Our Call for Jasper's 2026 Play Right Series is Officially Open -- Deadline Feb. 28, 2026

The Jasper Project announces the 6th cycle of its Play Right Series, a collaboration between area theatre artists and Jasper Community Producers—or theater aficionados, supporters and even newcomers. The project will culminate in summer 2026 with the staged reading of a brand-new South Carolina play. 

Submitting A Play

The play submission window is now open. 

  • Playwrights must be residents of South Carolina currently and during the summer of 2026.

  • The winning playwright must be present for development sessions with Community Producers in Columbia during the summer, 2026 (specific dates to be determined later), and must agree to offer program credit to The Jasper Project at any subsequent productions or publications.

  • Plays may address any topic, using language appropriate to the subject matter; we are not, however, considering musicals or children’s plays. 

  • Plays should have no more than 5 cast members, though cast members may play more than one role.

  • Submissions must be one-act plays, 45-75 minutes in length, typed according to industry-standard format (see our Sample Format). 

  • Please include, as a cover sheet, a brief bio of the playwright and description of the play, including cast size and any unusual technical demands, bearing in mind that smaller and fewer are usually preferable.

  • One submission per playwright, please.

  • Please submit your play no later than midnight on February 28, 2026,  to playrightseries@jasperproject.org

 

Play Selection

When the submission window closes on February 28, 2026, the Play Right Series committee will read and select a play for development through the spring and summer. “Development,” in this case, means round-table readings with paid actors and directors that are attended by Community Producers and Professional Others, followed in the summer by rehearsals and presentation in early September 2026. 

The process will be facilitated by Jasper’s Community Producers—community members and theatre aficionados invested in the development process and supportive of the state’s literary and theatre talent. In exchange for a modest financial contribution, Jasper Community Producers will be offered insider views of the steps and processes inherent in creating theatrical art by attending readings, rehearsals, informative talks, and presentations, including conversations with the actors, director, playwright, stage manager, costumer, and sound and lighting designer. The result: Community Producers learn about the extensive process of producing a play and become invested personally in the production and success of the play and its cast and crew, thereby becoming diplomats of theatre arts.

Busted Open by Ryan Stevens (2025)

One of the perks of winning the Play Right Series Project is having your play published in book format and filed with the Library of Congress. AND, we give you a large stack of books to distribute to the producers, directors, and family members of your choice!

(Don’t forget your Mom!)

Check out the plays Jasper has already published:

Moon Swallower by Colby Quick (2022)

Therapy by Lonetta Thompson (2023)

Let It Grow by Chad Henderson (2024)

At the Jasper Project, we LOVE facilitating new art from ALL the arts disciplines! Our Play Right Series is just one of the many projects that allow us to do so.

Spread the Word! Spread the Love! Make New Art! Make Columbia an Arts-Centric Home for Us All!

Jasper Presents a Free Artist Talk with Colleen Cannon-Karlos at the Koger Center for the Arts

By Emily Moffitt

If you missed the chance to check out Colleen Cannon-Karlos' exhibit in the Jasper Project’s Nook gallery space during her opening reception for October’s Third Thursday, mark your calendars for her free artist talk at the Koger Center!

Join us on November 4, from 6-7 p.m. for her free talk where she’ll give an in-depth look at her artistic processes, inspirations, and more. A Q&A will follow her talk, and all the work in Cannon-Karlos' exhibit is available for purchase.

Cannon-Karlos' Artist Statement:

My new work consists of deconstructing recycled corrugated cardboard and transforming it into an alternative surface to create new imagery. I became interested in working with cardboard because it is cheap, ubiquitous and unfortunately very wasteful in our consumer driven, throwaway society. Mixed media includes cardboard, recycled plastic shopping bags, acetate and more. At least I can do my small part and turn discarded objects into artwork that celebrates its beauty and integrity.

The corrugated or fluted lines contain their own design aspect of regularly spaced, machine engineered parallel lines. Removing and/or adding layers by distressing and manipulating the cardboard reveals amazing texture characteristics in layers that are enhanced with the application of paint and other materials. The cardboard itself reveals levels of unique textures that give a relief quality and tangibility to the imagery. This work also reflects my interest in physics – understanding the nature of reality as energy coalesces into form. The imagery present in the distressed cardboard seems to be in the process of both emerging from and dissolving into existence. The resulting artwork is mounted on wooden panels.

For additional questions, contact the Koger Center.

 

MOON & STARS -- New Single by KIMBER

Kimber - “Moon & Stars”
Recorded and Engineered by Jay Matheson at Jam Room Recording Studio

Cover art by Michael Krajewski

Fronted by vocalist and songwriter Kimber Carpenter, KIMBER is a rising force in Columbia’s ever growing local music scene, delivering a big, soul-driven sound rooted in original songwriting, rich harmonies, and unshakable musical chemistry.

Formed just two years ago by Carpenter and drummer Garrick Turner, the lineup solidified as bassist Donovan Amason, lead guitarist Shayla Hunt, and keyboardist Mandy Applegate joined the fold—all lending dynamic elements that elevate Kimber’s raw lead presence into a wall of harmony and power.

Vocally and lyrically, Kimber is influenced by fearless artists like Ani DiFranco, Sinéad O’Connor, and Amy Ray whose vulnerability, intensity, and unapologetic truth-telling inspire the band’s commitment to authentic expression. The result is a sound that’s both expansive and intimate—progressive in structure, soulful in delivery, and deeply human at its core.

Now, Kimber is set to release their debut single, “Moon & Stars,” a playful yet powerful track, Moon & Stars captures vulnerability, hope, and the magnetic pull between love and heartbreak. Adding a unique artistic dimension to Moon & Stars is the collaboration with local visual artist Michael Krajewski, who created the single’s cover art. Known for his neo-expressionist style, Krajewski did not disappoint with this stunning interpretation of the song. This partnership is more than visual—it’s a merging of two local creative voices. As a local Columbia artist, Kimber’s music now meets Michael’s visual expression, forming a unique conversation between art and sound.

