REVIEW: Trustus Theatre's CABARET by Jane Turner Peterson

Come hear the music play!

Trustus Theatre’s production of the famous musical Cabaret grabs you from the beginning. The set is magical, with a perfect nod to the time period. It’s flashy and impressively transformative—big kudos to scenic designer Heather Hawfield and technical director Corey Langley for providing the perfect atmosphere. Director and choreographer Terrence Henderson has a huge hit on his hands. His direction and choreography are fluid and enchanting, and the dancing captures the bawdy spirit of the Kit Kat Club in1920s Berlin. Don’t go expecting the film version. This one is true to the original musical, and it’s fabulous.

Cabaret is based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. It was later adapted into a musical by Joe Masteroff. The story, masterfully narrated by Walter Graham (Master of Ceremonies), takes place in 1920s Berlin. It explores the difficult times the characters live in as Germany slowly bows to the Third Reich and its antisemitism. The use of multimedia to reinforce this issue and mirror it with today’s political climate was very effective and chilling.

Walter Graham as the Emcee

Then there are the love stories: Cliff, the young American writer, beautifully portrayed by Olan Domer, and Sally Bowles, the young British Kit Kat Club performer with a little “side hustle,” delightfully played by Elaine Werren.

Cabaret’s music is so iconic, and the vocals in this production did not disappoint. Walter Graham opens the show with a show-stopping version of “Willkommen,” giving the audience a taste of what is to come. Elaine Werren and the ensemble’s “Don’t Tell Mama” was powerful and fabulously choreographed. “Two Ladies,” sung by Werren and Domer, and “Money” were other favorites of the night, as was the best-known number, “Cabaret,” a rather sad rendition near the end of the show.

Robin Gottlieb and Hunter Boyle

The vocals in this production were amazing. It is impossible to pick a favorite. However, some of the best performances of the night came from long-time Trustus favorites Robin Gottlieb and Hunter Boyle, as the boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Both couple’s relationships are deeply affected by the horrors of the German occupation and the rise of the Nazis. Their scenes were dynamic and heartfelt. Lauren Lawson, as the “ever-entertaining” tenant at the boarding house, was perfectly delightful, with powerful vocals and a great sense of comic timing. Trustus’ technical director, Corey Langley, gave us the pleasure of seeing his acting chops with a very strong performance as the Nazi sympathizer Ernst Ludwig.

The entire cast was mesmerizing, with extremely strong dance skills and splendidly blended vocals. The ensemble includes Véronique Chayer, Carly Alexis, Te’Jah Beaton, Katherine Brown, Scarlett Heaton, Taylor McCullough, John Ballard, Chandler Musgrove, Collins McBeth, Billy McNeil, Hurshel Tanner, and Jarron Guy. Each performer had a strong, distinctive character, helping to make the story even more riveting.

Cabaret runs through October 25. Tickets are available online at trustus.org or by phone at 803-254-9732.

Although the show is a little long—nearly three hours—the time flies by. Make plans today before tickets are gone. You won’t be disappointed!

REVIEW: Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County's SHOCK

By Beth DeHart

Imagine a vertical line. On the left are all the things we do regularly—things we have done countless times. On the right are the things we have never done. The line itself represents the choice to take an action for the first time. Crossing that line can be a big step. The funny thing is, once we cross it, it becomes easier to cross again—sometimes until we hardly think about it anymore.

The Arts Center of Kershaw County’s Black Box Theater, in partnership with the Southern Gothic Festival, presents the world premiere of Shock, a new Appalachian Gothic tale written by Jack Calvin Hannah and Tim Caggiano—a story of secrets and survival. It explores what people sometimes do to survive when the thing they fear becomes real—sometimes even when that thing lives in the house with them.

Shock is a story of agreements, alliances, and collusion, but surprisingly, not judgment. Its characters are human and multilayered, challenging our tendency to label a person or circumstance as simply “this” or “that.” Instead, the play reminds us that our choices in each moment can affect our lives in ways we may never anticipate, setting us on trajectories we never see coming. In the end, perhaps the message is simple: choose wisely.

AYDEN COBB

Sadie Wiskes

Two young actors serve as the co-leads in Shock: Ayden Cobb as Donald Lewis and Sadie Wiskes as Jannice. Both take on substantial roles that demand not only strong performances, but also the ability to navigate complex and difficult subject matter. Cobb, in addition to his excellent acting, delivers two beautifully choreographed dance sequences that introduce and conclude the story. These moments are genuinely mesmerizing.

Sadie Wiskes, Ayden Cobb, and Debra Haines Kiser

The cast also features Debra Haines Kiser as Aunt Sally, Arthur Slade as Horace, and William Small as Tommy - all of whom deliver strong performances. Another memorable performance comes from Co-Director Larry Hembree in his Curtain Speech. In true Larry fashion, his pre-show remarks are a show in themselves, setting a lighthearted contrast for the darkness to come.

Kudos as well to Co-Director Perry Simpson; authors Jack Calvin Hanna and Tim Caggiano; and Nigel Grant, who composed the original incidental music.

As presented, Shock is a study in extremes. Among its characters we see kindness and malevolence, clarity and confusion, sanity, and madness. Those juxtapositions extend into the production itself: a witty Curtain Speech followed by a deeply dark story; that dark story presented under very bright lights; and an all-white cast accompanied by an all-Black band.

That last contrast is particularly poignant given our country’s complicated racial history. Within the context of this production, the band becomes a soothing balm against the darkness of the story. Applause to Delaney Dunn (bass), Kelcye Felder (percussion), Brianna Grant (vocals), Nigel Grant (guitar), and Jaston Hawes (piano). The band’s quiet, understated accompaniment provides welcome moments of relief from the heaviness onstage.

Even the stage crew gets its moments, donning plague doctor, and other masks during scene changes. Props to the stage and production support crew—Emily Deck Harrill, Jameson Gideon, Patrick Michael Kelly, River Lewis, Cam Mullikin, Kim Cooper, and Elizabeth Leverton—for helping bring this unusual production to life.

Shock runs October 2–10 at the Arts Center of Kershaw County. Tickets are available through the Center’s website. This is a fascinating way to kick off the autumn spooky season—and a production that may leave you thinking about the lines you have crossed, and the ones you have yet to cross.

Columbia Classical Ballet Takes the Stage and Tells Us All About the Actual Dancers Who Will Make this Performance Possible!

What a delight it was this morning to receive the contents of the newsletter below from Joseph Phillips, artistic director of Columbia Classical Ballet. In it he shares news of the upcoming production of Don Quixote at Koger Center for the Arts, gives us some background to make it more meaningful, and—most surprisingly from a Columbia-based ballet company—he gives credit where credit is due.

He writes about the dancers!

How refreshing to have an arts admin sing the praises of the artists he reles on to bring his production to life.

Kudos to Joseph Phillips and Columbia Classical Ballet for recognizing the ARTISTS performing rather than making the performance all about himself! And look for our article on Columbia Classical Ballet in the Fall 2026 issue of Jasper Magazine, releasing on Sunday November 8th with a 15th Anniversary Party at the Art Bar!

Here’s what Phillips wrote:

Hi everyone,

Columbia Classical Ballet dances Don Quixote three times this week at the Koger Center, October 1 and 2. Thursday and Friday mornings at 10, for schoolchildren from across the Midlands, with Lawrence Ogina and Johanna Yatco as Basilio and Kitri. Friday night at 7:30, with Lisa Kamiya and Luke Slavich as Kitri and Basilio.

Lawrence is in his fourth season with this company and a Principal Artist this year. Johanna joined us this season. I was one of her teachers in the Philippines, years ago, when I was directing there.

Sergei Zolotarev, our rehearsal director, set this ballet on the company in four weeks. He comes from the Mariinsky Theatre, where he rehearsed Don Quixote, and ours comes down from that staging. The company has been in the studio since the first of September, at the barre at 9:30, behind the glass at 610 Harden. Yuleanne Santos, Lawrence Ogina, Johanna Yatco, Zola Weinberg, Jolie Alonso, Dylan Tobias, Lindan Shivar, Amy Brooks, Bonnie Spafford, Catherine Sistrunk, Karina Zolotareva, Mollie Berk, and Eliza Blackwell. They came from Brazil, Kenya, the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, New York, and South Carolina. Eduardo Ramirez, Kiyomi Mercadante Ramirez, Leonardo Victorino, and Christina Duffy are dancing with us, along with five dancers from the University of South Carolina and students of the School of Columbia Classical Ballet.

For Friday night, I called Edward Ellison in New York and asked for two dancers. He sent Lisa Kamiya and Luke Slavich. They landed in Columbia on September 17 and were in our studio by eleven. They didn't bring their own Don Quixote. They learned ours, in the studio with the company. For these two weeks they're Columbia Classical Ballet.

Valeri Salnikov is dancing the Don. When I was a boy, I took class in his studio, down the same street, here in Five Points, and he coached me in one of the first Don Quixotes I ever danced. The sets are his too. He designed the backdrops and painted them himself. Look closely at the tavern scene. There's a toreador painted up at the top. The face is his.

Pat Moran's story on the company is in Wednesday's Post and Courier. Irene and I were on WIS, and Sergei and Mollie Berk were on ABC Columbia.

October 1 and 2 · Koger Center for the Arts

Thursday, October 110:00 am · school performance

Friday, October 210:00 am · school performance

Friday, October 27:30 pm · public performance

Tickets $10 to $40 for Friday night.

