Written by Lauren Johnson
Over the past decade, Charleston has set the stage for cultural tourism, with bold offerings in music, theater, comedy, and more. Beyond Spoleto Festival USA, which draws upwards of 80,000 visitors to the Holy City for two full weeks each May and June, this arts-centric city pulses with creative energy year round thanks to a rich collection of five-star venues and top-notch performers. “We’re proud to be part of a vibrant arts community that attracts an exceptional caliber of talent across a wide range of creative fields,” reflects Charleston Gaillard Center CEO Lissa Frenkel.
Audiences and artists alike are drawn in by the city’s distinctive mix of history and modern entertainment. “Visitors can enjoy top-quality live shows, often straight from Broadway, but in a very unique historical atmosphere,” reflects Kyle Barnette, artistic director of the Footlight Players, the city’s oldest theater company. As Charleston Stage Company managing director Timothy Rogers sees it, “our mission is simple: to inspire, entertain, challenge, and provoke thought.”
Variety Show
From hit Broadway shows to lyrical operas, the Holy City celebrates world-class artists and entertainers with multidisciplinary performances on a variety of stages. Downtown’s nonprofit arts hub, The Charleston Gaillard Center produces, commissions, and presents year-round programming from local, national, and international performers. Among the musicians, authors, acrobats, magicians, comedians, and actors gracing its stage this spring will be the touring cast of Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ensemble, writer Amor Towles, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra players.
Roughly a third of the Gaillard’s size at 900 seats, the College of Charleston’s stunning Sottile Theatre provides a more intimate audience experience for chamber and orchestral music, piano, ballet, and opera. Built in the 1920s and meticulously restored six years ago, the space boasts giant Italianate murals and an illuminated dome.
Beyond downtown, the North Charleston Performing Arts Center draws some of the hottest shows from The Great White Way as well as headlining acts in music, comedy, and theater to its 2,300-person proscenium theater. Highlights from the spring schedule include shows by North Charleston POPS!, Riverdance, Dancing with the Stars, ZZ Top, Jim Gaffigan, Les Misérables, and more.
Hear This
Jazz, rock, classical, country–the Lowcountry likes to listen. And Charleston Music Hall may be one of the coolest places to hear talented musicians from across the country. Dubbed a listening room, this 965-seat fan-favorite venue boasts great acoustics and encourages artist-audience interaction.
To connect with the city’s history, The Sound of Charleston showcases music defining Charleston’s 350-year history, from gospel and Gwershwin to jazz and the classics. The family-friendly show is held at the historic Circular Congregational Church.
For a more modern sound, jump back to the present day at one of the area’s hip live music destinations. Choose from The Music Farm and The Refinery downtown, The Windjammer on Isle of Palms, The Pour House in West Ashley, and Firefly Distillery in North Charleston.
Over on Daniel Island, the world-class arena Credit One Stadium draws headlining talent and top country stars like Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson, Thomas Rhett, and Megan Moroney.
Play Time
In 1736, the curtain lifted on the historic Dock Street Theatre, America’s first dedicated theatrical structure. Since then, Charleston has acted as a star player for community and professional stages.
Still central to the cast, the Dock Street received a $19-million renovation in 2010 that introduced state-of-the-art technology and patron comforts. Resident Charleston Stage Company produces more than 100 performances each season. On this spring’s playbill: thrilling Hitchcock homage The 39 Steps, Tennessee Williams’s beloved The Glass Menagerie, and upbeat musical Legally Blonde.
Also in the historical spotlight, The Footlight Players remain Charleston’s longest running theater company, having formed in 1931. Inside the cozy Queen Street Playhouse, a cotton warehouse-turned-community theater, this group stages intriguing dramas and hilarious comedies, as well as monthly musical performances. Their 93rd season includes two-man lyrical spoof Gutenberg!: The Musical!, Tony Award-winning Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Sondheim’s beloved modern classic Into the Woods.
Offering a more contemporary experience, small professional troupe PURE Theatre draws adventurous audiences to the intimate Cannon Street Arts Center to witness consequential new works from a diverse mix of Broadway veterans and local talents. This year delivers the world premiere of ornithological musical Pleasure Never Lies; Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson, an irreverent riff on Doyle’s iconic detective tale; and The Shark is Broken, a Broadway play about the choppy filming of Hollywood’s first summer blockbuster, Jaws.
Comedy Central
Beyond serious stage dramas, Charleston also has a knack for funny business. Bringing hilarity to the spotlight since 2000, Theatre 99 offers high-energy improv comedy shows every Wednesday through Saturday evening. These quick-witted entertainers deliver uproarious and unscripted shows based on audience suggestions, creating off-the cuff content each time they take the stage.
Audiences can also engage with the stage at The Black Fedora Comedy Mystery Theatre, which runs interactive comic mysteries in a cabaret theater beside the City Market.
Past downtown, the Wit’s End Comedy Club and Lounge in North Charleston invites local and national stand-up and sketch comedy acts to its black box-style performance area.