Give them a follow on Facebook and Instagram @kimber_theband to keep up with live shows and upcoming announcements of more music being released this year.

Moon & Stars can be found on most streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. 

You can also check their Band Camp page at https://kimbertheband.bandcamp.com/

KIMBER is:


Kimber Carpenter – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Shayla Hunt – Lead Guitar, Backup Vocals
Mandy Applegate – Keyboards, Backup Vocals
Donovan Amason – Bass
Garrick Turner – Drums

 


 

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CALL FOR ART - The Jasper Project's Degenerate Art Project PART II

Degenerate Art Project II – Call for Art

The purpose of this exhibition is to answer an overwhelming request by artists and patrons of Jasper’s inaugural Degenerate Art Project (July 2025) for an additional exhibition which will involve an open call for visual artists and an extended calendar for exhibition. This iteration of the project will also include prizes for visual art and representation by additional arts disciplines.

Learn more about the project →

Entry Guidelines

  • Artists must live in one of the following counties to be considered: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Sumter, Lee, Clarendon, Newberry, and Aiken.

  • Artists may submit up to three pieces. 

  • 2D Art must be framed, wired, and/or mounted for presentation and delivered to Gemini Arts during a designated time period on January 17 and 18, 2026. 

  • All art must be for sale and artists must agree to allow the Jasper Project a 25% commission on sold art which will go toward project costs, with any potential extra going toward the publication costs for Jasper Magazine.

  • All submissions should be of NEW work. Nothing previously exhibited or repurposed for this exhibition is allowed. 

  • Artists who participated in the Jasper Degenerate Art Project in 2025 are invited to submit new work, but art previously exhibited at the Jasper Degenerate Art Project in 2025 should not be submitted for the second exhibition.

  • No AI-generated imagery or significant alterations of others' work is allowed. 

Deadline for submission – November 16, 2025

The purpose of this exhibition is to answer an overwhelming request by artists and patrons of Jasper’s inaugural Degenerate Art Project (July 2025) for an additional exhibition which will involve an open call for visual artists and an extended calendar for exhibition. This iteration of the project will also include prizes for visual art and representation by additional arts disciplines.

The title, Degenerate Art Project, is a contemporary SC-localized reflection of the Nazi Party’s 1937 Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition in Munich at which more than 650 pieces of Modernist art were haphazardly displayed alongside graffiti and mocking text labels with the goal of denigrating and ridiculing the art and artists. The exhibition included the work of 112 artists including Picasso, Mondrian, Chagall, Kandinsky, Klee, Dix, and many other groundbreaking artists. The website of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum offers an excellent overview of this period of world history. 

The purpose of the Jasper Degenerate Art Project is threefold:

  • To provide a platform for expression and/or protest via art for Midlands area artists

  • To bring our local arts community together both physically and in spirit during this challenging time in order to support and encourage one another

  • To preserve for posterity, via the Jasper Project website, Columbia, SC’s artistic interpretation and response to our country’s current socio-political situation.


REVIEW: Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors by Jerry Crouch

Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, opened Friday night, October 3rd at Chapin Theatre Company and grabbed the audience by their throats, tickling their collective funny bones, sucking every laugh possible from the applauding fans. In the slapstick, standup comedy tradition of Mel Brooks and Monty Python, this silly spoof of Bram Stoker's classic 1897 vampire novel is dazzlingly acted out by five of the most versatile actors Columbia theatre has to offer. Four playing a brew of manic, murderous multitude of roles, not unlike last Chapin Theatre season's role-switching The 39 Steps where the starring lead male then was none other than this show's fang-tastic director, George Dinsmore.

This 90-minute blood-thirsty play offers these actors—Debra Kiser, David Fichter, Frank Thompson, Katie Mixon and Josh Kern—the challenge of a theatrical lifetime,  throwing puns, punchlines, and naughty innuendos against the ever-changing castle walls amid the nimble narrative, with lightning quick costume changes (some hilariously done on stage) and with a plethora of accents! The big character role winners by a Transylvanian mile are Fichter and Kiser, blending proper British and German accents along with a variety of other dizzy dialects and personalities making for a madcap cocktail of fun. But let's toss kudos of garlic-laced funeral wreaths to the entire cast of this bawdy farce.

David Fichter is a dead-on hoot playing the misogynistic Dr Westfeldt, who begins as the arch-nemesis of Kiser's strict, straightlaced German Van Helsing. But their second act reactions take a decided turn for the better. Fichter's loony, bug-eating, straight-jacketed Renfield almost steals the night's spotlight from Kiser's redhead coiffed Mina, a desperate date-deprived spinster in need of some serious orthodontal intervention. Fichter also manages to step into the role of a salty Sea Captain with both actors early on, becoming ferocious howling wolves along with Mixon.

Mixon is the epitome of the courageous but romantically confused heroine, Lucy Westfeldt, hitting every nuanced note and her role switch to the kleptomaniac mental nurse, Kitty, is a delicious surprise. Mixon also plays a rowdy carriage driver in the opening scene. Master comedian, Frank Thompson plays the night's straight man in the role of the cowardly real estate agent, Jonathan, and in one scene (with a bow to Sesame Street) plays three characters at once in the guises of the Scottish Lord Cavendish, the very British Worthington, and the Texan, Lord Havemercy. Thompson also easily polished off the double roles of a scurvy Bosun and a drunken Gravedigger. 

But with all the night's multiple role switching, is the leading actor short-changed playing only a single role? Hardly. Josh Kern in the sexy buff role of Dracula proves a deadly, charming centerfold and an equal opportunity romancer of both Lucy and even her intended, Jonathan Harker. As Harker, Thompson enjoys a late act romantic renovation after his rendezvous with Kern which proves to be a neck-biter twist. Earlier this season, Kern perfectly played the comic lead of Paul in Barefoot in the Park, so here, his sly, narcissistic, revisited take on this horror icon shows his considerable versatility on the Chapin stage in two radically different performances in one season. Bravo!