The morning performances are for schoolchildren from across the Midlands.

Buy tickets

REVIEW: Chapin Theatre Company's Holmes and Watson

Gerald McWilliams as Dr. John Watson (photo courtesy Glenn Farr)

This reviewer comes from a family of Sherlock-heads. My husband has an internal library of Arthur Conan Doyle-created facts, fictions, and solutions filed away somewhere in his soul and anytime the opportunity presents itself to him to visit that peculiar place, he is there. I knew he’d want to be part of the process of reviewing Chapin Theatre Company’s production of Jeffrey Hatcher’s Holmes and Watson on opening night.

His review? “I liked it!” He went on to say that it was a very nice night of community theatre, and this reviewer agrees.

It was nice to sit in Chapin Theatre Company’s cozy black-box theatre and enjoy the low-key production of a Sherlock Holmes spin-off tale set in 1894, three years after the infamous Reichenbach Falls incident recounted in Doyle’s The Final Solution. It was relaxed and casual and perfectly pleasant.

Directed by Glenn Farr, Holmes and Watson finds us at an asylum on an island off the coast of the UK where Holmes’ one-time consummate companion, Dr. John Watson, played exceptionally well by Gerald McWilliams, has been summoned. Watson is greeted by Dr. Evans, played by David Reed, and the multi-character player (Orderly/Moriarty/Inspector) which was performed last night by Nathan Dawson. Jami Steele Sprankle is there playing dual parts as the matron and the woman (big costume changes here – kudos – also, that was one excellent scream) and there are three potential and decidedly-undead Sherlocks played by Dennis Kacsure, Jeff Sigley, and Charles Zuber. Watson’s assignment is to discern who the real Sherlock is and take the audience along for the ride.

It was a fine ride and most people did not see the end coming!

While McWilliams demonstrates veteran-level chops on the stage, his fellow players are also quite good. As Dr. Evans, David Reed seems to have the lion’s share of lines—a daunting amount of memorization for several near-soliloquies delivered with very little flubs. Kacsur, Sigley, and Zuber, as the potential-Sherlocks, each hold their own well, with Zuber giving some of the best performances of the night without saying a word. There was very little movement on the stage—lots of standing in one place facing forward and saying lines in character. This reviewer would have enjoyed seeing a bit more action and interaction from the players. In such a dialogue-heavy play, interesting and engaging blocking can help draw the audience into the story. In its absence, one’s mind might wonder too much to things like the kind of shoes the characters are wearing. We quite liked those of Dr. Watson.

The set for the show was unusually minimalistic for a Victorian era staging, even for an off-shore asylum. The production relied primarily on back-wall projections of a train station, cell doors, etc. Having seen this type of projection employed at CTC before, they are a good choice for this cozy theatre space. The “live” depiction of Reichenbach Falls was very cool and seemed to please the audience a great deal.

A great mystery for this reviewer and guest was the horizontal black platform at the back of the stage which the actors had to step up to and down from repeatedly throughout the performance. We were not sure of its purpose and found the constant negotiation of the obstacle a bit distracting.

Costuming, by Sandy Steffen, was quite good, though the hair situation—both facial and other—was a little startling, particularly the wild wig worn by Dawson and the various degrees of muttonchops sported by several players. Steffen was not in charge of beard or hair effects.

All-in-all, Chapin Theatre Company’s Holmes and Watson accomplished what it set out to do—entertain and mystify. While not on the same excitement level as a Mary Poppins or a Godspell (and without a similar budget, I feel certain), it delivered a lovely little mystery via highly capable actors who seemed to love what they were doing. The energy from the joy and fun and commitment of these actors was palpable. Go see this show.

Holmes and Watson runs

September 25th through October 11th at

Chapin Theatre Company

830 Columbia Avenue, Chapin, SC

Tickets are available here or at chapintheatreorg

Midlands Light Opera Society Presents Hansel and Gretel - October 8 - 11

Maria Beery, Casiphia Wohlfeld, Evelyn Clary - photo by James Mabry

Midlands Light Opera Society is excited to present the opera Hansel and Gretel October 8 - 11 at Bethel UMC (4600 Daniel Drive) in Columbia.

This performance is an original English adaptation of the opera using Humperdinck's beautiful music with a fresh new libretto and dialogue by Evelyn Clary. It is suitable for all ages.

Hansel (played as a child by Lina Cordova and as a teen by Evelyn Clary) and his sister Gretel (played as a child by Lilith Clary and a teen by Casiphia Wohlfeld) have lived happily in their village with their Papa (Roddey Smith) and Mutter (Bethany Cely), until an evil witch (Maria Beery) has terrorized the town by kidnapping children. Hansel and Gretel are tired of being safely stuck inside their home, so they decide to venture into the woods to destroy the witch. They are watched over by the Sandman (Patrick Pilat) and Dew Fairy (Laura Hutchins). Can these two kids beat the witch and save their town? You'll have to come see to find out!

Rounding out the cast are townspeople Alexandra Agee, Liz Barrett, Abigail Brandt, Chavous Camp, Helen Camp, Robin Dorfer, Bob Folts, Annya Glass, Tilly Haynes, Alex Mabrey, Janice Mabrey (who is also a flute soloist), Bri Palmer, Daisy Palmer, Ember Rucker, and Amelia Schmidt.

This opera is directed by Hollie Smith, musically directed by Grant Hamby, accompanied by Lucinda Shields, costumed by Rob Richards, choreographed by Maria Beery, and produced by Evelyn Clary.

Performances are Thursday 10/8 and Friday 10/9 at 7:30; and Saturday 10/10 and Sunday 10/11 at 3:00.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for seniors, students and children, and can be purchased online (link will be up in September), or at the door with cash, check or card. Opening night (Thursday 10/8) will be pay-what-you-can. We will be selling concessions as well. Friday through Saturday, we will have concessions by The Baking Wench.

Our venue is handicapped accessible.

3rd Annual Southern Gothic Festival in Camden Has a Blood-Curdling Lineup! Oct. 9 & 10

The third annual Southern Gothic Festival returns to Camden on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, bringing together acclaimed authors, historians, storytellers, podcasters, musicians, and investigators for a thoughtful—and suitably spooky—exploration of the South’s darker side.

Set among the historic streets and famously haunted places of South Carolina’s oldest inland city, the festival considers Southern Gothic in both its literary and supernatural forms.

Programs will explore how contemporary writers continue a tradition shaped by eccentricity, moral complexity, inequality, religious fervor, and troubled history, while also celebrating the ghosts, legends, folklore, and uncanny landscapes that remain part of Southern culture.

According to Amy Schofield, Kershaw County Library Director, “The idea started with a suggestion from Robb Hinson, who works the front desk at the Camden Library and is an unapologetic book pusher. Excited about recently attending a Grady Hendrix book reading, Robb suggested the concept. From there, it's been a library effort every year with help from staff and volunteers, and support from our Friends group, the Arts Commission, Historic Camden, and the City of Camden.”

Schofield continues, “Each year of the Southern Gothic Festival has brought a different kind of excitement. The first year, we wondered if anyone would come; the second, we wondered if we could successfully turn it into a larger, two-day festival—and now, in our third year, I’m cautiously confident enough to simply be excited about what we’ve put together. We have an extraordinary range of writers, musicians, storytellers, podcasters, and historians exploring everything from contemporary Southern horror, folklore, and haunted houses to race, masculinity, true crime, and the continuing influence of writers like Edgar Allan Poe.” But, more than anything, she says, “I’m excited that the festival keeps expanding the conversation about what Southern Gothic means today while still being a really fun place to spend a couple of days immersed in the darker, stranger corners of the South.”

The festival begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Broad & Vine with “Agnes of Glasgow: The Legend and Lore,” featuring Brandon Schexnayder, creator and host of the acclaimed Southern Gothic podcast. The podcast combines careful historical research with atmospheric storytelling to investigate the history behind the South’s legends and hauntings.

Agnes is said to have traveled from Scotland to Camden during the American Revolution in search of her fiancé, a British soldier, only to die before finding him. Buried in Camden’s Quaker Cemetery, her spirit is still said to wander nearby, continuing her search. Schexnayder will discuss the research behind a new podcast episode devoted to Agnes, examining what can be documented, how the story has changed across generations, and what local ghost stories reveal about the communities that preserve them.

Broad & Vine will be open during the free program, with food and beverages available for purchase. No tickets or reservations are required.

Friday evening continues at 6:45 p.m. with a free outdoor concert by Valentine Wolfe and the Southern Gothic Opera Company at the Rutledge Street Green Space. The Greenville-based ensemble combines haunting soprano vocals, keyboards, electronics and electric upright bass in music inspired by gothic literature, classical traditions and heavy metal. According to Schofield, “Valentine Wolfe brings a genuinely Gothic musical sensibility, including a preview of music they will feature at the Harbison Theater later in October as part of the Southern Gothic Opera Company. I’ve given the bluegrass band The Mill Hands a cheerful assignment of digging through their bluegrass repertoire for murder ballads and the darkest songs they can find. They’ll also help kick off the last show of Shock, an original Southern Gothic play at the Arts Center of Kershaw County, one of several venues this year alongside Historic Camden, the Revolutionary War Visitor Center, and downtown Camden.

