Just when you think Charleston is at its cultural tipping point, a new theater company broadcasts an irresistible Broadway cabaret. A bevy of seasoned opera singers come together to stage a stunning production. A new gallery joins the vibrant constellation of them.
Charleston’s acclaimed arts scene is more electric than ever. Venerated cultural institutions around the city continuing to innovate, and recent additions turning heads and gaining momentum. What’s more, a recent stable of new cultural leaders is set to infuse the city with added artistic charge.
The city’s music offerings span every genre — classical, jazz, R&B, gospel, pop, hip-hop and experimental — drawing audiences to locales from state-of-the-art concert halls to breweries. There’s an impressive show of cabaret and opera, too.
Film buffs can find not only the latest blockbusters, but also plenty of indie gems and projects mining local roots. Specialized film festivals serve up curated programs, too. And throughout Charleston, the theater world continues to pack them in, set to animate local stages with Tony Award-winning hits, family fare, acclaimed dramas and quirky, irreverent production to boot.
For those who revel in the written word, literary groups and independent bookstores join forces in festivals, discussions and talkbacks, and frequently fold in regional authors. The visual arts scene gathers both local artists and visiting guests, with thoughtful exhibitions, events and happenings certain to cultivate meaningful exchange about today’s world.
Visual art
The historic Gibbes Museum of Art mounts numerous ambitious exhibitions of contemporary artists each year, while also inviting all to view works from permanent collection, some dating back centuries, and wending through the 21st century. Nearby, City Gallery at Waterfront Park also presents successive exhibitions annually that celebrate both local artists and others from farther afield.
At the College of Charleston, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art mounts cutting-edge shows for the campus and the community with probing works by prestigious contemporary artists. At Redux Contemporary Art Center, emerging and established artists from Charleston and beyond, with several working on-premise in resident studios. In Summerville, Public Works Arts Center has become a lively cultural hub, regularly mounting new exhibitions and hosting talks and classes.
Mary Sue Worthy and her daughter Lauren view an art exhibit at Public Works Art Center on July 12, 2022, in Summerville. File/Gavin McIntyre/Staff
There are also scores of commercial art galleries along retail arteries like Broad, King and Church streets, as well as in places like Mount Pleasant and North Charleston, offering locals and visitors alike ample opportunities to augment collections.
Music
For its 2023-24 season, Charleston Gaillard Center is set to present and produce shows and concerts, from spectacular touring productions and musical acts, as well as Gaillard-produced works with deep ties to the area. Also at the Gaillard is Charleston Symphony, an artistic anchor at the hall that offers an annual roster of Masterworks and pops concerts.
Opera has captivated Charleston of late, as it did centuries ago. Productions are in the works at companies including Charleston Opera Theater and Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera. The College of Charleston’s opera program also stages full-scale works in the Sottile Theatre.
Light illuminates a mural along the walls of the Sottile Theatre. File/Gavin McIntyre/Staff
Musical programming of every stripe and note can be found at Charleston venues such as North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center, Charleston Music Hall, Music Farm, The Riviera Theater, Charleston Jazz, The Royal American, Charleston Pour House and Forte Jazz Lounge.
Film
The Terrace Theater in James Island shows screenings of local, indie and international films to a discerning crowd of cineastes, and each spring presents a film festival. Downtown, the annual Nuovo Cinema Italiano Film Festival each fall gathers far-flung film talents for its annual immersion in Italian culture and language. The Charleston Jewish Filmfest showcases the best in contemporary Jewish films.
Theater
In theater, a host of theater companies ensure that the fall is rich in drama, musicals and comedy. Pure Theatre focuses on critically-acclaimed plays. Charleston Stage offers high production values at the Dock Street Theatre.
The historic Dock Street Theatre, known as America’s first theater, in Charleston was the subject of a massive Federal Emergency Administration and Works Progress Administration renovation project between 1935 and 1937. File/Staff
There is also lively work at Footlight Players at Queen Street Playhouse, the itinerant Village Repertory Co., 34 West, South of Broadway Theatre Company and Flowertown Players in Summerville.
Theatre 99 offers improv performances, and Art Forms & Theatre Concepts regularly presents works by and for African American artists at various venues. New to the scene is Charleston Playhouse, which hosts a Broadway Cabaret Series at the College of Charleston. And the North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center is raring to go with touring concerts and its Best of Broadway series.
Literature
In the fall, literary festivals dive deep into many genres, from new local releases to events with international literary legends. In November, Charleston Literary Festival rounds up notables from near and far, while YALLFest celebrates young adult releases.
Then in January, Black Ink trains the spotlight on African American authors. Throughout the year, Charleston Library Society hosts author events and more in its historic building. And there is always a new page to turn at local bookstores such as Blue Bicycle Books, Buxton Books and Itinerant Literate Books.
The challenge, of course, is in the choice. With so much stellar culture on offer throughout the fall, the best strategy is to book early and go often.