Special honors goes to Dracula Producers, Jim DeFelice and Tiffany Dinsmore for bringing this comedy gem to their Chapin stage. The beautiful, facile set, sound, costume, props, and dramatic projection designs are ambitious, but all laser quick transitions came off with nary a hitch on opening night.

Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors 
Adapted by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen plays for two more weekends
October 3, 4, 9-10-11 and 16-17-18 at 7:30 pm evening performances with 
October 12 and 19 on Sunday 3:00 pm matinees.

Chapin Theatre Company is located at 830 Columbia Avenue, Chapin 29036
For tickets: chapintheatre.org    [803] 240-8544

 

Two More Nights to See Titus Andronicus for Free and Break Your Mind When You Think About Shakespeare Forever

by Cindi Boiter

Last night, I popped by Earlewood Park amphitheater to scope out the situation for our little party that is seeing South Carolina Shakespeare Company's Titus Andronicus tomorrow night (and to get hugs from my kids). I only stayed 30 minutes, but wow. Full disclosure that director Chad Henderson is my son-in-law, but I’ve got to say that he and his team have really pulled off something brilliant with this production. It’s absolutely out of the box —innovative and surprising and a little surreal.

For example, in the photo below, we see Jennifer Hill in the role of Tamara, Queen of the Goths, but behind her we see the imposing face of Darion McCloud as Aaron, her lover, projected onto the draped screen as he delivers yet another menacing line.

In this photo we see Catherine Hunsinger, in the role of Lavinia, the daughter of Titus Andronicus, on the actual stage but also projected behind her giving the audience a larger than life look after an unspeakable act has befallen her character. Evidently this is the work of videographer Adrian Williams with Megan Claxton pulling focus.

The cast also includes Stann Gwynn (as Titus), Tracy Steele, Richard Edward, Christopher Cockrell (as Saturnius), Marshall Spann, Chris Aimone, Brandon Martin, Dakota Walker, Tristan Brown, young Aden Cobb, Sunni Greene, Brittany Bierman — you probably know many of these folks yourself. But Bonnie, my daughter, was explaining that every night of this multi-media production, all these actors - the whole cast and crew, plus some noble volunteers - have to break down the stage and load out all the equipment, only to load it back in the next afternoon.

If this isn’t dedication to one’s art, I’m not sure what is.

And by the way, the event is free. All you have to do is roll up like I did last night. Parking was easy in the lot and there are designated spots along the road. Head to the small covered pavilion with picnic tables and then just follow the winding sidewalk down to the amphitheater. It’s a short walk. The amphitheater has concrete seating so I’m taking a tailgating chair and, since it’s supposed to be fall Saturday night, I’ll take a blanket, too as well as some vino (Vino Garage is 2 minutes away) and cheese and stuff for a nice pre show picnic. I hope we get to see a lot of friends there!

Titus Andronicus will be performed tonight and tomorrow,

October 3rd and 4th at 8 pm.

For more info about the SC Shakespeare Company visit their website at www.shakespearesc.com or shoot them an email at info@shakespearesc.com.

REVIEW: USC's THE SEEING PLACE at Longstreet Theatre by Christian Anderson

“… theatre isn’t preparation for life, it is life, and even more than life!”

“Butterscotch!”

This is what one student actor (a USC student actor who is playing a USC student actor) in a play in Longstreet Theatre (in a play about Longstreet Theatre) exclaims to his fellow USC/USC student actors in Longstreet/Longstreet Theatre. What it means is, “Basta! That’s enough.” The student actor has reached his limit in an exercise they are doing during a rehearsal.

This seemingly innocuous scene takes on new significance later in the play. Longstreet Theatre, it seems, may be haunted. During the Civil War, the theatre served as a Confederate hospital with a morgue in the basement. One of the student actors has had enough of the twitching lights, unexplainable disappearances/appearances of items, cold drafts, and… (well, you get the idea and I don’t want to say more and spoil the fun), and yells out, “Butterscotch!” She’s had enough.

The Seeing Place, written by USC Theatre Assistant Professor Lauren Wilson and directed by Wilson and Marybeth Gorman Craig, is very meta. It’s a play about Longstreet Theatre taking place in the actual Longstreet Theatre with actual USC students playing USC students. It’s a play within a play. And because they are rehearsing to perform Hamlet and the scene of the play within that play, it becomes a play within a play within a play. (Poe’s “A Dream Within a Dream” comes to mind for multiple reasons here.)

Speaking of the rehearsal scene, this is one example where the direction for the play shines. The directors create, in just a short time, a sense of how much goes into preparing for a play, how much work it is, how frustrating it is, how many moving parts there are. The players move about the stage, almost as if in a ballet, to music that is perfectly paired with their movement. This could have been long and drawn out and instead it was compact and impactful.

The Seeing Place works on multiple levels: as a campus story, a ghost story, a historical drama, and a commentary on theatre. If it sounds like it’s trying to do too much, don’t worry: it’s not. You can enjoy one or more of these aspects of the play but no insider knowledge of any of them is required to just enjoy it as a good story, as a fun evening at the theatre.

Higher education is a common theme and setting for popular culture. There are hundreds of films, TV shows, and novels set on college campuses. Strangely, there are very few theatrical plays. (One of the few such plays is also set at USC: Jon Tuttle’s The White Problem, about USC’s first Black professor, Richard T. Greener, written for USC’s bicentennial in 2001. Full disclosure – Jon Tuttle is a member of the Jasper Project’s board of directors.)