Historic Camden will also offer its ticketed Southern Gothic Lantern Tour beginning at 7 p.m.Saturday features a full day of concurrent programs examining Southern writing, history and storytelling. Bestselling author Karen White will discuss the historic homes, family secrets and ghosts behind her popular Tradd Street and Royal Street novels, set in Charleston and New Orleans.

“We have an extraordinary roster,” Schofield says. “For readers of contemporary horror, we have always had something. We started with one horror writer, had four our second year, and this year we have eight, writing everything from folk and body horror to slashers and more experimental forms. At the same time, writers including David Joy, Jason Mott, Ray McManus, and Scott Gould will explore the larger tradition of Southern writing and the ways it continues to wrestle with race, masculinity, history, and place. We’ll have haunted tours and ghost stories, certainly, but also serious conversations about the things that continue to haunt the South.”

Award-winning authors Jason Mott and David Joy will join South Carolina poet Ray McManus for “Southern Man: Race and Masculinity in Southern Writing,” exploring how race, class, violence, history, and identity shape their work and the lives of men in today’s South.

In “New Monsters: Contemporary Fears in Horror,” Michael Wehunt, Clay McLeod Chapman, Tanya Pell, and Chris Panatier will consider how horror transforms modern anxieties—including misinformation, technology, aging, trauma and mental illness—into new forms of the monstrous.

Other literary programs will examine the continuing evolution of Southern Gothic. “Haunted Landscapes” brings together Yah Yah Scholfield, Julia Elliott, and Robert Gwaltney to discuss magical realism, folklore, and the uncanny places that inhabit contemporary Southern fiction.

In “Beyond the Grotesque: The New Southern Gothic,” Lindy Ryan, Andy Davidson, Nathan Ballingrud, and Scott Gould will explore how the tradition now reaches into horror, humor, historical fiction, literary fiction, and science fiction.

Poe scholar Dr. Scott Peeples and horror author Clay McLeod Chapman will consider Edgar Allan Poe’s Southern roots and continuing influence in “Poe and Place: The Original Southern Gothic.” A related display of Victorian mourning jewelry presented by author and living historian Kim Poovey will be open from 2 to 5 p.m.

The festival will also celebrate the South’s oral traditions. USC professor and storyteller Nancy Tolson and Craig Dominey of The Moonlit Road will discuss folklore and the enduring influence of African American storytelling, concluding with a live story by Tolson.

“Where History Meets the Unexplained” will explore Carolina cryptids, paranormal sightings, and the research, history, and traditions behind regional legends.

One of the day’s most serious programs, “Behind the Headlines: The Susan Smith Case,” will revisit the investigation and trial that captivated the nation in 1994. Camden Mayor Vincent Sheheen will moderate a conversation with prosecutor Tommy Pope, former SLED Chief Robert Stewart, and Mark Brandenburg, who served as clerk to the presiding judge. The panel will reflect on the investigation, media coverage, and the case’s lasting impact on South Carolina.

Scott Gould

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, visitors can also meet independent and regional authors. Local favorite Miles Gardner will offer books, including Murder and Mayhem in Kershaw County. South Carolina writers include Julia Elliott, a recent winner of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, whose magical realism transforms familiar Southern landscapes, and Scott Gould, whose work celebrates deep family connections and small-town Southern life. Arcane Carolinas will bring its knowledge of Carolina cryptids and regional lore, while other participating authors will offer ghost stories, horror, history, and fiction grounded in recognizably Southern experiences.

A vendor market will feature gothic ceramics, jewelry, artwork, and unusual merchandise, while Books on Broad will offer books by featured authors. Food trucks will be available, and visitors can also explore downtown Camden’s restaurants, coffee shops, and a variety of retail experiences.

The Millhands

Saturday evening begins at 6 p.m. with “Dark Strings,” a free performance by Columbia bluegrass band The Mill Hands featuring Appalachian murder ballads and mournful mountain songs—the kind of music that might once have been heard in Camden’s nearby mill villages.

The festival concludes with two ticketed partner events: the Fine Arts Center’s original play SHOCK at 7 p.m. and Haunts and Spirits at Historic Camden at 7:30 p.m. According to Chad Henderson, Executive Director of the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, “ We are absolutely delighted to partner with the Southern Gothic Festival to bring Shock to the Arts Center’s Black Box. There is something meaningful about collaborating with a festival that celebrates such a distinctive part of our Southern culture and imagination, while also welcoming longtime Camden theatre favorite Larry Hembree back to direct.” He continues, “Larry has been an important and beloved part of this community’s theatrical life, and we’re thrilled to have him leading this production. Partnerships like this are what make the Arts Center so special —bringing together talented artists, community traditions, and new creative experiences for our audiences to enjoy together.”

Most Southern Gothic Festival events are free and require no reservations. Complimentary shuttles will operate from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday among Historic Camden, the Revolutionary War Visitor Center, the Arts Center, and downtown Camden.

Together, the festival’s programs celebrate something Southerners have long understood: places hold stories. Some are carefully documented, some are passed from one generation to the next, and some may still be wandering just beyond the edge of the light.

“What I love is that the festival has become big enough to ask a question we’ve been interested in from the beginning: What is Southern Gothic now?” says Schofield. “We want to honor the literary tradition, but we also want to explore how contemporary Southern writers, artists, and storytellers are expanding it—who gets to tell these stories, what histories need to be confronted, what still frightens us, and why the South remains such fertile territory for stories that are dark, strange, funny, and sometimes beautiful. This year feels like our fullest exploration of that question yet.”

For the most up-to-date information visit the Southern Gothic Festival website here.

Jasper Welcomes Artist Patrick Parise to our Nook Gallery in the Koger Center for the Arts + Black Nerd Mafia

The Jasper Project’s newest resident artist in The Nook Gallery is Patrick Parise! Parise’s work will be on display through October 11 over at the Koger Center, and we cordially invite you to stop by for the opening reception on September 17, from 5:30 – 7 p.m.

Jasper will be on site both inside by the gallery and outside during the Koger Center Presents: Levitt AMP Columbia Music Series concert this Thursday, featuring Black Nerd Mafia. Light snacks will be provided inside, but you can grab a drink from the concert concessions outside and bring it in while you experience Parise’s artwork in person.

All paintings in the exhibit are for sale, and during the reception, Parise will also have some additional etchings available for purchase in Jasper’s Nook Gallery on the Koger Center’s second tier.

About the Artist: “When I was young,watching my mother and others paint, it moved me toward wanting to learn more about painting to pursue an art career,” Parise writes. “As a young student thinking only as a painter and sculptor, I never contemplated other ways to make my art. Over the years, oils, and acrylics have been my main mediums, but some newer works are with enamels. Landscapes will always be my favorite subject matter, but I have never shied away from an abstract thought. In my junior year as an undergraduate I was introduced to printmaking, and my entire world changed about making art. Whether etching plates to make limited editions, mono-prints, mono-types, or working a lithograph, a wood block, or a mixed media piece, I began to see the beautiful and innovative ways I could create work with this new medium. So instead of graduate school, I jumped right in and purchased a Charles Brand Etching press and opened my own studio, Southern Printworks, where I have continued to paint and make original prints for over 30 years. I guess we all have a moment of truth on how to pursue a creative path, and by committing to this large purchase, it was my moment of truth. I understand now it was the only choice because, to this day, I haven’t looked back.”

“Over the years I have realized you can spend your art career focusing on the nuance of one process, which many artists find very rewarding. Or you can use that information and leap into the unknown, in new directions, to learn other mediums and to change things up,” Parise continues. “With my paintings, I use varied surfaces - canvas, paper, panels, and plexiglass – and vary the subject matter among landscapes, florals, and abstracts – keeping things interesting for me and the viewer. With printmaking, I often introduce color into my limited-edition etchings, using acrylic washes to create a stronger original print. I use multiple etched plates to produce dynamic images with unique combinations of color, shapes, and design to create one-of-a-kind monoprints or, painting on metal and plexiglass allowing me to create one-of-a-kind mono-types. Printmaking, painting, and sculpture are the mediums I will continue to focus on and I will see where it leads me. So here I am, years later, still learning and developing innovative ways to make my art and trying to become a better artist along the way. It has been a fun ride, so far. Enjoy!”

REVIEW: Jon Tuttle Reviews Dear Evan Hansen at Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County

“So Big/So Small”: Evan Hansen Takes Camden

Kyle Mayson with Dominic Coletti

The Arts Center of Kershaw County describes its production of Dear Evan Hansen as “a remarkable musical about loneliness, belonging, and our very human longing to be seen and understood,” and all of that’s true, but let’s say it’s about much less.

Let us say, oddly, that this is a show about only its production elements—the scene design, the lighting and sound and so on—and presents, therefore, as a hyper-techno-cyberscape in which people exist only as extensions of their gadgetry. The set is spare, cold, consisting primarily of television monitors on which are displayed representations of a remote dimension: a suburb, a lawn, a bedroom, a school, a toaster, a coffee maker. On the proscenium curtains and flat black surfaces appear The Matrix-like, computer-code-looking social media posts while, between beats, electronic beeps and bloops remind us that our lives are now virtual. At times, a laser-like grid appears, graphing the world like a brutalist wall of windows through which we all desperately wave or, on one particularly stirring occasion, fixing a crosshairs on the broken heart of our distraught, eponymous protagonist.

