew Ogle, and a group of dedicated and committed theatre enthusiasts and artists assembled to begin a new theatre and performing arts company for the Lakeway area.
Out of our discussions, we concluded the following:
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The performing arts had to become a more important focus of the area’s quality of life
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There must be more emphasis placed on long range planning and the overall focus of the organization.
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The business community should be involved in the financial leadership of the organization.
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The emphasis in arts education must be a component.
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The leadership structure of the theatre must keep more consistency for continuity and continuation of product.
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The artists should run the artistic programs and the business people should run the financial programs.
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Community theatre and professionalism do not have to be two separate things.
We decided that we would begin the process of developing a new 501c3 non profit arts organization. We spent three months planning and focusing on the creation of Encore Theatrical Company. Drew Ogle worked on incorporating Encore with the state and completed all of the legal work on non profit status, filing the state charter and by laws, and establishing all of the business aspects of Encore.
We assembled our Founding Company members and our Founding Board of Trustees and on December 14, 2006 held our first incorporating meeting with Board and Company at the home of Charles and Florence Terry. On December 15, 2006, we announced to many invited actors and artists a special surprise unveiling of Encore Theatrical Company, following with a special announcement in the Citizen Tribune on December 17.