Electric Theatre Company was a non-profit, regional, Equity theatre company located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1992 as The Northeastern Theatre Ensemble by Zeve Ben Dov and played in Scranton for eight years before moving to Keystone College for four years. The theatre returned to downtown Scranton in 2005 and began the 2008-2009 season under its current name.[1] From 2005 until its demise in 2011, it performed in the old Hotel Jermyn's main ballroom, which was converted into a 99-130 seat, flexible black box theatre. Also within the facility was The Ballroom, a space used for parties, workshops, theatre lab experiments, and classes.
The Electric Theatre Company offers between five and twelve mainstage productions each year from September through May, including a monodrama series called Acting Alone. The production staff was composed four full time employees, and the artistic company was drawn from a pool of talent from the area, New York and Philadelphia, California, and abroad. The theatre was a professional, Equity house. Electric Theatre Company also ran an extensive Learning program that included The Griffin Conservatory professional level training for the actor (and director) and In Bocca al Lupo, a study abroad in Italy (more below).
ETC's educational programs included
Griffin Conservatory: professional level training for the actor, offers Intensives and Workshops January through July.
Out on a Limb: the theatre lab of Griffin Conservatory, a new experiment every third Monday of the month at 7:30 (in The Ballroom)
In Bocca al Lupo: three week program in commedia dell'arte and Italian language in Orvieto and surrounding towns; a collaboration with Lingua Si (Orvieto), Teatro Boni (Acquapendente), with ETC's commedia troupe Zuppa del Giorno, and Italian masters Angelo Crotti and Andrea Brugnera
This program continues independently. The Portal Projects: a professional/educational collaboration with Marywood University
The Plays the Thing: special matinees, free tickets, and online study guides for middle and high school students
ZipZapZop: a program in Lackawanna's County's ArtsENGAGE! that offers theatre arts training and exploration to high school age students (and just before and just after) combining, when possible, both those from the general population with those at-risk.