Upstage, on a riser, with no attempt to disguise it, is the band, consisting of eight fine musicians (Katie Miller, Patty Boggs, Cully Salehi, Kathryn O’Shields, Dottie Hanlin, Nigel Grant, Kevin McKinney, and Christopher Cockrell who, pro that he is, conducts from the keyboard.)  No attempt is made to create a mise-en-scène that is what we’d call realistic. Rather, this production channels Brecht in that it constantly shows us that we are always being shown something—that these characters are not people but figments, and that by extension we are all just ghosts in a machine. To sum up: this medium is the message. It’s all stunning and disturbing.

Even before the lights come down, fans of director Chad Henderson (who is also the Arts Center’s Executive Director) will immediately recognize his virtuosity. Since his days helming Columbia’s Trustus Theatre, he has solidified a reputation for pushing the limits of the theatrically possible. Here, he is aided ably by lighting designer Sebastian Liafsha, sound engineer Cam Mullikan, media designer Chris Harre, and other members of his crew. He also masterfully choreographs a cast of veterans and newcomers from around the midlands who provide the play with what it desperately needs: a soul.

On which note, let us now say, incorrectly, that this production of Dear Evan Hansen is only about parenting, particularly the agony endured by Larry and Cynthia Murphy, who have recently lost their teenage son Connor. Dad’s coping mechanism is a refusal to feel anything, while Mom’s consists of the nearest available trends—Pilates, eastern mysticism, farm-to-table organics. As played by Kevin Bush, who commands every stage he sets foot on, and Jennifer Erickson, for whom this role is a debut, Larry and Cynthia break our hearts by trying to steel their own. So poignant as to leave bruises is their attempt to replace their lost son with our distraught, eponymous protagonist.

Meanwhile, our protagonist’s mother Heidi (played here by Brittany Hammock, of whom this reviewer can never speak highly enough) is a study in maternal resilience, having been abandoned by her husband and left to juggle jobs and coursework and housework with the needs of her damaged son. Her song “So Big/So Small,” in which she swears never to abandon him, is just as heart-rending as Larry’s serenade to late son’s baseball glove. To sum up: if this production of Dear Evan Hansen were about nothing else, it would be about the futility of trying to raise healthy children in a world that isolates them in their rooms and reduces them to beeps and bloops and tweets and likes.

Kevin Bush

Kyle Mayson with Brittany Hammock

If that’s all there was—if Dear Evan Hansen were about only its production values and parenting—it would never have moved to Broadway and won six Tony Awards, including best musical, best score and best book for its creators Benj Pasik, Justin Paul, and Steven Levenson. Nor would the Washington Post have called it “One of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history.”  It would be unspeakably bleak.

It is not. It’s actually quite charming at times even hilarious as it confronts what Henderson calls “our fundamental need for real human connection. It explores that need through the lens of social media and online communication, revealing how these tools can sometimes become an unhealthy substitute for genuine relationships.”  Henderson licensed the play for his September slot to “start the season off with a bang” and to give his audience the opportunity not just to witness good theatre, but to “participate in it. There’s something especially powerful about experiencing this story live: in a play about the challenges of connecting with one another, the audience, the cast, and musicians are all sharing the same human experience together in the same room.”

That room, as the play begins, is the bedroom of its distraught, eponymous protagonist, a high schooler hobbled by awkwardness, hopelessness, and friendlessness. He, Evan, is discovered writing letters to himself—an exercise recommended by this therapist to buoy his drowning spirits. From the very top, then, Dear Evan Hansen announces itself as a play about a boy trying to befriend himself. As it goes, it becomes a valentine for anyone who has ever felt the same, which, judging from the ovation it received on opening night in Wood Auditorium, is everyone.

The inciting incident is, figuratively and perhaps literally, a bang: the death, by his own hand, of the aforementioned Connor, whom we get to know only briefly as a callow jerk. But then, as the play continues, we reinterpret him as an outcast who, in a world full of fashionable influencers, never stood a chance. As played by Dominic Coletti, for whom this is also a debut, and a fine one at that, Connor is not callow but so embittered by isolation that he must mete out his revenge on himself.

The rest of the first act traces the machinery of myth-making—the resurrection of Connor as a saintly but misunderstood martyr. It is Evan who, inadvertently and reluctantly, spearheads this Connor Project, as it is called. Abetted by fellow cultists Jared Klineman (Sam Siceloff) and Alana Beck (Jayda Bracey), Evan spins himself in a web of deceit woven partly from his own good intentions and partly from our culture’s hypocritical insistence on lionizing its casualties. Their collective desire for visibility drives them to such absurd extremes as an online fund-raising scheme to purchase an orchard.

The orchard is crucial but hard to explain. It is, let us say, a real place, but extinct now, defunct. It is therefore the old world, the organic, Edenic world, where grew the very apple of knowledge which destroyed it. The orchard is a brilliant device that reminds us of all we’ve lost, which is our innocence, our minds, and our way.

In the second act, Evan’s rise to social prominence not only necessitates his fall but quite wonderfully complements it. Sure, he manages to score a beautiful girlfriend, but she is Zoe, Connor’s own sister, who would be devastated if his subterfuge were revealed. Tension becomes panic. No wonder, then, that Evan eventually appears in a bland hoodie very much like the one worn by Connor: they are melding. Evan is about to lose his grip—or let go.

One of the most wonderful ironies in the play is that, for a boy trying desperately to like himself, he has an audience full of fans who adore him. This is owing to actor Kyle Mayson, who embodies Evan magnificently. Mayson is, according to his bio, a theatre veteran of eight years. In that time, he has clearly mastered timing, posture, pitch, timbre, gesture—everything necessary to inhabit a goofy, endearing, lost soul without appearing merely to imitate one. To sum up: Mayson is a revelation and well worth the price of admission.

Zoe, his romantic counterpart, is played by Bella Coletti Pender. You’d think that all this young talent might render this production sometimes clunky and amateurish. You would be mistaken. Guided, presumably, by Henderson’s high standards, Pender and the other actors engage us as recognizable, realistic characters trapped in a synthetic world.

Are there problems? Sure. Not all the actors hit all their consonants. Sometimes, volume levels between those playing and those singing are in conflict. And, as for the writing, more jaded viewers might object to the play’s reliance on such platitudes as “everybody matters.” 

What is equally true, however, and what Evan Hansen is really about, is that everybody fabulates. It’s a theme that runs through plays as disparate as The Iceman Cometh, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and The Playboy of the Western World: our identities are built on lies. How else could we survive?

Dear Evan Hansen runs at the Arts Center of Kershaw County on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (and one Sunday) through September 26. Admission is $30 and up.

Tissues are encouraged.

Tickets available here.

Jon Tuttle is author of The Trustus Collection (2019) and editor of South Carolina Onstage (2024).

Photography by Perry McLeod.

REVIEW: Town Theatre's Come From Away by Paul Smith

Opening last Friday at Town Theatre, Come From Away takes the audience into a swirling storm of emotion, moments of heartbreak and triumph as we are transported back to the events of September 11th, 2001, and invited into the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, where, for a short period of time the world is turned upside down.

A period piece, Come From Away is a musical set during the week of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. This true story follows Operation Yellow Ribbon, a Coordinated effort by Transport Canada to divert all international flights into various Canadian airports after the US closed its airspace. The little slice of this story that we are privy to takes place in Gander, an island in the Newfoundland Province whose population of 9,000 quickly doubled when 38 aircraft landed in their airport.

The audience sees the stories of the townsfolk who are working as hard as they can to accommodate 7,000 people from around the world as they learn to communicate with each other and make space for people with very different diets and religious beliefs.

The other side is the story of the people on the planes. The audience sees little snippets of people's lives who were drastically changed in the wake of 9/11. There is love, loss, and almost everything in between. For approximately 5 days Gander became one of the most multicultural places in the world.

The Cast of Town Theatre’s Come From Away does an amazing job of telling this story, and their success starts with the foundation of any good theatrical show, the ensemble which, in this case, has admirable structure and chemistry. This musical goes at a lightning-fast pace, punctuated by the actors putting on and removing their jackets to swap characters in record speed. The actors are always supporting the scene, allowing each moment to have weight and depth. There are many different dialects and accents in this musical and although there were a few questionably delivered lines, the cast does a fine job with their accent work.

As I sat down in my seat in the theatre I was handed a CAE Passport Booklet with some interesting items inside: A leaflet about Columbia Metropolitan Airport, a coupon for parking at the airport, and a little blank notebook. Town Theatre’s performance of Come From Away was sponsored by CAE and this was their novel idea of creating an immersive element for the production. It was nice to have something physical to hold onto. At first, I just felt like I had a ticket to board this journey to Gander with everyone else in the audience. However, upon reflection, I feel like this was a missed opportunity to personalize the passports with the names of the passengers on the aircrafts or something more specific to the show itself. As it is right now the packet feels a more like the free stress ball you often receive at the start of a business seminar.

Come From Away features some outstanding performances from Megan Anderson (Diane) and Jeremy Hansard (Nick) whose characters find love in an unexpected place; Raymond Elling (Claude), who plays a convincing mayor whose presence commands the space; Emily Banks (Bonnie) who tells the story of taking care of all the animals on the planes, finding beautiful highs and lows within her character; and Rebecca Seezen (Beverley), who tells the true story of the first female pilot for American Airlines, Beverley Bass. I was impressed by Michael Seezen(Oz), whose characterizations and specificity found the audiences drawn in every time he was out on stage.

