Theater & Dance
Piccolo Spoleto offers a diverse lineup of theatre and dance, featuring captivating plays, dynamic dance productions, and more.
Theatre & Dance at Cannon Street Arts Center | 134 Cannon Street
Lowcountry Magic Jamboree is a fun family-friendly showcase presented by Charleston’s own Lowcountry Conjurors. Guests should come 45 minutes early for close-up magic in the lobby followed by a 75-minute show of captivating miracles for all ages.
10 + 4 + 1: A Collaborative Art Show Featuring Dance
Don’t miss this opportunity to see four different, 20-minute performances.
Unbound Ballet
Unbound Ballet Project presents excerpts from their full-length ballet Everything Moves and Nothing Stays, which premiered last July and was choreographed by director Crystal Wellman.
Annex Dance Company presents three repertory works inspired by the art of Leslie Alexander, Aya Kawano and Mary Walker, translating their visual worlds into movement.
Collective SC presents Short Fuse, an exploration of the fragile line between calm and chaos. Short Fuse features excerpts from BREAK alongside new works in progress, choreographed by Lacey Bates and Izzy Byers.
In The Yellow Wallpaper, dancers bring to life the eponymous 1892 classic feminist short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It tells the story of a woman suffering from postpartum depression and her struggle to get well during a time when women’s mental health was not taken seriously.
10+4+1 = Staged Reading of Kansas
KANSAS, a new play by Brad Erickson. tells the story of a Midwestern family where the recent suicide of the father sparks a feud of recrimination and turmoil. After the funeral, the three sons try to make sense of the senseless situation. “It’s got to be somebody’s fault” cries the youngest. But whose? Pushed apart by their own choices and the tornado of politics, the brothers fight to make peace with the past and each other.
May 24 at 2 p.m.
Admission: $12
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The Promise: Untold Stories of South Carolina’s Black Patriots
Six black Continental Army soldiers captured by the British explore what the promises of freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness truly mean in this original play commissioned by the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce with funding from the SC250 Commission. Professor Annette Dees Grevious and performance artist Brandi LaShay collaborated on this compelling production that explores African Americans’ role in the founding of our nation and the establishment of the State of South Carolina.
May 26 at 7 p.m.
May 27 at 7 p.m.
Admission: $10
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Photo by Dan Steffy
On the Other Side – an evening of story-telling through dance and movement interlaced with text and vignette. Beginning at Ms. Rose’s, Anita Zucker (played by Megan Lane) takes you through her life and the lives of her parents as they navigate the difficulties of the Holocaust.
May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
May 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $20
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What if everything you thought you knew about fairy tales wasn’t true? Join the student performers at Low Country Arts Theatre for an evening performance of family fun where all your favorite fairytales are retold from a new main character’s perspective. The cast is set to amaze, ranging between the ages of 7 and 15, with talent that will leave you inspired and excited for our next generation of Charleston-based actors and actresses.
Written and directed by local female playwright Andrea White, this performance is sure to entertain and thrill all ages. Low Country Arts Theatre is a new educational youth theatre company by Director Andrea White, together with Assistant Director and Choreographer Simone Liberty. The company serves students with Musical Theatre learning and performing experiences in the Charleston area and beyond.
June 3 at 7:30 p.m.
June 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $10
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Too Clever by Half
Shortwave Kitsch will serve up a riotous double feature: “To Whom It May Concern” spins sharp wit, scandal and suspicious letters, while “A Hog Killin’ Time” kicks up dust with romance, racketeers and frontier foolishness in a night of laughs, chaos and vintage radio fun.
May 29 at 5:30 p.m.
Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
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Shortwave Kitsch: See You in the Funny Papers
Shortwave Kitsch launches a sparkling double bill as “Call the Lady Physician” races into daring cures, quick wit, and globe-trotting peril while “Life with Elara” beams in cosmic chaos, marital mischief and out-of-this-world laughs for an evening of heart, hilarity and classic radio magic.
May 30 at noon
Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
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Shortwave Kitsch serves up an encore performance of its riotous double feature “ To Whom It May Concern” and “A Hog Killin Time.”
May 30 at 4:00pm
Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
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Other Theatre & Dance
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche Pearls will be clutched. Eggs will be devoured. Secrets will be unleashed as Charleston’s Absent Friends proudly presents this cult-favorite—a high-camp, laugh-out-loud romp set in 1956. The fiercely devoted officers of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein gather for their annual quiche breakfast … just as air-raid sirens sound and the world outside begins to unravel. What follows is an absurd, heartfelt and wildly funny satirical look at sisterhood and truly egg-cellent fun. *Recommended for ages 18+ (younger patrons are welcome with an adult guardian).
