The South Carolina New Play Festival will present their second annual event on August 11 – 13, 2023 in Greenville. The festival celebrates engaging and dynamic new plays and musicals from across the United States. On August 11, there will be a free, public panel with a virtual livestream on “The Post-COVID Transformation of American Theatre.” SC Humanities supported this panel with a Major Grant.
The panel will look at how the American Theatre model has changed post-COVID and lessons to be drawn from the beginnings of the regional theatre movement as well as from the business models of European theaters. It will explore the subscription model, the 9-month season, the ability and inability to extend or shorten productions, and what it is the audiences and artists want NOW from a theatergoing experience.
Panelists include Travis Ballenger (Broadway producer), Vivienne Benesch (Artistic Director of Playmakers Rep), Adam Burke (Artistic Director of Children’s Theater of Charlotte), Matt Giles (Artistic Director of SC Children’s Theatre), Jamil Jude (Artistic Director of Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre), Jim McCarthy (Stellar Live CEO), Laura Nicholas (Artistic Director of Centre Stage), and Max Quinlan (Artistic Director of Greenville Theatre). The panel will be moderated by West Hyler (Executive Director of SC New Play Festival).
“The Post-COVID Transformation of American Theatre” will take place on Friday, August 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the Greenville ONE Center (2 West Washington St., Suite 200, Greenville, SC). The in-person program is free, and the event can also be watched on Livestream for a fee of $5. Learn more here: https://www.southcarolinanewplayfestival.org/panel.
The South Carolina New Play Festival will also feature five productions and a cabaret event. More information about the South Carolina New Play Festival can be found on their wesbite: https://www.southcarolinanewplayfestival.org/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 21-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
