Centre Stage (theater) facts for kids
Centre Stage is a fun theater in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. It's open all year and has 285 seats for people to watch plays. The theater has a small team of seven full-time staff members. They put on about six to eight big plays every year. They also host many other fun events and activities. Actors, directors, and other theater artists are hired from the local area and nearby regions when needed. Centre Stage is part of important theater groups like Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC).
Working with Others
Centre Stage works with other arts groups in Greenville. These include the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Arts Council. By teaming up, Centre Stage offers even more cool things to do. They have art shows, small music concerts, and independent movie showings. They also host talks on many different topics.
Teachers and students from local colleges help with Centre Stage shows. These colleges include North Greenville University, Clemson University, and Furman University. Greenville Technical College (GTC) even teaches theater classes right at Centre Stage. Dr. Brian Haimbach, a GTC professor, teaches these classes. He also leads the Centre Stage New Play Festival. Centre Stage is also home to Greenville Light Opera Works (GLOW). GLOW is a professional opera company that puts on comic operas and musicals in the summer.
Centre Stage's Story
Centre Stage was started in 1983 by Douglas P. McCoy. He wanted it to be a professional theater. The theater's first shows were held in the Greenville County Museum of Art. Their first full play was performed in a church gym. For the next four years, Centre Stage performed at the Greenville School District's Fine Arts Center. After that, they rented a building on Washington and Academy Streets for ten years. All their plays were put on there.
In April 1996, Centre Stage became an Associate Member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG). This means they are recognized as a professional theater. In April 1998, they became a Constituent Member of TCG. This gave them even more rights and benefits as a professional theater.
In December 1996, work began on the theater's current home. It's located at 501 River Street. Centre Stage uses 10,000 square feet of the 30,000 square foot Citi-Smith Barney Building. They moved into this new place on October 1, 1997. Their first show there was on October 2, 1997.
The New Play Festival
The Centre Stage New Play Festival (NPF) gets hundreds of new plays each year. Playwrights from all over the country and even other countries send in their scripts. Four plays are chosen as finalists for the festival. These plays are read aloud by actors, like a "readers' theater."
After each reading, there are "talkback sessions." This is where the audience can talk about the play. They can share their thoughts and ideas. This makes the festival a cool chance for playgoers to be part of the creative process. One play is chosen as the festival winner. That play then gets a full production later on. Past winners include The Edith Whartons (2005), Guided Tour (2006), and The Uncurled Hand (2007). Each year, a famous playwright, like Lee Blessing, is featured at the festival.