Circular Congregational Church, Upper Lance Hall | 150 Meeting Street
Admission: $25 General Admission; $22.50 Seniors, Students, Military (ID’s Required at Check-in; $30 VIP (front-row seating + possible cast interaction)
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Contra Dance with Chris Hernandez featuring Zephyr
Caller Chris Hernandez will teach Contra Dance with lessons that are easy to learn, great exercise and fun for all ages. No partner needed. Zephyr comprises musicians Susan Conant, Matt Masie, Mike Kaufmann and John Holenko. Lessons begin at 7:30 and continue until 10:30.
May 30 at 7:30 p.m., doors at 7:15 p.m.
Venue: Circular Congregational Church, Upper Lance Hall | 150 Meeting Street
Admission: Free
Stelle di Domani at the College of Charleston
The College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance is proud to present the 19th season of Stelle di Domani, its annual Piccolo Spoleto offering. The series highlights students, alumni, faculty and staff of the College of Charleston and Theatre and Dance programs and this season’s offerings include theatre, dance, staged readings of new works, and meaningful collaborations including a partnership with the Charleston Library Society.
This interdisciplinary collaboration explores both the sampler and the tap shoe as percussive technologies that fulfill the communal role of confiscated African drums offering a postmodern technique of communication and maintenance of an augmented culture that is fundamentally American. Presented by CofC Stages & Polymath Performance Project.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 St. Philip Street
Center Stage presents Late, A Cowboy Song by Sarah Ruhl
“To all the lady cowboys of heart and mind who ride outside the city limits of convention.” Mary, always late and always married, meets a lady cowboy named Red who teaches her how to ride a horse. Red exudes a taste of freedom that Mary didn’t even know she lacked, and is suddenly desperate to find. Late, a Cowboy Song, is the story of one woman’s education and her search to find true love outside the box.
June 5 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
June 6 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Chapel Theatre | 172 Calhoun St
Admission: $16 – $20 plus ticket surcharge
Runtime: 2 hours including intermission
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This perennial Piccolo favorite led by CofC alum Michael Smallwood highlights original College of Charleston student works. A series of ten-minute plays written by and performed by CofC students, Under the Lights features winners of the Franklin B. Ashley Playwriting Award, the Todd McNerney Student Playwriting Award, and more. Suitable for audiences 14+.
June 1 at 7 p.m.
June 2 at 5 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $14 plus ticket surcharge
Runtime: 60 minutes without intermission
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Family Feud: Cabaret Edition
Family Feud is a popular, fast-paced game where teams compete to guess the most popular answers to survey questions; but this time, it comes with a cabaret twist. Watch students and alumni face off while singing, dancing and acting as they bring those “survey says” answers to life on stage. It’s game night like you’ve never seen before.Presented by CofC Stages and Center Stage.
May 31 at 7 p.m.
Chapel Theatre | 172 Calhoun St
Admission: Suggested Donation $10
Runtime: 45 minutes
CofC Stages and the Office of Cultural Affairs present Piccolo Spoleto Dance Showcase
As a featured component of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Stelle di Domani series, the showcase brings together dance artists and organizations in celebration of the diversity, creativity, and vitality of the Charleston and broader Southeast dance community. Featuring fi ve distinct programs, the showcase off ers multiple opportunities for audiences to experience performers of all ages across a wide range of genres.
May 29 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
May 30 at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $16
Runtime: 60 minutes without intermission
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Do you ever watch Saturday Night Live and wish it felt more like lunch on a Thursday? From the group of college students who just failed their Introduction to Mathematics exams comes the College of Charleston Stages’s The Comedy Club and Cougar Night Rewind. Enjoy an hour slam-packed with the Club’s best sketch comedy! Suitable for ages 16 and older.
CofC Stages and the Charleston Library Society present Romeo & Juliet: Cuts and Kisses
Join us for Cuts and Kisses, an abbreviated version of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, as part of the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance’s partnership with the Charleston Library Society. Cuts and Kisses will also be presented as a free performance as “Shakespeare on the Steps” during June’s Second Sunday on the steps of CLS. Suitable for audiences 14+.
June 5 at 5 p.m.
June 6 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $16 – $20 plus ticket surcharge
Runtime: 45 minutes without intermission
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Dark Blue Mondaze in partnership with CofC Stages present Real Love… Negotiated
Real Love… Negotiated is a sultry, story-driven jazz cabaret where Broadway drama meets late-night swing. Heather Rice is a Jazz vocalist, songwriter, and recording artist whose performances blend soulful storytelling with intimate, emotionally rich delivery. A featured artist in the Charleston Jazz Festival, CSO and the NC Pops, she has also opened for Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Lady A, and Joan Osborne, and performed at venues including Green Room 42 and Studio 54 in New York City. Known for her vulnerability in live performance, Heather creates deeply personal experiences where jazz sophistication meets emotional truth.
June 3 at 7 p.m.
June 4 at 7 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $16 (general admission); $12 (students and seniors)
Runtime: 70 minutes without intermission
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Theater at Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Covenant Farm
Fifth Wall Productions presents a staged reading of Brigid Amos’ Covenant Farm.
