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Carolina Culture & Arts:
Opera, Dance, Theater,
Museums |
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ive years ago, when Deborah Smith was offered the job of Director
of the Newberry Opera House, she dropped into the small town of Newberry
to have a look around.
What she saw convinced her to leave Vermont and
move south.
“Newberry is the best place in the world I could think of to be right now,”
she says. “There is such strong desire to make this area a real cultural hub,
and it’s rare that you find that kind of vision and that kind of determination
in such a wonderful setting.”
Perhaps it is precisely Ms. Smith’s skill in bringing in so many different artists
that makes the Newberry Opera House so beloved by the hundreds of theatergoers
who attend the performances. They range from Arlo Guthrie, to the Oak Ridge Boys,
and from the dance company, Momix, to the Hungarian Symphony.
The intimacy of the 426-seat theatre certainly doesn’t hurt, especially when combined
with excellent lighting and sound systems, and an orchestra pit that easily accommodates
Broadway and operatic productions.
Opera Houses are enjoying a renaissance in the Carolinas. In addition to the Newberry
Opera House, Abbeville Opera House was restored in 1968 and presents a variety of programs.
Both facilities provide a more intimate experience – where audiences can actually see the actors’
expressions and feel the rhythm pounding a few feet away.
Speaking of pounding rhythms, dance companies in many larger Carolina towns offer everything
from classical ballet to modern jazz and tap. For those who yearn for the bright lights of Broadway,
national touring companies bring the best of the Great White Way down south, allowing virtually
anyone living in the Carolinas access to great theatre.
Recent seasons have
brought world-class
performances of “Rent,”
“Blast,“ “Mamma Mia,”
“Aida,” “The Lion King,”
and more. Along the
Grand Strand, a dozen
live theatres with
frequently-changing
productions give
vacationers and
residents entertainment
away from the beach and
golf course.
The Dock Street Theatre
in Charleston, South
Carolina, offers
aficionados of live
theatre a sense of
history. Today, more
than 260 years after it
began, Dock Street still
delights and inspires.
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n the Midlands of South
Carolina, Trustus Theatre has blazed new trails with professional theatre and often avant-garde productions.
Columbia’s own Town Theatre offers more traditional, family-style productions. Entertaining audiences
for more than 80 years, it’s the oldest continuously-operating community theatre in the United States.
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There
In the coolness of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the state
theatre of North Carolina, Flat Rock Playhouse, delights its patrons every May through October and attracts top talent from New York and beyond.
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For residents who like to dabble in the arts, local theatre groups provide
creative outlets. These groups have combined their talents and passions to produce
polished performances of hundreds of plays each year.
Now, while live performances delight the soul, the ability to contemplate paintings from the
Masters can be equally electrifying!
Art lovers can do no better than to start at the Greenville County Museum of
Art in South Carolina, which houses the best collection of watercolors by Andrew
Wyeth found at any public museum in the U.S. The Mint Museum in Charlotte
draws visitors worldwide, and features an extensive collection of works from
Ansel Adams and James McNeill Whistler.
Since 1956, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, headquartered in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has fostered artistic excellence, supported the
creation of significant new artworks and educated audiences in the art of our time.
Carolinians enjoy the benefits of more than 2,000 arts organizations and 100
arts councils. They can be spectators or participants, or work behind the
scenes as docents, ticket takers, stage crews or make-up artists.
In fact, it is the wealth of arts and culture that helped convince international
companies, including Roche Carolina and Honda, to relocate to small towns.
Management recognized those areas would offer their executives all the amenities.
Both Carolinas have long-range plans to support the arts. As a result, the future is
very promising for artists and for those who enjoy the fruits of their labor.
click on this book image to read more about ...
handcrafted in the blue ridge: discovering the crafts, artisans, and studios of western north carolina
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Katherine O. Pettit has worked as a writer, magazine editor, printer and
public relations consultant. The Columbia resident has published
more than 250 articles in magazines and newspapers. Her writing
explores a variety of subjects including travel, lifestyles, business
and management.
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