Theatre thriving in South Carolina
Theatre seems to be jumping across The Hub’s radar this week, and for good reason: it’s thriving in South Carolina. We thought it was due for a spotlight piece, so take your seats as we begin.
Act I: PURE Theatre
Co-founder and Artistic Director Sharon Graci (right) is featured here in a brief video from LowcountryBizSC this morning. PURE, a professional contemporary theatre group, set records for new and returning audiences during its 15th anniversary last season, and this year gets a new venue: the Cannon Street Arts Center, where they will be anchor tenant. Graci was the S.C. Arts Commission’s acting fellow in 2010/2011 and Rodney Lee Rogers, PURE’s other co-founder, was the playwriting fellow the same year. (Coincidentally, the two are married. – Ed.) PURE receives an operating support grant from SCAC, and Rogers helps the commission administer Artists U in South Carolina – a training resource that facilitates artist development.
Act II: Screenwriting fellow bringing play to Columbia
Leasharn Hopkins, who received the SCAC screenwriting fellowship for 2017/2018, will bring a play she wrote and directs to Columbia. Love Me or Leave Me focuses on the effects of drug addiction, mental abuse, and domestic violence in three couples’ romantic relationships. Look for it Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Tapp’s Arts Center. Go here for ticket information.
Act III: Drama Lady Theatre Group
Based in the rural Pee Dee region of South Carolina (Marion County, to be exact), the Drama Lady Theatre Group premieres Ntozake Shange’s award winning play: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow is Enuf at the FMU Performing Arts Center in Downtown Florence on Saturday, Nov. 17. The Drama Lady Theatre Group is the brainchild of a collective of artists striving to use live theatrical performances to educate and promote wellness across diverse communities. The group received an FY19 Arts Education Project grant from SCAC.