May 23 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: Free
William Shakespeare has colored literary history with larger-than-life characters who have changed how we see the world. Join Paul O’Brien as Shakespeare and Me gives the audience a solo performance featuring some Shakespeare favorites: “Romeo and Juliet,” “Henry V’ and “Othello.”
May 23 at 7:30 p.m.
May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
May 25 at 7:30 p.m.
May 26 at 4 p.m.
May 31 at 7:30 p.m.
June 2 at 4 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $25 – $30
Fifth Wall Productions presents Tick, Tick, Boom! Don’t miss Tick, Tick… Boom! – the autobiographical musical by and about Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent. Tick, Tick recounts the power and tragedy of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theatre.
May 24 at 3 p.m.
May 30 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
June 4 at 7:30 p.m.
June 6 at 3 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $35
Threshold Repertory Theatre presents Musings from the Bar
Donnie Exelbierd has been entertaining patrons at the Muse Restaurant bar in downtown Charleston for years. As he has for the past two years in front of sold-out crowds, Donnie brings his unique style of comedy and storytelling to the stage. Come laugh and sing along and have drink or two with Donnie.
May 26 at 7:30 p.m.
June 2 at 7:30 p.m.
June 3 at 7:30 p.m.
June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $25 – $30
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THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Threshold Rep presents “The Drop of a Hat”
The English comedic singing duo Flanders and Swann charmed and delighted audiences with their witty revues on both sides of the pond in the mid-Twentieth Century with songs composed by Swann and the lyrics supplied by Flanders. Come laugh and sing along if you know the words as Paul O’Brien plays Michael Flanders and Brian Brooks becomes Donald Swann to re-create that mid-century magic featuring some of Flanders and Swann’s favorite songs including “Hippopotamus,” “The Gnu,” and “The Gasman Cometh.”
May 27 at 7:30 p.m.
May 28 at 7:30 p.m.
May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
May 31 at 4 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Piccolo Fringe at Theatre 99 | 280 Meeting Street
THE HAVE NOTS! COMEDY IMPROV (improv comedy) 1 hr 45 min
No scripts! All improv! Celebrating 31 years! This high-energy comedy improv show is entirely based on your audience suggestion so every show is different. The Have Nots! will perform their unique brand of improv comedy AND you never know who will join them on the stage!
MARY KAY HAS A POSSE (improv comedy) 55 minutes
Charleston’s original all-female improv comedy group! Part talk show format (similar to The View), part long form improv, ALL funny! Bitingly witty, unpredictable, and politically incorrect, the ladies of “Posse Talk” break all the rules. “An unforgettable night of laughing ’til your face hurts.” Charleston City Paper If you are easily offended or feel that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, stay home. (Adult audiences only)
TAKE THE FUNNY AND RUN (improv comedy) 1 hr 45 minutes
Some of the funniest improv you’ll see anywhere. Theatre 99 is Charleston’s year round home for improv comedy where audiences come to laugh until it hurts. Bring your suggestions for the quick-witted Theatre 99 ensemble members who will take your suggestions…and rock out hilarious unscripted scenes. Guaranteed to make you laugh!
CLEAN IMPROV COMEDY SHOW (improv comedy) 60 minutes
Have you ever been to an improv show and thought, “I’d love to bring my parents or my 10 year old, but it’s just not clean enough for them”? Well, now we’ve got you covered! Theatre 99 is presenting a one hour hilarious short form show that is clean as a whistle. This show is chock-full of fun and is just as side-splittingly funny as what you’ve come to expect here at Theatre 99. All improv – all based on your suggestions. This is a family friendly show. Bring the kids! (ages 8 and up)
TV4KIDZ presents: An Evening of Sketch Comedy (sketch comedy) 1 hour
“It’s not a kid’s show, but we do try to cultivate a light, playful energy – a little Peewee’s Playhouse, a little Calvin and Hobbes.” – TV4KIDZ
TV4KIDZ is a high-energy sketch troupe based in Charleston SC that blends absurd characters, playful chaos, and tightly crafted bits into a fast-moving variety show. Their work jumps between surreal worlds and grounded, character-driven moments, creating a show that invites you to experience the joy and serendipity you’ve yearned for since childhood…reimagined for adults.
DOOZY – Improvised Scenes with Dan O’Connor, Edi Patterson, Brandy Sullivan & Greg Tavares (improv comedy) 75 minutes. This improv show features Dan O’Connor (Impro Theatre), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Brandy Sullivan (Theatre 99) and Greg Tavares (Theatre 99) doing improvised scene after scene based entirely on audience suggestions. Buckle up because this show a doozy!
LAUGHWAY TO THE WEEKEND (improv comedy) 90+ minutes
Come laugh it up with us half way to the weekend! This improv comedy show will feature 2-3 acts of hilarious improv comedy. Wednesday nights are a Charleston tradition that feature long form improv comedy. Every show is different and completely based on audience suggestions.