Dance into the holidays with Time for Christmas: Encore Theatrical Arts Project’s Newest Holiday Musical!
Live theater is always a magical experience. But when you add the Christmas spirit, it can turn into something spectacular! And right here in the DMV area, Encore Theatrical Arts Project (ETAP), a non-profit performing arts company, has been combining great theater and holiday cheer for 29 years.
In fact, ETAP’s very first production was a Christmas Musical. That production was simple, small enough to fit into the rental hall of a local fire station. But it inspired a tradition of creating musical holiday magic that has lasted for decades.
Creating the ETAP Company
ETAP began in 1996 when creator and director Raynor van der Merwe decided to combine her love of Broadway with her passion for dance education. After moving to the Northern Virginia area from South Africa, van der Merwe quickly created Encore Theatrical Arts Project, a non-profit youth dance company focused on musical theater.
The company creates its own original dance concerts as well as scripted musicals. Local artists are enlisted to create elaborate sets and costumes, complimenting the dazzling choreography that has become the hallmark of an ETAP production. The quality of its work has earned ETAP invitations to dance festivals all over Northern Virginia and beyond: the company has traveled internationally since 2002, bringing musical theater dance to audiences around the world.
And in the almost 30 years of producing shows and providing dance training through its affiliate dance studio, Encore Performers in Chantilly, VA, ETAP has seen its alumni on stages all over the country and the world. Performers from ETAP have gone on to perform on cruise ships, in sports entertainment, national tours, Broadway shows, and as Radio City City Rockettes in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
In Time for Christmas, ETAP creates a holiday musical adventure
This year’s musical, Time for Christmas, invites the audience to the North Pole right before Christmas, where elves are busy at their jobs making the holiday happen. Some jobs turn elves into celebrities, like Cosmo in Wish Fulfillment, and some jobs are less glamorous like Technical Maintenance. But Ivy and Juniper, two Tech elves wanting to prove that they’re just as cool as Cosmo, decide to test their newest gadget on Santa’s time control device.
Meanwhile, Oswald, a human scientist (and part-time mall elf), is testing out his theories on the science of Santa. With his time control invention, the Oswatch, he hopes to stop time just like St. Nick.
When Juniper, Ivy, and Oswald accidentally test their inventions at the same time, the world is thrown into a time loop where the same day keeps repeating. Now, the elves have to bring the scientist to the North Pole and break the loop so it can finally be time for Christmas!
The show runs for two weekends, Dec. 7-8 and Dec. 13-15, at the Richard J. Ernst Theater at the NOVA Campus in Annandale (8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003). Show times are Saturdays at 12pm, 4pm, and 7:30pm, Sundays at 12pm and 4pm, and Friday, Dec. 13th at 7pm.
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Special Experiences for Girl Scouts and Seniors
Each ETAP production aims to entertain both new and experienced theater-goers. To ensure that the youngest and oldest audience members get the chance to see the production, the company offers unique packages for Girl Scouts and seniors.
Girl Scout Package
ETAP offers a special Girl Scout Package of discounted ticket prices, an on-stage dance class, backstage tour, and more to Girl Scout troops and their families who attend the show. The full package includes:
- Discounted ticket rate for Girl Scout troops and their families
- Early seating in the theater
- Backstage tour of the theater*
- On-stage dance class that can count towards the Girl Scout Dance Badge*
- Entrance in a raffle for an walk-on role in the show
- Entrance in a raffle for an American Girl doll dressed in ETAP costume
- Intermission snack
- Available souvenir patch for purchase
*Only available at matinee performances
Senior Group Package
This package is great for senior residences or centers looking for a holiday activity to add to their calendars. For senior groups of 10 or more, ETAP offers:
- Early seating in the theater
- Intermission snack
- Q&A talk back with the cast and creative team
Start a New Holiday Tradition with Encore Theatrical Arts Project
An ETAP Christmas show is something you can add to your holiday calendar year after year. It doesn’t matter if this is your first show or your 29th, you will always get something different in each year’s production. Original stories and characters are crafted around brand new dances and a handful of fan-favorites, giving first-time and returning audiences something they can all enjoy.
To see this year’s Encore Theatrical Arts Project’s Holiday Musical, Time for Christmas, you can visit the ETAP website or call (703) 222-5511 for tickets and information.
Encore Theatrical Arts Project has spent almost thirty years in the DMV area creating shows filled with enough imagination and Christmas spirit to kick-start the holiday season. This year, that tradition continues and ETAP hopes that you get to experience it with your family in Time for Christmas.