These depictions of higher education can be broadly categorized as student-focused or faculty-focused. Of course, a drama or comedy focused on students will still likely involve faculty at least to some degree and vice-versa for those focused on faculty. The Seeing Place centers on the experience of students, but with an important appearance by their professor, Tarell (who they refer to by his first name), played by USC senior Kayontaye Allison.

Tarell left Broadway to teach costume design. He is referenced a few times in the first act – one student comments on his supposed fame as a designer and another wonders if he actually lives in the costume shop.

And then he appears to open the second act where we see the multiple elements of the play come together. He lectures the students on the importance of the theatre generally and on costume design specifically. He laments that costume design isn’t a required course. He instructs them on the importance of doing the background research to know how to design costumes that are historically accurate. This ability comes into sharp focus as they try to decipher what the apparition was wearing in the theatre.

With dramatic flair, Tarell exclaims that theatre isn’t preparation for life, it is life, and even more than life!

Tarell reminded me of another fictional professor, Winter Sorbeck, who teaches graphic art at a fictional version of Penn State in the 1950s in Chip Kidd’s novel, The Cheese-Monkeys. He declares to students taking his class, “When you walk through that door you become a graphic designer.” He soon takes his students on an adventure to put that claim to the test.

Both of these fictional professors cause their students – and us as their audiences – to think about what the purpose of a college education is. Is it for professional preparation? Or is it to explore deeply the world of ideas? Maybe it doesn’t have to be one or the other. These fictional professors are invoking educational philosopher John Dewey’s idea that education is not preparation for life but that education is life itself. That these ideas are expressed in a play where ghosts roam and remind us of our mortality make it all the more poignant.

The Seeing Place cast members include Kayla Barron, Grayson Bonnor, Joshua Cook, Isnerys Carasquillo, Ben Doub, Mel Driggers, Gracen Greenburg, Jacob Groetsch, Lakayla Henryhand, Aza Nyberg, Rodney Payden, Fernand Quintero, Luke Shelton, and Rachel Vanek. Scene design is by Egba Evwibovwe with costume design by Kristy Hall.

Of course, USC is a perfect setting for a ghost story. Every year the University Ambassadors give a ghost tour of the historic Horseshoe where visitors become acquainted with President McKissick who haunts the South Caroliniana Library, the Civil War nurse who haunts DeSaussure College, or whoever it is that plays the organ in Rutledge College, even after hours. 

Although the cast is made up of students, you´re only conscious of this because of the roles they play, certainly not because of the level or quality of acting. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you’ve come for a campus comedy, a ghost story, or a historical drama. You’ll get some of each but most of all you’ll be entertained.



Christian Anderson is Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Museum of Education at the University of South Carolina. He teaches and does research on the history of higher education and on higher education in popular culture.

The Seeing Place runs through October 5th at

Longstreet Theatre, 1300 College Street.

Purchase tickets here.





Meet Columbia Artist Renea Eshleman During Jasper's First Thursday at Sound Bites Eatery!

Join the Jasper Project and Sound Bites Eatery in welcoming our artist for the month of October, Renea Eshleman, by making Sound Bites one of your first or last stops during First Thursday this week!  And while you’re visiting us, why not grab a loaded grilled cheese, a twerky turkey sammy, or some delish spin dip with a glass of vino from the Sound Bites kitchen? It’s always a fun night at Sound Bites when you gather with friends, new and old, to celebrate an evening of art and good times!

About Our Featured Artist

Renea Eshleman writes, “I especially enjoy creating nature compositions from photographs I take while traveling around the beautiful state of South Carolina. I strive to lure the viewer into wanting to ‘be there’ in the painting to look for what is not obvious.  

“My art includes representational, dream compositions, and some objective abstract. Having begun painting in traditional transparent watercolor, I mostly paint and create collage on non-traditional surfaces using liquid and tube watercolor, gouache, acrylics, and self-printed papers.

“The traditional approach to painting watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media is where I know what the composition will be before I begin the painting. It is predictable. However, many times the process begins with loosely pouring or rolling paint onto the paper or a polypropylene sheet (called Yupo), gently manipulating the paint to blend colors, and making interesting textures, allowing the paint to dry, and developing the composition based on what the first layer suggests.

“This process allows me to combine imagined or suggested flora, fauna, insects, animals, and figures. Sometimes pieces begin with the pouring method hang in my studio for weeks or months before they ‘speak’ for development of the composition.

“This approach to making art provides wonderful opportunities for happy accidents, flexibility to adjust the composition, and intrigue in the work.”

Southern Gothic Festival: A Free Two-Day Festival Returns to Camden by Emily Moffitt

The Southern Gothic Festival is coming back to the cozy Broad Street of Camden, SC this October. For the fans of the spooky and esoteric, and anyone with a sense of morbid curiosity, this festival runs from the night of Friday October 10 through all of Saturday, October 11. A variety of panels featuring discussions of literature, history, and the occasional ghost tour await audiences either for free or for a nominal fee. Authors and journalists make up many of the headliners, and here are some highlights.

USC and Columbia’s own Julia Elliott, the author of beloved short story collection Hellions, novel The New and Improved Romie Futch, and the short story collection The Wilds, is participating in the panel Haunted Landscapes: The Supernatural in Southern Gothic Fiction on Saturday, October 11 at 11 a.m. in the Historic Camden Education Center, alongside other authors Nathan Ballingrud (North American Lake Monsters and Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell) and Lee Mandelo (Summer Sons and The Woods All Black). Topics of this panel will include subverting genre expectations, blending psychological depth with speculative elements, and drawing on regional mythology to create narratives that are as emotionally resonant as they are chilling.

At 2 p.m. on the 11th, award-winning novelist David Joy joins the festival for a conversation on the complexities of modern Southern identity through the lens of his most recent work, Those We Thought We Knew, and his earlier novel, When These Mountains Burn. Known for his stark, lyrical prose and deeply human characters, Joy explores themes of race, rural poverty, family, morality, and place–capturing the contradictions and weight of life in the contemporary South.

