Spreading cheer for all to hear, the Encore Theatre Carolers have been singing across the Treasure Valley for 19 years.
The group, an Encore Theatre Company offshoot, is a regular sight at tree lightings and other holiday events. They’re easy to spot, dressed as they are in a mix of traditional Victorian shawls, dresses, top hats, scarves, and suits.
Aside from their singing, you might also be able to locate them by listening for audience laughter and groans. “My cohort Bob (Ecker) and I talk with the audience and do corny humor,” Carolers producer and co-emcee Jonathan Perry said. “Kind of a Smothers Brothers routine.”
How corny? Perry shared a few favorites, chuckling as he did so.
“I got home, and somebody had stolen my Christmas decorations. I was ‘de-lighted.’” He added, “We were so poor we couldn’t afford a sled, so we had to slide down the hill in a tire. Those were ‘Goodyears.’”
Perry, Ecker, and musical director Bette Dale Moore have the distinction of being the only people who’ve been with the group every year since its 2003 founding.
“The Carolers were started out of necessity,” Perry said. “We started a theatre company, but we had no money. So, we needed to find something we could do that wouldn’t cost, but that would raise a lot of money. And thus, the Carolers were born. Our very first performance was at Boise City Hall for the National Tree that was going through town.”
The 14-member group was exceptionally busy that first year. “We took any opportunity to sing, as long as we had the four parts (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) covered. There were times that there were only four people singing. We were full of energy and enthusiasm, and we didn’t want to turn down any opportunity to perform."
While the group was originally intended to be a one-off fundraiser, it quickly grew into something the volunteer singers wanted to do every year. “We’ve improved a lot since then,” Perry said, referring to their costumes, crowd work, and, of course, songs. For the songs, old favorites and classics occasionally turn up for audience sing-alongs, but you’re likely to hear something you haven’t heard before at a performance.
“Bette picks most of the songs, and we try to have one or two new ones each year,” Perry said. “And we rotate songs so our sets are fresh. We’ll pick up ones we’ve done in the past. Occasionally, one of our singers will pitch a song that they’ve heard. We do madrigal and jazz, new and old. We have a broad range of material that we’re doing in four-part harmony, sometimes eight-part, and all a cappella.”
When not out at public events, you’re likely to find the Carolers crooning in an assisted living facility.
“That is our bread and butter,” Perry said. “We love going to them. The best thing is going to an assisted living and doing something more than just caroling down the halls. We’re doing a performance that’s something special.”
Every year, the group starts rehearsing in October. They take bookings up until just before Thanksgiving, with an average of 25-30 performances in a normal year. “(People) see us as a group that takes our music serious enough, but doesn’t act like we’re too good for it,” Perry said. “We’re trying to be like a family. And telling stupid jokes, it’s like your Uncle Jonathan at the Christmas dinner table telling stupid jokes. And we’re treating them to good music. Folks feel like they’re being treated to something special.”
Catch the Carolers
Dec. 3: 5:30 p.m. Meridian Tree Lighting, City Hall Steps, 33 E. Broadway Avenue
Dec. 9: 7 p.m. Shop Meridian Night, Generations Plaza, 804 N. Main Street
Dec. 11: 11 a.m. Nampa Public Library, 215 12th Avenue S., Nampa
Dec. 11: 2 p.m. College Church, 504 E. Dewey Avenue, Nampa
Additional dates available at facebook.com/encoreetc.org.