Every actor in this show has moments where they shine, including Brianna Grant, Inaara Jadavji, Jennifer Kraus, Paul Lindley, Jacob Kirby, and Jerimy Woodall.

The Cast is supported by an excellent live band consisting of Gage Banks, James Ibson, Linnea Hahn, Mary Lee Taylor, Kinosian, Bert Ligon, Kris Phelps, and Gloria Wright. In a musical where the pace never slows, the band never missed a beat.

The set design by Jeremy Hansard and Shannon Scruggs was purposefully very bare and used rolling chairs and tables to create different settings and set pieces. At the back of the stage were piles of luggage which, thanks to Gina Jarvin, cleverly conceals props which could be accessed at a moment's notice.

Dell Goodrich served as costume designer. It feels odd to call a musical set in 2001 a period piece but the clothing was carefully considered and crafted to bring the audience back 25 years to the start of the 21st century.

No production could work without the crew and this musical runs smoothly thanks to the efforts of the stage manager Chelsey Art, Assistant Stage Manager Reid Moser, and crew members Mat Eberhardt, Nae Houghton, and Troy King.

The Music Director Lou Boeschen also did a fine job making sure the music had its breakout moments but also underscoring the scenes when it needed to. A lot of the dialogue is spoken over the ensemble singing and it is done in a way that is audible to the audience and accentuates the tone and feeling of the piece.

Shannon Willis Scruggs directed this production of Come From Away. Through her vision, the cast and crew of this show told a story of selflessness, unity, and the resilience of the human spirit.

I strongly recommend seeing Come From Away! In a world constantly being divided by foreign policy and big political forces bashing heads against heads, this story shows us that when an emergency knocks us off course, we find that human connection is stronger than any tragedy.

Come From Away is running from Aug 28th to Sept 13th. Ticketing Information can be found on https://towntheatre.com/.

Come from Away is a 2013 musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein..

REVIEW: Lemonade: A Fresh Pressed Musical at Trustus Theatre

After the applause and the final bows Saturday night for Trustus Theatre’s World Premiere of Lemonade: A Fresh Pressed Musical (Jesse Corbin – playwright, composer, lyricist) my friend who attended the play with me looked at me and said, “What did we just see?”

To be candid, I’m still trying to figure that out, but here are some of the pieces of the puzzle we’re working with.

We saw a beautiful set, far more complex than we typically see for a late summer Trustus production; the unofficial time when the theatre typically stages its biennial Playwrights’ Festival for new works. Kudos to USC-based theatrical designer Jim Hunter for this lovely work. (Note: the Trustus website explains that the next Playwrights’ Festival returns in 2027.)

We heard an elaborate and highly professional score, stunningly executed and punctuated with tight harmonies and exceptional vocals.

We witnessed the well-done work of a roster of some of Columbia’s best behind-the-scenes artists including Chris Harre, Marc Hurst, and Colleen Kelly.

We read from a playbill that listed an assortment of additional SC-based theatre artists mixed into a large pot of non-local Equity actors, all of  whose performances were almost flawless.

But it’s the final two puzzle pieces that still leave me scratching my head and trying to figure out what we saw. For one thing, we saw fine actors working from a script that, surprisingly, seemed to have been written for an audience of adolescents sometime during Reagan’s 1980s. I sincerely hate to use such harsh words to describe any piece of art, but the ones that come most easily to mind are vapid and platitudinous. As for the second confounding puzzle piece, we witnessed the results of apparent advice from director Marlo Hunter that must have asked those fine actors to lean into the awkwardness of the early teenage years with as much geekiness as they could muster.

The quality was there but the framework upon which all these fine attributes were draped was so far removed from the typical Trustus faire of incisive, cutting-edge, and thought-provoking performances that, scene after scene, it felt more and more off-balance and out-of-place.

Here’s why.

The story of Lemonade: A Fresh Pressed Musical is simple. Very simple. Two friends fresh out of the 8th grade plan to continue their tradition of running a summer lemonade stand but, this year, they are also competing for the award of being the best of the area’s summer youth businesses. These are the Good Guys.

Their nemesis is a Mean Girl who cheats, generally plays dirty, and who has forcefully recruited two newbies to her team selling “homemade” cookies and giving away free milk. They are the Bad Guys.

After a few minor confrontations, the Good Guys start to play dirty, too, just like the Bad Guys, but ultimately they give in to their collective moral compass and suggest a compromise with the Bad Guys, who immediately agree to work together. And then the play is over.

Well, there are actually a couple of undeveloped, nonessential subplots that, further developed, could lead to a more interesting and challenging play.

In the first, the Mean Girl has two rich dads (hello 21st century) who we never see and know little about except that they can afford a “priceless Baccarat” platter because they got rich off of milk money and, big reveal, they are getting a divorce.

The second subplot involves the lead character’s dead dad and his widowed mom who has recently re-entered the dating scene. We do see and hear from this parent, but always in relation to her role as the parent. We know little about her life or desires or the nebulous Mike with whom she occasionally goes out.

That’s it.

Throughout the play, my friend and I waited patiently for the added conflict, the complexity, the twist, the deeper metaphor that would make this story more compelling. Unfortunately, it did not come.

What did come our way was a stellar cast (kudos to USC grad Taylor McCullough who returns to the Trustus stage after a successful run in Urinetown: The Musical), many of whom surely must have been directed to take the gawkiness of being an 8th-grader (or the parent of an 8th-grader) and turn it up a notch, or two, or three. Think Andy Samberg portraying a 13-year-old in an SNL sketch that is supposed to make us laugh at the character. It was odd, a little off-putting, and staggeringly out of place on the Thigpen Main Stage, and I couldn’t help but wonder how founders Jim and Kay Thigpen would have responded to this play. (Happily, Trustus opens their season with the always-spicy Cabaret in September, followed by such titillating titles as The Niceties and Dear Evan Hansen later in the year.)

Sadly, Lemonade just didn’t work for this reviewer despite the best and successful efforts of the cast and crew.

Still, as always, congratulations to Trustus Theatre for facilitating and producing new work. This doesn’t happen enough, especially not in SC. Clearly, a lot of financial and physical energy went into bringing Lemonade: A Fresh Pressed Musical to the stage. But having been beaten over the head throughout the evening with the banality of the singular old adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” a saying that many if not most of us respond to with annoyance, the script and its message fell on battered eyes and ears. The problem with the repetitive application of this exhausted metaphor in Lemonade: A Fresh Pressed Musical is that while there was little added sugar in the mixture, there was more than enough saccharine to go around.

See Lemonade: A Fresh Pressed Musical at Trustus Theatre through August 30th For tickets visit the Trustus website at TRUSTUS.ORG.

More About the Cast of The Counting Table by DK Turner (& ticket info, too!)

Tashera Pravato

Tashera Pravato is a Columbia-based actor and designer with a love for bold storytelling and theater that creates connection. A company member at Trustus Theatre, she recently made her assistant directing debut with Clyde's and has appeared in People, Places & Things, Down in the Holler, and Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play. Her work also includes costume design for Blues for an Alabama Sky and producing the short film It Takes a Village. A U.S. Army veteran, Tashera is passionate about stories that make space for voices, experiences, and joy too often pushed to the margins. She is proud to support new work through Jasper's Play Right Project and Columbia's vibrant arts community. Offstage, she's mom to two brilliant daughters who remind her why stories matter. 

Bonita Peeples

Bonita Peeples had the great fortune of sharing the stage earlier this year with our esteemed playwright in The Nia Co./Columbia Children's Theatre collaboration of Wiley and the Hairy Man.  In 2019, they also worked together on Harlem South: A View Through The Lens (Live at the CMA), a jazz and theatrical celebration of photographer, Richard Smauel Roberts.

Over the years, Bonita has been an actor of stage and screen, singer, forensic actor, teaching artist, and adjudicator for the Richland One Visual and Performing Arts Dept.  However, her greatest role is that of Momma to Bryce and Braylen. 

The Counting Table

A Play by DK Turner

Premiere Staged Reading

Sunday September 13th at 4 pm

Columbia Music Festival Association

914 Pulaski Street

Reserve your seat now!

In this sixth installment of the Jasper Play Right Project, 2026’s winning playwright D. K. Turner invites the reader and the viewer into one of the most intimate settings in the life of a family—the dinner table. But like most tables sitting in kitchens throughout the American South, this table serves many functions, one of which is a place to reconcile expectations and interpretations of the past and the future. The Counting Table is the story of how one extended Carolina family comes to terms with the legacy of both responsibilities and worldly possessions. Pull up a chair to Mama Rut’s table. The cornbread is cooling and the rice is starting to steam.

Read about cast members Marilyn Matheus, Samuel McWhite, and Michael Mykkel in an earlier post.

Cola Rep Dance Company Presents KISS THE GROUND, Aug 1 & 2 at Koger Center

Columbia Repertory Dance Company Showcases SC Talent & Upholds Commitment to Innovation with

KISS THE GROUND

August 1st & 2nd at Koger Center

Columbia Repertory Dance Company presents Kiss the Ground at the Koger Center for the Arts on Saturday, August 1st at 7:30pm and Sunday, August 2nd at 3:00pm. The Company’s seventh season celebrates the extraordinary artists who are shaping the future of professional dance in South Carolina, and features a dynamic ensemble of professional dancers, emerging apprentices, choreographers, and designers whose work reflects the depth of artistic talent found throughout the Midlands and beyond. 

