Hundreds of College of Charleston students, faculty, staff and alumni contribute to Spoleto Festival USA and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. You’ll see them center stage and back stage – they’re also the people who tear your tickets and guide you to your seat.
The College’s School of the Arts plays an integral role with faculty and students starring in dozens of events. As part of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Department of Theatre presents its Stelle di Domani (“stars of tomorrow”) series, the Department of Music presents its Young Artists Series and music department chair Steve Rosenberg produces the Early Music Series which features faculty, students and alumni.
View a full list of Stelle di Domani events featuring College performers. Watch a video.
View a full list of Young Artists Series events.
View a full list of Early Music Series events featuring College performers.
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts has organized a major traveling exhibition of new work by contemporary Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto. The exhibition is a featured presentation of Spoleto Festival USA will be free and open to the public from May 25 until July 7, 2012. Watch a timelapse video of the installation.
This year for the first time, arts management professor Jeanette Guinn incorporating hosting “Spoleto Today” with a Maymester class. “Arts and the Media at Spoleto” offered students real experience working on the preproduction for the daily hour-long radio coverage of Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto. Artist research, scheduling, question development, interviewing, app development, broadcast programming, social media, promotion, marketing, script writing, voice over, media relations, and remote and studio video and audio recording and editing will be included. Watch a video. Read the student’s blog posts on the project.
The School of the Arts also offers one of the most popular Maymester classes focusing on the festivals. Students learn about all aspects of the productions and attend many performances as part of the annual course. Watch a video of the Spoleto class offered during Maymester.
College of Charleston faculty will also be center stage for some of the Festival’s special performances.
College of Charleston Opera will present Little Red Riding Hood as part of the Children’s Programs at the Library. The event will be held at the Charleston County Public Library Auditorium (68 Calhoun St.) on May 31 at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Admission is free. This event is family-friendly and free-of-charge courtesy of the Friends of the Library and the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs.
Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche is part of Piccolo Fringe and is a play written by a College of Charleston alumnae. The event will be held at Threshold Repertory Theatre (84 ½ Society St.) on May 29 at 7:30 p.m. and on June 1, 2, 7, 9 at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $16. It’s 1956 and the women of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein are beginning their annual quiche breakfast. When communists descend upon their idyllic all-American town, panic and sisterhood head into high gear in this completely original work. Produced by What If? Productions.
College of Charleston alumnus Hirona Matsuda (studio art) is curating “A Long Time Ago…….” which captures the art of storytelling, the oldest known art form, in this enchanting contemporary art exhibit. Featuring artwork by local artists Lisa Abernathy, Becca Barnet, Seth Corts, Baird Hoffmire, Michelle Jewell, Xin Lu, Lisa Shimko, Liz Vaughan, and Trever Webster. Painting, sculpture, paper-cutting, collage, and pen and ink drawing will be showcased in this exhibition. The exhibition is at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park (34 Prioleau St.) starting May 24. Admission is free.
