All posts by Meghan Burgess

The Boys Come to Town

Uncategorized, ,

On November 6, 2013 I attended the North Charleston Performing Arts Center presentation of the award-winning musical “Jersey Boys”. In 2006, the musical won a Grammy for Best Musical Show and in 2009 it won an Olivier Award for Best New Musical.  The production was part of the North Charleston Performing Arts Center’s Best of Broadway Series where they bring in well know shows such as Memphis and The Addams Family for patrons of the area to enjoy.  The majority of the audience was over the age of 50 but almost every seat in the house was sold out.  The audience appeared to enjoy themselves as much as the actors on stage as they watched the four boys rise to fame.

The advertising campaign for this show had to be extremely versatile to appeal to the wide range of audience members in attendance.  The show was advertised from places like the College of Charleston Campus to billboards on I-26.  Ticketmaster also sent out emails in regards to the upcoming show to tell patrons in the area that this Broadway show was coming into town for only six short days.  The tickets were reasonably priced and well worth the trip to North Charleston.  If the show was still in town I would highly recommend the show to anyone who needs a good laugh, likes great music or simply enjoys the arts.

A New View of Redux

Uncategorized, ,

On September 28, 2013 I attended Redux Contemporary Art Center  for the first time for their Redux Revival event.  The event included Gwyneth Scally’s Wilderness Management Exhibit , the Outta My Huevos food truck, a live band, and an art yard sale.  The 3D exhibit, Wilderness Management, was an attention-grabber as soon as you walked into the gallery as it allowed viewers to walk through the exhibit making the art more interactive than a typical painting on the wall.  I did not do much research about the event or the featured artist prior to attending and I wish I would have as the information online about the artist’s exhibit allowed me to have a better understanding and appreciation for Gwyneth Scally’s work, inspiration, and experiences as an artist.  I feel that if this information had been featured somewhere within the event patrons would of had a stronger connection with the work instead of just wondering why jellyfish and pine tree branches were suspended from the ceiling.

The event had a wide age range in attendance from young adults to elderly couples viewing the exhibit and looking through the pieces of art on sale.  There was an opportunity for the staff and artists of Redux to educate and fulfill their mission of having dialogue between their artists and their audiences and this opportunity was lost.  There was no information on the artist on display and there was a loud band playing that stopped much of the talking within the arts center which could have allowed patrons to connect and relate to one another through the art work on display.  I would recommend this event to others as I enjoyed the event but learning about what Redux has to offer.  I think there are definitely more ways for Redux to reach a wider audience by communicating clearly and creating an atmosphere that allows them to truly educate the low country area about art and our talented local artists.

Lack Of Applause

Uncategorized

On September 7, 2013, I went to see the coproduction of The Flowertown Players
and South of Broadway Theatre Company’s production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s “No Exit” at the James Dean Theatre in Summerville, SC.  The play was set in hell and not the hell that we think of when someone mentions the place but rather a small room with three small fabric benches, no windows, artwork, and dully painted walls. With a cast of only three, each narrated their own story of how they ended up in this place they called hell and why each believed they ended up there.  Most of the story was bland; lacking humor and any sort of thought-provoking dialogue.  The play ends with all three characters laughing as they realize that they are already dead, cannot kill one another, and they are stuck in the place called hell forever with no way of escaping.

This theater seats approximately two hundred people and roughly, twenty people were in
audience that evening.  After seeing the play, I do not believe that many people knew of this play other than season ticket holders and few fans of the theater.  Summerville is a family oriented city with lots of young families and I feel that this play did not appeal to the demographics of the area as there was a feeling of disconnect between the play and the audience.  The play may have done better in an area like Charleston where there is more of an interest in the art of theatre and an appreciation for less popular plays versus an area like Summerville where people just want to get out for the night or participate in an activity that is more family friendly.

I would not recommend this play to others.  While it was interesting to see, what Flowertown Player’s is producing versus other theaters in Charleston the twenty-dollar ticket was not worth the performance given.