The beginning of the program highlights the company’s signature style, featuring repertoire by Angela Gallo, Christian von Howard, company artists Ashlee Taylor and Erin Bailey, and emerging choreographer Molly Allen, a recent graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Betsy Blackmon Dance Program.  

The second half of the evening premieres “The Weight of the World,” a new one-act work by artistic director Stephanie Wilkins that explores resilience, connection, and the shared human experience through sweeping, emotionally driven choreography. Representing a break with the company’s tradition of exclusively presenting mixed repertoire. The work, an expansion of 2025’s show closing “An Internal Growl,” consists of six movements of various configurations of dancers, each taking the audience along on a shared journey through the battles we fight to win our way to hope, says company co-founder and managing director, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley. 

Performed by ten professional dancers and five apprentices, and supported by a professional design team, the production exemplifies Columbia Rep's commitment to artistic excellence and multidisciplinary collaboration. “Together, these diverse artistic voices reflect Cola Rep’s mission to broaden the dance experience through innovative choreography and meaningful connections between artists and audiences,” Boiter-Jolley says. 

“I am really excited about this change from our usual format to premiere Stephanie’s new choreography,” she continues explaining that "The Weight of the World" consists of six distinct movements. “An Internal Growl,” the company’s show closer in 2025, “Wept,” which is a quartet that premiered at the Starlight Gala earlier this year; “One Step Forward and Three Steps Back,” which is a more angular and almost militaristic piece featuring mass ensemble movements and unison with individual breakaway moments; the fourth section, “Bleed” is a solo performed by Erin Bailey, embodying a sense of weariness familiar to many right now; the fifth section, which is also currently untitled, utilizes the full 14 dancer company in what feels like a united fight and is set to a piece of music composed and performed by Clinton Wilkins' band “Marmalade Knives;” and finally, “Unbroken,” a restaging of a work that deals with overcoming the idea of hopelessness to rebuild oneself and rediscover hope.

CRDC dancer Carrie Preus

“Though it is challenging to switch gears between each chapter, it makes the story much easier to tell,” Boiter-Jolley says. “The viewer will understand why the dancers are wiping away tears in the second section and grasping at the air, fighting to find their feet and endlessly running in the final section. I was in the cast of that final section, “Unbroken,” a number of years ago when I was still a part of Columbia City Ballet, and as soon as we began getting that movement into our bodies this time around the tears came. There is a definite catharsis that comes with sweating, laughing and crying in a room full of people you love and respect and also being able to end a journey joined hand in hand and looking toward the future.” 

Boiter-Jolley also says she is “very proud of how multi-generational the company is this year. I have two former students from USC in the company: Amy Brooks (who I taught for all four years and will be dancing with a local ballet company in the fall) and Megan Kelly (who graduated in 2025 and is now teaching in the public school system,) and Carrie Preus introduced Rylie Budnick (recent Converse College graduate) and Dylan Miller (current rising Junior at Converse) to the company as apprentices. Carrie, Erin Bailey, Ashlee Taylor and I all teach in the University system while Jack Thompson, Megan Kelly and apprentice Kaela Colemen are in public education. There is a huge amount of ‘passing it on’ happening  and it feels like what is being passed is valuable enough to make a difference both in an individual's journey and the dance landscape here in SC.”

According to Wilkins, this performance is inspired by the Rumi quote, “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground,” as it “delves into extremely personal, yet universal themes, including grief, loss, love, community, feeling broken and beaten down, and then finding your strength and resilience again, rising up and refusing to be made small or to shrink, and reclaiming your power, both personally and as a people.” She continues, “It is a response to not only what has been going on in  my personal life, but in our nation during these turbulent times. Though not a political piece per se, it certainly touches on themes that we, as a country, have dealt with over the past few years. Ultimately, it ends with hope.” 

Show times: August 1st at 7:30pm and August 2nd, 2026, at 3pm in the Koger Center Black Box Theater.

Tickets are $35 & available here

For more information and tickets, https://www.colarep.com/events contact Managing Director Bonnie Boiter-Jolley

Phone: (803)622-6879 E-mail: colarepdanceco@gmail.com

The Columbia Repertory Dance Company’s mission is to broaden the experience of professional dance artists and patrons in Columbia, SC through multidisciplinary collaborative performances year-round. We aim to retain the talents of South Carolina dance artists and provide a spectrum of professional opportunities while inspiring and developing a broader and deeper understanding of dance in Columbia and surrounding areas.

Recognizing the 2026 Jasper Play Right Project Community Producers

The 2026 Jasper Play Right Project is well underway with a packed house of cast, crew, and our all-important Community Producers.

Community Producers essentially fund the production of the winning play to the Staged Reading level of development. Their work began on Sunday July 12 with their first gathering around a table of wine, cheese, and treats to witness Jasper’s first Table Reading of DK Turner’s The Counting Table.

Between now and Sunday, September 13th, the Community Producers will gather three more times to go deeper into the process of play development and then finally, on the 13th, they will take their reserved seats to witness the highly produced Staged Reading.

Thank you to our 2026 Jasper Play Right Project Community Producers!

Stan Conine

Jennifer Gunter

Larry Hembree & Joe Hudson

Linda Khoury

Richard & Nancy Layman

Tricia & Henry Motes

Bill Schmidt

Wade Sellers

Kirkland & James Smith

Gwinette Taylor

Keith Tolen

Jon Tuttle

Cindi Boiter & Bob Jolley

 

You don’t have to be a Community Producer to see the finished product though. Tickets are now available to join Jasper and the Community Producers for the official Staged Reading of The Counting Table followed by a meal inspired by the play itself.

Special Thanks to Columbia Music Festival Association for serving as the host of ALL Jasper 2026 Play Right Project events, including the Big Show on September 13th!

Learn more about the Jasper Play Right Project

REVIEW: Trustus Theatre's URINETOWN - THE MUSICAL

by Beth DeHart

If Saturday Night Live’s effete city correspondent Stefon Meyers reviewed Trustus Theatre’s production of Urinetown: The Musical, which opened last weekend, he might say something like, “This show has everything! A flawless live band, cartoon-level physical comedy, eye-rolling puns, an adorable unparented little girl, a strangely parented big girl, and a set that is both dirty and clean at the same time… You don’t want to miss it!”

And he’d be right!

Urinetown: The Musical – a name that is already intriguing – is a Tony award winning musical written by Greg Kotis with music by Mark Hollman. It debuted on Broadway in 2001 and is set in a dystopian fictional town severely impacted by a 20-year draught. The antagonist is the for-profit business, “Urine Good Company,” whose tagline is, “We care where you go.”  The primary conflict of the story is that in response to the oppressive draught conditions, “Urine Good Company” established public restrooms which require payment – tariffs – for community members to use the amenities. The story is a cautionary Eat-the-Rich revolutionary tale about overuse of critical resources like water. But for the punsters out there, the puns alone are a good enough reason to see the show.

The play is directed by Dewey Scott-Wiley whose fingerprint is notable throughout – slow motion moments, consistent meaningful business, believable and entertaining characterizations – all bring this satirical story to life. The audience is engaged throughout by the visual, musical, and physical presentation of the creative script. Kudos also to Sheldon Paschal for her additions to the show as Assistant Director.

The cast features 21 actors who use the space of the set quite effectively - a credit to Ashley Jensen, Scenic Designer, who establishes both horizontal and vertical interest on the stage. The set is not fussy; it’s built to depict the desperation of the moment and to make scene changes happen as efficiently as possible. Kudos to Marc Hurst for lighting design that supports this minimalist set. Hurst’s Lighting, alongside Sound Design by Jacob Olano with Sound Engineer Matt Pound, were all excellent. “The Band,” conducted by Ayush Joshi, is hidden in the rafters, allowing tiny glimpses of movement which is fun for the audience.

Cast members Jonathan Monk, Kevin Bush, Lauren Roberts, and Dayna Arnett made the audience look particularly forward to their characters’ distinct moments in the spotlight. A younger cast member who also carried the story along beautifully was Te’Jah Beaton as Little Sally.

Several Urinetown team members are currently in the process of studying various theater-related skills, including acting, musical theater, stage management, and theater technology and design. The energy these cast and crew members bring to the production is notable. Olan Domer as Bobby Strong and River Dively as Hope Cladwell also add believability and heart to the performance. In the dance department, Daniel Mason, in the role of Hot Blades Harry, is a stand-out!

A couple of elements that detracted a bit from the otherwise excellent quality of the show included some questionable casting choices and dance performances. Some of the older character roles are played by much younger actors, which requires the audience to work much harder to suspend their disbelief and fully engage in the show. While most of the performances remain completely believable throughout, a few were, sadly, unconvincing.

Overall, Trustus Theatre’s production of Urinetown is well worth the price of the ticket. The production is yet another example of the excellent quality of local theater available in Columbia, SC.

