![]() ![]() It’s a small, emotive play that’s part ghost story and part character study, providing a rare instance of solid drama in a season of send-up (December’s Nuncrackers) and farce (Once Upon A Mattress next April). In October, Do Not Go Gentle takes the Footlights into more serious territory, despite sharing conceptual elements with Beetlejuice. And A Thurber Carnival is an old ’60s Laugh-In-style of production. But we have a couple of new things Amadeus is something we haven’t done before, it’s very different from the 1984 movie. “We have three musicals this season,” says marketing chairperson Jennifer Metts, “including chapter three of the Della’s Diner series, that always does well. But instead of Law and Order they have song and dance. If Pure resembles HBO in its programming, then the venerable Footlight Players (season schedule page 36) is more like NBC, relying mostly on tried-and-true standards to satisfy its audience. We’re more like a night on HBO or FX than somewhere that does musicals.” We’re not necessarily different from an Off-Off-Broadway theatre or a storefront theatre in Chicago. “We tend to cover society today and how people are dealing with it. “Two of our plays deal a little with racism,” Rogers says. In January, Pure will present Neil LaBute’s This Is How It Goes, a play with sharp points to make about an interracial love triangle that shakes up a small town. It’s part of our plan to expand the scope of acting and character work but do it at a low cost, without having a helicopter landing on the stage or anything like that.” Spinning into Butter has a huge cast for us - eight. “Our cast sizes are bigger this season,” says Rogers. ![]() ![]() Its main task now is to grow the solid following it’s gained from polished productions of powerful plays like True West and American Buffalo. With a 300-percent increase in subscriptions this year, Pure (season schedule below) has passed the initial stages of building a reputation for itself and finding an audience. The venture takes some pressure off Rogers and his wife, Pure’s artistic director Sharon Graci, who have found that the more shows they produce, the more successful they are. Tavares is involved in Pure’s ensemble series, which Rogers describes as “almost another company” in itself. It will help with the cross-pollination that goes on, and the bringing in of guest directors.” He points out that Theatre 99 hasn’t been asked to join the League yet, but he shouldn’t feel left out for long - the organization’s official line is that it will welcome new members once some official guidelines have been set, possibly as soon as January. “The League’s a wonderful, important, timely development. “Arts organizations are traditionally competitive and non-trusting,” says Theatre 99 and Have Nots! co-founder Greg Tavares, who’ll be directing November’s Reckless at Pure Theatre. College of Charleston professor of playwriting Franklin Ashley is currently directing Spinning into Butter for Pure, which opens next week, and his original death row drama The Delta Dancer will be performed by Theatre/’verv/ at Bar 145 on Calhoun St. Pure Theatre co-founder Rodney Rogers, for example, will direct Amadeus for the Footlight Players on Queen Street. The five-strong huddle of local companies is still in its teething stage, so its effects won’t be noticeable for a while, but its goal of co-promotion and support formalizes the bonds of a community that this year seems more close-knit than ever. The upcoming theatre season heralds a slight shake-up of the board-treading community, with Richard Futch entering his first full season as the Footlight Players’ new executive director, the addition of a strong ensemble series at Pure Theatre, and a new League of Charleston Theatres bringing everyone together for a season-long group hug. Charleston theatre companies present a vast range of material in the coming season. ![]()
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