If you bought a glass of wine or a soft drink at a recent theatre production here in Sandestin, you probably encountered Kathy Cray, an enthusiastic, hard-working volunteer at the Emerald Coast Theatre Company. When Kathy was a teacher, she encouraged her students to act out moments in history or to “become” an animal of their choice. While in Tacoma, Washington, she founded the Shining Mountain Elementary School Drama Club. They did productions of Annie, the Wizard of Oz and Oliver, with a cast of 68 students.

When Kathy and her husband, John, moved here to the St. Andrews neighborhood in 2013 from Huntsville, AL, they had no idea they were lucky enough to have ECTC within a ten-minute drive. So when Kathy met Nancy Sack, ECTC Volunteer Coordinator, at a Destin Women’s Club meeting and learned about the theatre for the first time, she was “an easy sell.” Once she visited, she jumped in with both feet and began volunteering in 2019. She even recruited John to work there too. Their favorite job is selling drinks behind the counter. In fact, during a recent November weekend when the theatre presented 14 productions of Shrek, Kathy and John worked at half of them. And they have never missed a show.

Kathy extolled ECTC for supporting the community and seeing the joy that the productions bring to people. Like any theatre buff, Kathy has loved watching the theatre grow into its present 300-seat capacity; she finds volunteering there to be fun and has become part of the ECTC family. As part of that family, she and John have met and enjoyed the cast members and the “behind the scenes” staff who make the productions happen.

Kathy loves her work at the theatre and encourages others to do the same, whether selling drinks, greeting people, or scanning tickets at the front desk. “Volunteering for the Emerald Coast Theatre Company is a lot of fun. Come join us and enjoy the theatre and the wonderful people on this team!"