Spoleto Festival USA begins Friday. Here are the highlights
Spoleto, Charleston’s premier performing arts festival, begins Friday, May 27. In its 40th season, the 17-day festival features over 150 performances and events held in 13 venues. Performances include dance, theater, opera, concerts, symphonies and art talks.
Spoleto attendance numbers between 70,000 and 80,000 each year.
“For Spoleto Festival USA’s 40th year, we wanted to make the program extraordinary,” festival general director Nigel Redden said in a press release.
At first glance, the lineup looks to be above the festival’s generally spectacular programming. It’s hard to pick out the best from 150 choices, but here’s our attempt at highlights:
“Porgy and Bess”: Spoleto will perform this opera, a work based on Charleston-born DuBose Heyward’s novel and set in Charleston, for the first time. The opera will also be the first performance in the newly renovated Charleston Gaillard Center. A production of “Porgy and Bess” was staged there in 1970.
There will be two live broadcasts of “Porgy and Bess” on a jumbotron screen in Marion Square and at the West Ashley High School practice field. The Gibbes Museum of Art will present special exhibitions connected with “Porgy and Bess and Southern history.” And there will be a themed walking tour through downtown Charleston.
Top-notch concerts: This year’s festival will feature special performances by Americana string band Old Crow Medicine Show, country/folk singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, and a finale show by soul band Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats.
Charleston massacre remembrances: June 17—five days after the festival ends—marks the first anniversary of the murder of nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Several performances will acknowledge the event and commemorate the victims.
“Grace Notes: Reflections for Now,” directed by visual artist Carrie Mae Weems, features music, spoken word, and video projections reflecting on grace and democracy. It was as inspired in part by President Obama singing “Amazing Grace” during his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney.
A concert by jazz singer René Marie in the Charleston Gaillard Center will also acknowledge the tragedy featuring a Spoleto Festival USA commissioned song “Be the Change” inspired by the community’s response and show of unity.
“Importance of Being Earnest”: This play at Dock Street Theatre offers a new production by Dublin’s Gate Theatre of Oscar Wilde’s comic masterpiece. Expect theatrical fun and sophistication.
Piccolo Spoleto: The official companion festival to Spoleto Festival USA, Piccolo highlights outstanding local and regional artists.
Ticket prices vary by event. For more information, call (843) 579-3100 or visit spoletousa.org
OTHER ARTS EVENTS AROUND TOWN
Time for Art
This is not your typical silent art auction. Beef up your art collection without breaking the bank by bidding your volunteer hours instead of your hard-earned dollars.
6-9 p.m. at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center,900 Senate St. $35. timeforartcola.com
“Love Letters” at Saluda Shoals Park
Directed by Larry Hembree and starring Caroline Weidner and Gary Cannon, “Love Letters,” is the story of a 50-year correspondence between Melissa Gardner and her childhood-friend-turned-love-interest.
7:30 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 28 at Saluda Shoals Park, 5605 Bush River Road. The performance will he held outdoors on the Environmental Education Center deck. $15. (803) 772-1228 or www.icrc.net.
DiverCity — A Latino Art Exhibition
Check out this traveling exhibition showcasing Latino art at Tapp’s Arts Center. See the work of twelve Latino painters, sculptors, printmakers and mixed media artists.
The exhibition will be on display until May 31. Free. www.tappsartscenter.com
This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 6:29 AM with the headline "Spoleto Festival USA begins Friday. Here are the highlights."