Grab your tickets and empty your bladders… You’ll be happy about both!

~~~

(One recommendation: It could be argued that an opportunity was missed by not charging audience members a fee to “pay to pee.” Not only would this have reinforced the message of the play, it also could have served as a real-time fundraiser for Food Not Bombs, the non-profit being supported by the show.) 

Urinetown: The Musical runs June 19 - July 19, 2026. Tickets are available at Trustus.org or the number on the poster above.

Help Jasper Produce DK Turner's New Play By Becoming a Community Producer with Jasper's PLAY RIGHT PROJECT

The Jasper Project is excited to announce that Applications to be a Jasper Play Right Project Community Producer are now open!

As a Jasper Play Right Project Community Producer, YOUR NAME will appear in the first ever publication of The Counting Table by DK Turner which will have a permanent home in the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Your decision to join other Community Producers before you, such as Hunter Boyle, Linda Khoury, James & Kirkland Smith, Bill Schmidt, Larry Hembree and many more, attests to the fact that YOU care enough about new theatrical art in SC to pony up and support this art both physically and financially, and we THANK YOU for that.

To show our appreciation, Jasper Play Right Project Community Producers become our guests of honor at 4 Community Producer sessions during summer 2026 where you will be invited to work & play alongside the playwright, cast, and crew of The Counting Table to learn more about the page-to-stage process for a brand new play. You’ll be in the room when the cast is introduced to the play for the first time ever via a Table Reading of The Counting Table; you’ll be privy to a private rehearsal; you’ll interact with other Community Producers over snacks and drinks; and finally, you’ll be seated front and center in reserved seats for the first ever, highly produced Staged Reading of The Counting Table on Sept. 13th at Columbia Music Festival Association in our historic Congaree Vista. (Click Here for CP session schedule.)

NEW THIS YEAR!

Post-Production Dinner with a Menu Inspired by the Play

And we have more exciting news! As a 2026 Community Producer you will also be invited to attend, AS OUR GUEST, a post-production dinner, immediately following the performance, with a menu inspired by DK Turner’s The Counting Table, itself!’

Community Producer membership starts at $250 per person. In addition to the above you’ll receive

• Copies of the newly published first edition of the play The Counting Table by DK Turner (The Jasper Project, 2026)

• Extra passes to bring along your friends and family to the big performance on Sept. 13th

• Name recognition not only in the book but also in the playbill and on all promotional material (feel free to submit your application under your business name, if you’d like)

• A Jasper Project gift bag with arts community goodies

Please Sign Up NOW to reserve your spot as a Community Producer and help bring to life Columbia-based SC Playwright DK Turner’s new play, THE COUNTING TABLE this summer!

JASPER PROJECT PLAY RIGHT PROJECT WINNING PLAYWRIGHT DK TURNER

Jasper Does Artista Vista with Adam Corbett and More - Friday Eve & Sunday Afternoon

Artist - Adam Corbett

All of us at the Jasper Project are excited about our upcoming Artista Vista celebrations this weekend at Coal Powered Filmworks!

We kick things off on Friday evening with an exhibition from our featured visual artist, Adam Corbett, who will be showing his art right in front of Coal Powered Filmworks on Lincoln Street from 6 - 9 pm. But come on inside, too, to see a variety of art curated by our host and Jasper board president, Wade Sellers.

Adam Corbett is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and visual artist from Lexington, South Carolina. His work is often whimsical, comes with a punchline, or fun story, and his subjects include wildlife and characters of his own creation. He likes to experiment with various mediums in a variety of formats focusing always on exploration, play, and following his muse. In addition to his visual artistry, Corbett has been a part of the Columbia music scene for almost 20 years. An accomplished musician and singer-songwriter, he’s been in several bands, including Guitar Show, The Restoration, and Husband to name a few — and he has performed with with local artists Marshall Brown and Rachel Kate.

You can also catch Adam Corbett wearing musician hat when he performs at Stormwater Studios at 1 pm on Saturday, April 18th.

If you’re a member of the Jasper Guild — at any donation level — you’re invited to join us again on Sunday afternoon, April 19th from 4 - 6pm for a special happy hour just for you! We’ll have drinks and light snacks to nosh on for an hour before and then during a portion of Live On Lincoln, which will be happening just outside our door. And if you want to be there but haven’t gotten around to joining the Jasper Guild, no worries, you can do so by clicking here and we’ll welcome you to the Jasper family on Sunday afternoon.

You’ll also be rubbing elbows with many of the artists performing in the event because, in keeping with the Jasper mission, we’re serving as a “Green Room” for any performing artists who need a place to change their clothes and/or grab a granola bar or a bottle of water after they perform.

For more information about Live on Lincoln, check out the line-up and ticket availability, as well as everything the Vista has planned for the weekend (hint: it starts Friday morning at 11 am with the unveiling of new public art, Maria DeFelice’s, “Kaleidoscope on Columbia” on the corner of Lincoln and Taylor Streets) at Vista Columbia.

Join the Jasper Guild Today

Meet Jasper Board Member Jane Turner Peterson!

MEET JASPER!

JANE TURNER PETERSON

The Jasper Project is dependent upon its hard working board of directors to make our world go ‘round. In addition to sharing a wealth of information from their own experiences, the Jasper Project board is, what is called in the world of non-profits, a “working board.” Emphasis on the word WORK.

You’ll see our board members delivering Jasper Magazines, greeting and ringing up art sales at any of our gallery spaces, hauling bags of ice, cases of wine, and trays of food at our receptions and events, as well as planning, setting up for, and cleaning up after those events. Our board of volunteers also plan and program those parties! They schedule art exhibitions, review plays, install art, make labels, read plays, screen films, program concerts, write checks, balance the budget, communicate with their unique contacts, and so much more.

Every board member is attached to at least one of Jasper’s primary projects (Jasper Magazine, galleries, Play Right Project, 2nd Act Film Project, or any of our one-off projects like the Degenerate Arts Project we just finished up or our upcoming Peter Lenzo Retrospective and Remembrance which will open at Stormwater Studios on April 3rd.)

New board members are officially elected into their seats at our annual board retreat in January, though when potential new board members come along throughout the year, we invite them “to date” Jasper until the next retreat. This gives the potential director time to learn how Jasper works and decide whether they can see themselves as part of our motley crew. And the reciprocal works for Jasper.

In January 2026, Jasper voted in 7 new directors to join our already existing board of 14 sitting members. Over the next few weeks we will be introducing these amazing people to you via Jasper Online. We invite you to check back here daily to MEET JASPER, and we will introduce you to the hard-working and talented individuals who make up the Jasper Project Board of Directors.

Meet Jane Turner Peterson!

Jane Turner Peterson is a retired marketing professional in the non-profit sector with an arts background. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of South Carolina. She has been involved in arts marketing in several areas, including graphic design, advertising, and sales, since the 80s. She was most recently the Director of Communications at Washington Street UMC in Columbia. Jane has been involved both on stage and as a director in the local theatre scene for numerous years. Jane is excited to begin her journey with Jasper to be a part of an organization whose mission reflects her love of the arts.

Jane is the Theatre Editor for Jasper Magazine and the project director for the Play Right Project. She also serves on the Project & Planning Committee, the Marketing Committee, and the Magazine Committee.

Welcome Jane!

Koger Center Announces Music Series Line-Up & Jasper Will Be There for All the Concerts!

The Jasper Project is delighted to partner with USC’s Koger Center for the Arts and all our amazing neighborhood arts groups on this lovely free concert series!

The Koger Center for the Arts has set the headliners for the first Levitt AMP Columbia Music Series, a series of free outdoor concerts sponsored in part by the LevittFoundation. The concerts will take place on the Plaza Stage on the Koger Center’s front lawn from 5 - 7 p.m., with the rain location being indoors in either the Black Box Theater or second floor lobby. 

The full lineup features ten concerts split between the spring and fall seasons. All concerts are free, open to the public and will have opportunities for off stage community engagement (that’s Jasper, y’all!) for the audience. The schedule is as follows: 

Spring

Saturday, April 18: River Shook Duo

Saturday, April 25: Sunny War

Saturday, May 2: Five OHM

Saturday, May 9: Carolyn Wonderland

Fall

Thursday, September 10: Admiral Radio

Thursday, September 17: Black Nerd Mafia

Thursday, September 24: Molly Martin

Thursday, October 1: Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise

Thursday, October 8: Sam Morrow

Thursday, October 15: Making Movies

Each concert will feature a local Midlands based opening act! The Levitt AMP Columbia Music Series is dedicated to uplifting Columbia as a cultural hub and destination for accessible entertainment. The series is supported by a variety of community partners, including the Jasper Project, ONE Columbia, ColaJazz, South Carolina Philharmonic, University of South Carolina Student Life, Black Nerd Mafia, the South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement, the City of Columbia, the Columbia Chamber, and the Vista Guild. 

Geared to towns and cities with populations under 250,000, Levitt AMP grantees reflect the three goals of the LevittAMP Music Series program: Amplify community pride and a city’s unique character; enrich lives through the power of free, live Music; and illustrate the importance of inclusive and vibrant public Places. From rural Alaska to Appalachian Main Streets and Midwestern locales, Levitt AMP is a catalytic opportunity for towns and cities across America to realize a shared mission—building community through music to create a healthy and thriving future for all. Columbia is the only Levitt AMP location in South Carolina.