And for those more intrigued in the realm of true crime, two of the biggest cases in South Carolina’s history will receive their fair share of attention. Valerie Bauerlein, a Wall Street Journal Reporter and Writer, is conducting a panel about her book The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty at 12 p.m. on the 11th, and at 4 p.m., catch Dick Harpootlian, a veteran of the Columbia courtroom, discuss his experience prosecuting Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins and Harpootlian’s upcoming memoir about the ordeal, Dig Me a Grave.

For a full schedule of events for the two-day festival, visit the festival website at SouthernGothicFestival.com. The majority of the events are free to the public, including an opening street concert with Valentine Wolfe and Wasted Wine on the 10th at 7 p.m.

REVIEW: You’ll Leave Churched - Choir Boy Shines at Trustus Theatre By Jane Turner Peterson

I’ve been churched—and I loved it. That’s the only way to describe Trustus Theatre’s electrifying production of Choir Boy, a play with music that bursts with life, laughter, conflict, and harmony. Directed and choreographed by Terrance Henderson, this production is a moving, joyful, and thought-provoking journey that should not be missed.

The play begins at the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, an elite all-Black academy. It’s graduation day, and Pharus (John Ballard), a flamboyant and gifted junior, is chosen to sing a solo. When his performance is disrupted by Bobby Marrow (Jlynn Montgomery) and his sidekick Junior (Jamal Davis), who sling racial and homophobic slurs, Pharus falters. But in a dazzling recovery—equal parts comedic and defiant—he riffs his way through the interruption, instantly capturing the audience’s admiration. Ballard’s performance sets the tone for the evening: witty, vulnerable, and utterly captivating.

As the new school year begins, Pharus is named leader of the choir, sparking conflict with Bobby. Their battle of wills plays out against the larger expectations of Headmaster Marrow (William Paul Brown), who struggles to discipline his nephew Bobby while remaining fair to Pharus. Brown brings both authority and humanity to the role, portraying a man who is equal parts stern administrator and conflicted guardian.

The student ensemble is a highlight of the show. Montgomery gives Bobby a fiery intensity, making him more than just a bully—his commanding vocals and emotional depth reveal the layers beneath the bravado. Davis, as Junior, captures the hesitancy of a follower caught between loyalty and conscience. Jonathan Adriel’s AJ, Pharus’s loyal roommate, is portrayed with warmth and sensitivity; his friendship with Pharus is one of the production’s most touching threads. Daniel Mason shines as David, the deeply religious student torn between faith and desire. Mason’s vocals are rich and heartfelt, and his emotional honesty gives his performance a memorable weight.

Adding depth and humor to the mix is Larry Hembree as Mr. Pendleton, a guest professor who challenges the boys to think critically and independently. Hembree’s performance is a welcome blend of charm and gravitas, bringing levity to tense moments while grounding the story in its themes of growth and change.

The music of Choir Boy is its heartbeat, and under the musical direction of Kristin Claiborne with arrangements by Katrina Garvin, it soars. The cast delivers rousing renditions of spirituals like Eyes on the Prize and Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, alongside modern selections like New Edition’s Can You Stand the Rain. The harmonies are powerful and deeply moving—sometimes jubilant, sometimes haunting, always resonant. The music is not just accompaniment but storytelling in its own right, carrying the history, faith, and struggles of the characters.

Henderson’s direction and choreography tie it all together with artistry and precision. His infusion of prayer dance and stylized movement elevates the production, turning moments of conflict and celebration into something almost transcendent. The staging is fluid and alive, reinforcing the themes of identity, resilience, and community.

At nearly three hours, the production is a full evening of theatre, yet it never feels long. The pacing is sharp, the performances captivating, and the music unforgettable. By the curtain call, the audience is left exhilarated, reflective, and deeply moved.

Trustus Theatre has delivered a production that is both entertaining and meaningful. Choir Boy doesn’t just tell a story—it invites its audience to feel, to question, and to celebrate. In the end, you don’t just watch the show—you experience it. And when it’s over, you too will feel that you’ve been churched.

Choir Boy runs through October 12 at Trustus Theatre. Tickets are available at trustus.org or by calling 803-254-9732. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this extraordinary experience.

Craig Houston's Compositions Opening at City Art

WALK IN THE FOG By Craig Houston

City Art is pleased to announce our newest exhibition featured in the main gallery space: Craig Houston’s Compositions. The show will run between September 22nd and January 2026.

One of the important things to Craig Houston is seeing his art in the hands of those who truly appreciate and enjoy it. His style is continually evolving as well as his sense of color, technique, layering and texture. Craig’s paintings are the product of his education at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida in Commercial Illustration and Advertising.

Though he still does commercial pieces, his love is painting, both impressionist and abstractions.

Taking a concept or quick sketch and being able to make it come to life on board or canvas is a strong talent he possesses. Fighting the idea that the next painting is going to be his best, Craig isn’t willing to stop until he is pleased with it for himself. Large abstracts and non-representational art have produced a new-found freedom of expression in Craig’s work.

Realizing most of his free-form works have to get ugly to get pretty, helps keep his work fresh and prevents looking labored over. Putting paint down, stepping back, observing, and applying layers until the image starts appearing is his routine. His desire is to use his God-given talent to the max!

