By Anna Fisher, Associate Artistic and Education Director, Emerald Coast Theatre Company

We just closed our 10th season with a sold out run of one of my absolute favorite musicals, “Sound of Music.” It was a little bit magical to end 10 years of incredible shows with such a profoundly beautiful story. I look forward to Season 11 with such excitement and anticipation for what another year of great theatre will bring!

We launch Season 11 next fall with Million Dollar Quartet in September/October. This smash-hit musical tells the story of legendary music icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins as they come together on Dec. 4, 1956, at the famous Sun Studios. This show has so many great songs including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “I Walk the Line” just to name a few. Elvis will be in the building y’all!

We follow that with the timeless holiday classic A Christmas Carol in December. This fast-paced stage version is so fun and includes all of your favorite characters like Tiny Tim, the Fezziwigs, all the ghosts, and, of course, the original grumpy old man, Ebenezer Scrooge. This show is a mug of warm wassail on a cold winter’s night and just the right thing to get you into the holiday spirit. Our favorite Scrooge, Bruce Collier, will be returning to the stage as well in this production.

There’s plenty of chances to catch The Marvelous Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns throughout the winter months with shows in January, February and March. This is the delightful sequel to The Wonderettes and follows our favorite girls as they graduate in 1958. With songs like “Rock Around the Clock,” “At the Hop,” “Dancing in the Street” and “River Deep, Mountain High,” you will find yourself tapping along to this gem of a musical!

Another offering we have during those winter months is The Play That Goes Wrong. I absolutely adore the humor in this show! If you want a good laugh while trying to solve a murder mystery, this is the perfect night out. It was a smash hit on Broadway and we are thrilled to produce the show at ECTC!

If you liked Steel Magnolias, you will love Crimes of the Heart premiering in late February. This is a deeply touching, funny play about three eccentric sisters in a small southern town who deal with the fallout when Babe, the youngest, shoots her husband. This story serves up humor and pathos along with a large glass of sweet tea!

And since everyone loves a mystery, we’re keeping the final musical of our season under wraps! Just plan to come on out to ECTC for a fantastic show in May 2024.

If Season 11 can’t get here fast enough for you, make plans to catch “Broadway on the Boulevard, Dancin’ in the Street” outdoors in the Grand Park at Grand Boulevard every Thursday during the summer through the end of July. We also have a fantastic group of teens performing Grease at the end of July at 560 Grand Boulevard, upstairs in our theatre.

I hope no matter how busy life gets, you always make time for the joy of a well-told story and the richness of a night out with friends and family. See you at the theatre!

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