Columbia residents are encouraged to follow along with the development of the series over the next three years by visiting www.KogerCenterForTheArts.com, and following @LevittAmpColumbia and @KogerCenterForTheArts on Instagram.

REVIEW -- Village Square Theatre's SCHOOL OF ROCK by Jane Turner Peterson

Young Performers Rock the Stage in School of Rock at Village Square Theatre

Get ready for some good rock ’n’ roll…performed on stage by kids! Yes, kids! School of Rock the Musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, kicked off Friday night at Village Square Theatre in Lexington. Along with a superior band in the pit—Patty Boggs (drums), Nigel Grant (guitar), Camille Jones (piano), and Katie Miller (bass)—the young performers who make up the onstage “School of Rock” band absolutely rocked the house.

Directed by David LaTorre, Village Square Theatre’s artistic director, this high-energy rock musical is great fun for audiences of all ages. While the original School of Rock film leaned heavily on the antics of its adult lead, the stage version puts a stronger spotlight on the students and their families. LaTorre’s direction keeps the large production moving smoothly and energetically. With a cast of 35+—and several roles double cast—this was no small undertaking. Yet the ensemble remained fully engaged throughout the show, always in character and clearly listening and reacting to one another onstage.

Though a number of adults appear in the production, the majority of the cast is made up of teenagers and younger performers. If these young actors continue their involvement in community theatre, the future of the art form in our area looks very bright.

Based on the 2003 film School of Rock, this musical (originally based on a book by Julian Fellowes (known for Downton Abbey, and The Gilded Age) was adapted for the stage by Mike White. The show premiered on Broadway in 2015 at the Winter Garden Theatre. The story follows struggling rock singer and guitarist Dewey Finn (Taylor Diveley, who—after being kicked out of his own band—impersonates his geeky friend, Ned Schneebly (John Carter), a seasoned substitute teacher, to land a high paying job at a prestigious prep school. When he discovers his students’ musical talent, Dewey secretly forms a rock band with the students and sets his sights on the winning the Battle of the Bands. Needless to say, he is not your average teacher!

The musical moves at a brisk pace, with numerous scene changes handled efficiently by the cast and crew. Add in live instruments both onstage and in the pit, and the result is a production that demands serious stamina and energy from everyone involved. Thanks to LaTorre’s strong direction, the show hits the mark.

As Dewey Finn, Taylor Diveley is perfectly cast. His energy and enthusiasm propel the show, and his rock ’n’ roll persona—along with some solid vocals—keep the momentum going. Diveley is simply a joy to watch. John Carter fits perfectly in the role of a semi-nerdy friend, whose girlfriend, Sophie (D’Asia White) nags him about his loser friend, Finn.

Shelby Sessler nearly steals the show as the tightly wound principal Rosalie Mullins. Her vocal power and impressive range shine throughout the performance, and she deftly reveals several sides of the character as the story unfolds.

Several young musicians deserve special recognition. Alex Lease, who plays Zack in both casts, portrays the talented young guitarist desperate for his father’s approval, delivering some seriously impressive electric guitar work, better than many adult performers. Leo Portney brings equally strong skills to the drum kit, with drum solos that are a highlight of the show. Keyboardist Westin Black and bassist Allison Wengerd are similarly terrific.

Another standout is Mackenzie Bruder as the delightfully bossy and rule-loving Summer. Her confident stage presence, comedic timing, and sharp characterization add plenty of fun to the production.

Kudos also go to the entire ensemble of band members and classmates, including Lydia Reed, Grace Carlton, Jo Davis, Jack Carlton, Zach Cieri, Jackson Livingston, Catherine Cieri, Scarlett Ellingson, Soph Carlton, Ciara Nash, Kate Bruder, Eliot Stewart, Janely Burgos, Finn Carlton, Selah Lyle, Graham Gibson, Alyssa Presutto, Reese Catalanotto, Mackenzie Miller, Pete Roberts, and Scarlett Powell. Each performer brought strong character work and plenty of enthusiasm to the stage.

The adult roles are capably handled by Andrew Coston, Will Dowd, Eric Jewell, Max Ferro, Zanna Mills, Tracey Lease, Megan Stewart, Chris Bender, and John Carter.

Depending on what night you go, there are a slew of other young actors in the other cast. They include Ethan Schalund, Grace Bender, Aleah Headen, Brighton Dunbar, Rilyn Boehme, Hunter Gibson, Cully Srikanth, Logan Blackledge, Emily Sippel, Charlee Gay, Adalynn Williams, Genevieve Savage, and Emma Grace Simpson.

Choreography by Maggie Pszenny is lively and well suited to the production, adding to the show’s overall energy. The production is produced by Tricia Miller, and musical direction by Julia Turner keeps the rock sound tight and exciting. It’s clear that everyone involved poured their hearts into this production.

If you’re ready for a fun night filled with great rock ’n’ roll—and a chance to see the promising future of community theatre and young performers—make plans to catch School of Rock: The Musical at Village Square Theatre in Lexington. The show runs through March 22. Tickets are available at villagesquaretheatre.com or by phone at 803-359-1436.

Columbia-based Artist MICHAEL KRAJEWSKI Partners with CORIN WIGGINS to Present METAPLASIA: A CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE OF BUTOH & PAINT

The Jasper Project is excited to help spread the word about a new project presented by Columbia-based visual artist Michael Krajewski and theatre/performance artist Corin Wiggins, who returns to Columbia, SC after a ten-year absence. METAPLASIA: A Contemporary Performance of Butoh and Paint – A Ten Year Homecoming will be presented on Saturday, February 7th, at 7:30 PM at Gemini Arts, in Columbia, SC.

Krajewski, who has earned a reputation as a bravely experimental artist, has a history of engaging in painting as performance, often partnering with dancers and other performing artists. This time he will be partnering with Corin Wiggins who has mastered the Japanese art of Butoh Dance. According to the Butoh Institute of New York, “Butoh is an avant-garde art form born in Japan in the 1950s. Butoh developed at the height of the Japanese Counter Culture Movement and was influenced by surrealism, neo dada, French mime techniques, ballet, flamenco, Neue Tanz (German Expressionist dance) as well as French and European literature.”

Traditionally performed in white body makeup, butoh is considered an avant garde dance form and typically involves hyper-realized, grotesque imagery, and “slow and arrhythmic body contortions expressing a confluence of anguish and rapture, and a dedication to form and improvisation that is deeply connected to the nature of being.” https://japanobjects.com/features/butoh) Many practitioners and patrons of the artform consider butoh to be more of a dance experience than a performance, often saying the experience is undefinable.

In the press release for this event Wiggins states that, “METAPLASIA represents more than just a performance; it is a compelling fusion of visual and performing arts. Following a decade-long journey away from his hometown, Wiggins returns to Columbia for this significant homecoming event. Notably, this performance is poised to be the first professional butoh performance in South Carolina’s history, showcasing the depth and evolution of this unique art form.

“The term "Metaplasia," derived from Greek, signifies "change in form," reflecting the transformative processes that occur in nature and art. The performance will delve into themes of nonconsensual existence, chaos and control, cryptobiosis, and mindfulness in contemporary society. Accompanying the performance will be an original musical soundscape, meticulously crafted by Wiggins, enhancing the immersive experience for the audience.”

Krajewski will paint as Wiggins performs.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy thought-provoking performance art ephemerally created amongst the visual art exhibited at Gemini Arts. Tickets are only $10 and may be purchased in advance via Eventbrite. Doors open at 7:10 and the performance begins at 7:30.

For more information about what to expect, please visit the Eventbrite site.

Click here to learn more about Butoh.

About Michael Krajewski: Michael Krajewski is an artist-in-residence at Gemini Arts Collective. He is a self-taught artist described as neo-expressionist, although he is less concerned with labeling than with creating from an authentic, mindful space and expressing what he is feeling and experiencing in the moment. He works in various mediums including painting, drawing, clay, and video.

Krajewski has been commissioned to provide artwork for film and art festivals, set design for Trustus Theatre, and art for the Columbia City Ballet. He painted a mural in the Greenville Children’s Museum, and a mural in the Columbia Museum of Art, one of only two artists ever invited to paint on the walls there.

Of his many contributions to the culture of Columbia and greater South Carolina is Michael’s freehand composition on the walls of Black Rooster, a restaurant in West Columbia, where he is using the entire restaurant as his canvas to create a one-of-a-kind installation that so far is four years in the making.

About Corin Wiggins: Corin Wiggins is an actor, director, and deviser of theatre. Their training and performance experience encompasses forms from the entirety of theatre history, with particular emphasis on classical verse, contemporary realism, commedia dell’arte, butoh (舞踏), and new devised work.

Raised in Columbia, South Carolina by a family of civil engineers, Corin first discovered the stage at age eight through the Columbia Children’s Theatre. Growing up in community musical theatre and child actor film agencies, including work undertaken on and off stage at both Town Theatre and Trustus Theatre, Corin began their professional actor training at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Drama program. They hold a B.F.A. in Physical Theatre from a joint program between Coastal Carolina University and the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy.

Alongside a national presence, Corin has lived and travelled extensively outside the United States and has created and performed in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Kazakhstan, and for audiences from all over the world via numerous international festivals. To date, they have contributed to well over one hundred projects, collectively seen by tens of thousands.

The liberation of the human is the primary goal behind Corin’s work. Corin’s original performances generally concern themselves with humans and human relationships, the conscious vs. subconscious vs. superconscious mind, and dark psychedelia.

Corin has booked work throughout the United States in 2026, as well as a butoh performance tour of Japan in the latter half of the year.