Please join us for an opening reception with the artist that will be held Thursday October 2nd from 5pm – 8pm. City Art Gallery is located at 1224 Lincoln St. in the historic Congaree Vista area in Columbia, South Carolina. For more information, contact City Art Gallery, at 803-252-3613. Visit online at www.cityartonline.com

Review: Workshop Theatre’s THE PRODUCERS

REVIEW: Workshop Theatre Delivers the Goods with The Producers Revival by Jerry Crouch

 This revival all-star production of The Producers at Workshop Theatre confidently confirmed the starring duet's promise last Saturday night with We Can Do It! after one showstopping number after another, peppered with Mel Brooks' signature, smart ass repartee as an added bonus! This reviewer, along with a cheering, fan base audience, barely had time to catch our breaths between sassy songs, delicious sight gags, dynamic dances, and adult only one liners. Seeing Workshop Theatre's The Producers is akin to eagerly awaiting reuniting with your raucous, raunchy high school classmates, anticipating you are going to laugh with longtime friends, recall hijinks, and remember wonderful, shared memories.

The Producers is a musical comedy adapted from Brooks' iconic 1967 film starring the legendary, comedic duo of Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. When Hello Dolly composer, Jerry Herman turned down Mel Brooks offer to compose music and lyrics for a proposed Broadway version of The Producers – Jerry's advice to Mel was simply “to do it yourself.” This advice led to a historic theatrical red-carpet trip for a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards and over 2,500 performances in 2001, ably aided by book writer, Thomas Meehan of Annie fame. But enough about Producers' hysterical history, let's get to the raves and reviews evident for Workshop's current production – lovingly revived from an earlier Workshop 2009 production! 

On Broadway, Mostel and Wilder were replaced by the masterful comic genius of Nathan Lane and the underwhelming star power of Matthew Broderick. Last night I witnessed the dawning of a supporting player rising to meet his leading man destiny as Max Bialystock in the charming, charismatic personage of Bill Bentley! The dapper, determined Bentley plays against the traditional frumpy character type and brings home the bacon in such energetic numbers as The King of Broadway, Along Came Bialy and the incredible tongue-twisting lyrics of Betrayed. And if ever an actor was meant to step into a divinely matched role – it is the pitch perfect Jack Bingham as the delightfully panic-stricken, blanket-addicted Leo Bloom! His lyric moments in I Wanna Be a Producer, Leo and Max and That Face are pure joy. Leo's romantic target is the long-legged, sultry Swede, Ulla played by veteran chanteuse, Katherine Margo Brown, making good on her proclamation promise that If You've Got It, Flaunt It! And she certainly did!

The Workshop supporting players in The Producers are all legendary community theatre icons in their own right --- Julian Deleon, Jerimy Woodall and Von Huber are a hoot and a holler with their very own spotlight steals - Jerimy as an ex-Nazi soldier making every moment count in his wicked songs In Old Bavaria and Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop (clog dancing with Max and Leo). Offer up Julian as the diva drag performer, Roger de Bris (worthy of RuPaul's Drag Race top crown) coupled with Von as his outrageous boy toy, the effusive Carmen Ghia. This fiery battling duo (with gay chorus of course) akin to the Village People's YMCA gay eighties anthem in Keep It Gay is rainbow bright. Add to this talent – a wealth of hungry, eager local celebrity ensemble members – among them Chris Kruzner [playing at least 46 cameo roles in a cast of only 23], Jennifer Kraus, Ed Davis, Sara Slaughter, Kelsey McGarrigan, Wayne Wright, Evan Cook and a talented parading chorus of sex-starved, investor grannies, auditioning pushy backstage stars and so, so very desperate Prisoners of Love. Special mention goes to Absalom Oliver whose committed high kick dancing was notable and lethal.

None of this polished brass irreverent hilarity is possible without a laser-focused Creative Team intent on sending the audience into a stratosphere of fevered, measured applause. That team is led by veteran director Hans Boeschen who keeps the fast and furious energy leveled at a hair's breadth balance greatly aided by Kathy Seppamaki and Josh Diveley serving as the superb Musical Director and excellent Assistant Director to Boeschen! The dynamic choreography for this production is by Workshop's Choreo Queen, Roxanne Livingston Rich and 'rich, inventive and outstanding' are only a few of the superlatives you can heap on her dances' strategic staging. Set Design and Costume Design are ably furnished by Patrick Faulds and lovingly satirized by Andie Nicks. Running it all from backstage is Amy Husmann, Stage Manager. And of course, none of this tribe would be present and accounted for without Workshop Theatre's resident den mother, Jeni McCaughan, their long time Executive Director with her Sound Board/Photographer husband, Dean McCaughan.

The Producers continues next Thursday, Friday and Saturday 
September 25-26-27 with 8:00 pm performances at Cottingham Theatre, 1301 Columbia College Drive, 29203. workshoptheatreofsc.com

 

 

Jasper Welcomes Rebecca Horne to the Lobby Gallery at Harbison Theatre

The Jasper Project is delighted to welcome the art of Rebecca Horne to the lobby gallery at Harbison Theatre, 7300 College Street in Irmo. The opening reception will coincide with an exciting concert by world renown vocalist Jennifer Holliday. The art reception will take place starting at 6:30 and is free to the public. Horne will be on hand to meet patrons and comment about her work. The Jennifer Holliday concert commences at 7:30 and tickets are available at the Harbison Box Office or here.

According to her website, “Rebecca Horne's love affair with art began in childhood, nurtured by the inspiring presence of her father, an artist himself. From a young age, she explored various mediums, from the vibrant strokes of oil and watercolors to the intricate details of landscapes, still life, and even pet portraits. However, it was in 2018 that Rebecca stumbled upon abstract mixed media art, a discovery that would ignite her creative fervor like never before.

“For Rebecca, art is more than just a hobby or a career—it's a calling, a spiritual experience that she feels compelled to pursue. "I'm compelled to make art. It's something I must do," she shares. "It's a spiritual experience for me. I feel like I'm working to connect to something divine and express the experience on canvas."
Embracing abstract mixed media art has provided Rebecca with the perfect avenue to unleash her creativity fully. She revels in the freedom this style offers, allowing her imagination to roam unrestricted as she experiments with textures, colors, and forms. Each piece is a testament to her boundless curiosity and relentless pursuit of beauty and uniqueness.

