ENCINITAS — A new pilot program is hoping to use theater to bring families together and strengthen the bonds of the community. The Encinitas Community Theatre, an organization with pending nonprofit status based in the city, will offer two programs each Saturday in May to children and adults.

Executive Director Kathryn Campion, an Encinitas resident, said the programs will enrich the lives of the participants, as well as the broader community. “We are teaching life skills like cooperation, concentration and building self-esteem through the performance of live theater,” she said.

The programs consist of a free workshop for young children, and one for youth and adults. “We want to make these programs accessible to those families that might not otherwise be able to afford acting lessons,” she said.

“We are looking for diversity in cultures and level of experience in the participants,” Campion added.

Although theater opportunities exist in the area, the city has been without a formal theater company.

City Council unanimously requested that a lease proposal be drafted to develop a portion of city-owned land at the Encinitas Ranch shopping center for use as a theater Aug. 23, 2006.

The measure provided city staff with the direction necessary to move forward in negotiations with Miracle Theatre Productions to establish the Encinitas Stages performing arts center at the intersection of Leucadia Boulevard and El Camino Real. The venue would potentially house five different performance areas. However, negotiations have stalled. Phone calls to the city Arts Commissioner Jim Gilliam were not returned as of press time.

The proposed location is a 0.7-acre parcel within the shopping center that reverted to city ownership in 2001 as required by the Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan, adopted in 1994. The plan called for the developer of the shopping center to dedicate the land to a performing arts organization with the necessary funding to develop the site. Despite efforts to solicit such a group, no suitable takers were forthcoming.

William Simonson, the group’s artistic director, said the group hopes to eventually have a permanent theatre site. “I see this Encinitas Community Theatre capable of growing into a national network of 99-seat theatres,” he said. “We’ve got long-range plans.”

Volunteer Angela Sturdy said she was drawn to the idea that theater could connect families and provide creative outlets.

“I’m so excited about the possibility of where we can take this program,” she said. “This is about creating moments of happiness that will sustain them (participants) and serve them in their daily lives.”

All classes are free but registration is required. For more information, call (760) 436-4869 or visit www.encinitascommunitytheatre.org.