Creating art, cultivating artists, and connecting community beyond the stage.
Here at ETC, we believe in the power of artistic education and experience. Through collaboration with professional guest artists, recurring classes, special programs, and community events, we expose our community to diverse art forms, support the growth of local artists, and inspire a new generation while offering programs and events that deepen engagement with the themes and content of our productions.
Past Community Events
Finding Your Voice
ETC Immersive Production program for Voiceless: A Musical
Finding Your Voice is a day-long conference dedicated to exploring what it means to live authentically—and to overcome the internal and external barriers that silence us.
Bringing together therapists, creatives, advocates, and community voices, this immersive experience offers meaningful conversations, practical tools, and creative exploration centered on authenticity, healing, and truth-telling.
Hosted by Judith Faustima and Nikki Cook, this conference serves as the culminating event in a series of community programs inspired by Voiceless: The Musical. Attendees are invited to engage deeply with the production’s core themes through panel discussions, creative workshops, and shared reflection.
Through dialogue, movement, and artistic expression, participants will reconnect with their voice, build resilience, and explore new pathways to self-expression and personal power.
Tiny Beautiful Letter Project
ETC Immersive Production program for Tiny Beautiful Things
Based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS personifies the questions and answers that "Sugar" was publishing online from 2010-2012. When the struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid anonymous position of advice columnist Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. In conjunction with our performances of TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, Ellipse Theatre Community developed the TINY BEAUTIFUL LETTER PROJECT which collected anonymous letter throughout the nation that were shared as part of a special live event celebrating our human stories and connections.
Past Workshops
Theatre Arts Rodeo
in collaboration with Redmond Area Parks and Rec
ETC's Theatre Arts Rodeo was in partnership with the Redmond Area Parks and Rec District. Over the course of six classes, students were introduced to the background and technical aspects of theatre skills in character development, costume design, construction and set design taught by experts in these fields.
Shadow Puppetry Workshop
facilitated by Krista Weltner
Portland based artist, illustrator, and animator, Krista Weltner, offered a hands-on workshop for students ages 5-12 who learned about puppetry, created their own simple shadow puppet, and also had an opportunity to perform! This workshop was hosted at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon. We were also fortunate to partner with Silver Rail Elementary where this workshop was presented to over 500 children.
About the Instructor: Krista Weltner (she/her) is a stop-motion artist and author and illustrator based in Portland, Oregon. She recently finished working on the upcoming Netflix Animation film, “Wendell and Wild”. In 2016 she graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Masters in Fine Arts and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Evansville. Her short film, “Partially Compensated” has been seen in film festivals around the world including the Breaking Down Barriers Film Festival in Moscow. Her film was inspired by her experience growing up with Dyslexia. It has afforded her numerous opportunities to partner with organizations like Decoding Dyslexia, International Dyslexia Association, and Dyslexia Advantage to promote awareness and inclusion. Recently, it became available through ReelAbilities and Reel Education, a fantastic organization that provides free resources for educators to teach students about disability and deaf culture.