“What sets Rebecca apart is not just her choice of medium but also her distinctive process. She begins by layering texture mediums, sometimes mixing several, and incorporates embellishments while they are still wet. This meticulous approach demands patience and precision, as each layer is carefully crafted to contribute to the overall depth and complexity of the piece. The process can span several weeks, a testament to Rebecca's dedication to her craft.

“The result of Rebecca's labor is a collection of multidimensional artworks that captivate the imagination and stir the soul. Each piece exudes a graceful elegance, inviting viewers to explore beyond the surface and immerse themselves in the artist's world. Rebecca's artistic vision has not gone unnoticed, earning recognition on international platforms through juried shows, exhibitions, and publications. Her work serves as a testament to the power of art to transcend boundaries and speak to the innermost depths of the human spirit.

“As Rebecca Horne continues to push the boundaries of her creativity, her art serves as a reminder of the profound connection between the artist and the divine. Through her work, she invites us to embark on a journey of exploration and self-discovery, where beauty and meaning intertwine in harmonious expression.”

·         Saturday, September 20, 2025 — 6:30 PM 

Harbison Theatre

7300 College Street, Irmo

 

REVIEW: Village Square Theatre Offers a Magical Experience in Freaky Friday

By Jerry Crouch

Freaky Friday  is a Disney-style musical that opened last weekend at Village Square Theatre about a controlling mother and a rebellious teenage daughter who magically trade places for a single day. It is about how a magical hourglass that, when pulled wide open, creates a dazzling couple of hours in the actors' lives on stage, and at Sunday’s matinee, the audience was transported on a magical, musical trip complete with fabulous leading performances, a trove of talented teens, a beautiful, evolving stage set, energetic choreography, and a lively orchestra. The lesson learned from the production is that if we stopped to see the world through each other’s eyes we would discover true understanding within our modern, frantically busy families. 

That ever-changing quest first appeared in Mary Rodgers’ 1972 book Freaky Friday and in the subsequent four film adaptations, and is now captured again as this spunky musical from Disney Theatrical Productions, aiming its target in laser focus on the teen market. 

Served at a bright, spunky pace by director Robert Harrelson, Freaky Friday has a relentless pop score by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) and by book writer Bridget Carpenter.

Thanks to Harrelson and his capable stage designers, husband and wife team Raymond and Jacqueline Elling, scenes switch briskly between the household’s kitchen, a wedding reception prep area, outdoor locations, as well as various high school locales, and are ably aided by beautiful projections against the back scrim. The Ellings do double duty by also playing roles on stage throughout the show with Raymond playing the mom's intended beloved delivering a solid vocal solo in Act Two.

As the personality-switching mom, Katherine and her spunky daughter Ellie, local theatre veterans, Leighton Creed Mount and Eliza England, definitely have the vocal goods to deliver with multiple heartfelt duets and solos. Mount, in particular, is a theatrical force to be reckoned with in scene after scene poignantly conveying the mother's love and concerned commitment.

But the uber talented teens owned this Sunday matinee! Village Square Theatre veteran youths – Cash Conroy, Jack Carlton, and Mackenzie Bruder shone brightly as true professionals as boyfriend Adam, little brother Fletcher, and resident mean girl Savannah. For added coolness, boyfriend Conroy slickly and confidently rides the stage on a blinking hoverboard in a piece of choreography like a young matinee idol.

What fun it was to see Village Square Theatre adult veterans steal their well-deserved moments in the supporting roles spotlight – Kristin Ferrante, Carissa Ferro, Tammy Smith, Amanda Scott, Kory Taylor, Robin Saviola, Teresa McWilliams, and John Fetner! In particular, Smith, Ferrante and Ferro made each of their moments count in roles as Grandma Helene, Torrey, and Ms. Meyers.

No community theatre musical can succeed without its orchestra, choreographer, and backstage crew, so I also salute Music Director, John Norris, and his musicians; Choreographer, Krista Haidle, and her dance captains; and Stage Manager, Lindsay Brown, and her crew.

Village Square Theatre is located at 105 Caughman Road, Lexington, 29072 (803) 359-1436 — click here for reservations.

Remaining Village Square Theatre Performances
Friday, September 19 @ 7:30 PM (Cast Freaky)
Saturday, September 20 @ 7:30 PM (Cast Friday)
Sunday, September 21 @ 3:00 PM (Cast Freaky)
Friday, September 26 @ 7:30 PM (Cast Friday)
Saturday, September 27 @ 7:30 PM (Cast Freaky)
Sunday, September 28 @ 3:00 PM (Cast Friday)

Jerry Crouch is celebrating his onstage and directorial credits for 107 productions in Columbia, Atlanta, and Asheville over the last half century.

Recognizing Jasper's Play Right Series Community Producers

At the Jasper Project we’re all about new art and providing opportunities for new art by SC artists to come into existence. In addition to Jasper Magazine, my two favorite examples of this are our Play Right Series project and our 2nd Act Film Project, both coming up soon. But we couldn’t implement  either project without the support of our generous and devoted sponsors.

This Sunday, September 14th at 3 pm at Columbia Music Festival Association (914 Pulaski St.) we’ll celebrate the culmination of our 5th annual Play Right Series project with a highly staged reading of winning script, Busted Open, by Ryan Stevens. Ryan was one of a large number of SC writers who answered our call for new theatre art back in the winter of 2024. A panel of distinctive judges including Stan Brown, Jayce Tromsness, Linda Khoury, and Libby Campbell, who is also the coordinator of the project this year, selected Ryan’s play to be developed and workshopped this summer and ultimately brought to life via Sunday’s staged reading.

Some things about the Play Right Series you might want to know: In order to finance the project, which means pay the cast and crew, print copies of the play in book form registered with the Library of Congress, and other necessary incidentals, we invite community members (like you) to join the project as a Community Producer for a nominal fee of $250. Everyone who works on the project as an actor, director, or graphic artist is also paid $250 – so the money that comes in from Community Producers goes right back out to the artists involved.

