EBCT’s core program is touring World Premiere musical versions of classic fairy tales to underserved school districts. The musicals are written by EBCT’s resident musical playwright, award-winning Bay Area composer/writer Ron Lytle. EBCT school tours use Ron’s adaptations of these familiar stories and characters to expose young students to the joy and positive instructive power of music and theatrical performance.

EBCT’s program is administered through both volunteers, and paid artists/contractors, all of whom reside in the Bay Area. Some of the volunteers come from EBCT’s board of directors who include both current and retired teachers. The paid artists/contractors are seasoned theatrical and educational professionals as well as some who come from other fields but have
a strong interest in theatre and education. The passion, skills, and theatrical experience of this full-range team help make EBCT’s productions first rate in the field.

The school performance tour is conducted over several weeks at approximately 11 Title 1 schools. In advance of its school visits, EBCT provides the school and teachers with a comprehensive Teaching & Activities Guide created by EBCT’s Education Committee, most of whom are former teachers, who tailor each guide to the themes and issues presented in the production.

Approximately 400 to 500 children are present at each performance after which the teachers are given evaluation forms to complete in order to provide feedback about the quality of the production, their measure of student engagement and enjoyment, the use and relevance of the Teaching Guide provided by EBCT for pre-performance instruction, the production’s recognition of positive values, and whether the children benefited from the musical as a learning experience.

Following the school tour, the production is performed for the general public at theaters in the community, the income from which is used to help fund the cost of the school tours.