So when I write that we couldn’t implement this project without the support of our sponsors (Community Producers and Artists Sponsors) I mean it literally and fiscally. Today I’d like to honor these Community Producers and publicly thank them for their trust in the Jasper Project to put their generous funds to good use.

The 2025 roster of Play Right Series Community Producers includes the following:

HUNTER BOYLE

LIBBY CAMPBELL

KRISTIN COBB

STAN CONINE

LARRY HEMBREE

BOB JOLLEY

HENRY LAKE

PERRY MCLEOD

SHEV RUSH

BILL SCHMIDT - ACTOR SPONSOR

WADE SELLERS

KIRLAND SMITH

JAMES SMITH

HEATHER STALKER

JON TUTTLE

AND ME

I hope you can join us on Sunday afternoon at 3 pm at CMFA (915 Pulaski) for the premiere staged reading of Busted Open by Ryan Stevens. Tickets are only $10 and may be purchased here or at the door.

Thank you to our Community Producers and to the cast and crew of Busted Open and to the hardworking Jasper Project board of directors . Thank you all for supporting Jasper and the Play Right Series and for believing in our mission to serve the greater Columbia and South Carolina arts communities by providing collaborative arts engineering and community-wide arts communication, committed to four integrated priorities:

  • Process – illuminating the unique processes endemic to all art forms in order to provide a greater level of understanding and respect for that discipline.

  • Community/Collaboration – nurturing community both within and between arts disciplines.

  • Narrative – creating a more positive and progressive understanding of SC culture.

  • Economy – being efficient stewards of arts funding committed to creating more with less.

 

TIDAL TRANSFORMATIONS: MY WORLD IN LINOCUT by LAURIE MCINTOSH Opens Wednesday at Stormwater Studios

Exhibit Wed, September 10- Sat, September 29. 

Open daily 11am-5 pm 

Sunday 2pm-5 pm

Stormwater Studios, 413 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC

Tidal Transformations features more than 60 works created using the linocut reduction technique, alongside mixed media pieces composed from the residual cleanup and cast-off materials generated during the printmaking process.

Laurie McIntosh is an accomplished South Carolina artist known for large, thematic bodies of work inspired by personal experience and visual exploration. She is the owner of Laurie McIntosh Art in Camden, SC—a working studio she established in 2016—and was formerly a member of Vista Studios/Gallery 80808 in Columbia.

Linocut reduction is a relief printmaking method where the artist carves a reverse image into a linoleum block, inks it, and prints it on paper. Layers are carved and printed sequentially in different colors, with each layer eliminating parts of the previous one. Because earlier layers cannot be changed once removed, the method is often referred to as “suicide printing.”

In 2023 McIntosh began noticing intriguing visual elements in the cleanup process and started creating mixed media works from the leftover paper and fragments generated during the reduction process.

“The design, planning, and execution of linocut reduction is an intricate and deliberate process,” says McIntosh. “Working with its byproducts gives me a chance to create from a more intuitive, spontaneous place.”

A South Carolina native, McIntosh earned a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of South Carolina and continued her training at the Center for Creative Imaging, the Penland School of Crafts, and other prestigious institutions. Her notable exhibitions include All the In-Between: My Story of Agnes, which inspired a companion art book in 2012; the South Carolina State Museum’s 30th Anniversary Juried Exhibition in 2019; and numerous juried, solo, public art projects and group shows throughout the state. In 2019, she was commissioned to design public art for Columbia’s COMET “Art Bus.” She returned to Stormwater Studios in 2023 with the solo exhibition Gatherings: My World in Linocut.

For more information on Laurie McIntosh, visit lauriemcintoshart.com. To learn more about Stormwater Studios, visit stormwaterstudios.org.




1714 Fair St.  
Camden SC  29020

Studio -1014 Broad St. Camden, SC

K. Wayne Thornley's A GATHERING OF CHAIRS at Jasper's Tiny Gallery Site is Selling Quickly!

K. Wayne Thornley is the kind of visual artist who keeps his patrons on their toes, never knowing what the innovative master-level artist will create next. His latest collection, A Gathering of Chairs, featured this month in the Jasper Project’s Tiny Gallery, is a perfect example. Comprised of nine unique depictions of chairs ranging in style from the beautiful chintz boudoir chairs to the functional and sturdy desk or dining chairs, and several in-between styles, this online exhibition meets the requirements of the Tiny Gallery series (pieces can be any medium but must be under 15” x 15” and under $200) and patrons are grabbing these little beauties fast!

Thornley is a mixed media artist whose work spans several media categories, but he spends most of his creative time as a painter, an assemblage artist, and a wire wrangler. His work has been juried into local, state, and national exhibitions across the U.S.

When not at his real job, Thornley works from his home studio in Columbia, SC. Recently, he has been teaching a series of project-based creativity classes, the ARTMAKERS BOOTCAMP series, with art partner Lucy Bailey.


Thornley says, “My work deals largely with the life-shaping power of memory, memory loss, and memory-imbued objects that ultimately become someone else’s detritus.”

This is my second time to be invited to show work in the Jasper Project Tiny Gallery. For me, it is an opportunity to do work slightly outside my normal themes. I’ve been wanting to do a series of chair paintings, so, using my usual materials and techniques, I’ve created these small works, a limited series I am calling “A Gathering of Chairs.” In the same way found or collected objects carry their history with them, chairs, whether heirlooms or institutional furnishings, reflect their own history through style, usage, ownership, and service. My hope is that one of these chairs sparks the viewer’s memory of a time, a relative, a place, or a feeling from their own collection of life experiences.

Thornley’s A Gathering of Chairs will be available for purchase online at Jasper’s Tiny Gallery site through September 30, 2025.

Visit the collection here.