CofC Stages’ 2022-23 season centers on the theme “Constructing Identity,” exploring family, love, friendship, and finding one’s place. The diverse characters and stories this season wrestle with identity, journey, clarity and defining oneself in six enthralling productions that include musical theatre, plays and dance.
Opening the season is award-winning musical Violet (Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award – Best Musical), which tells the story of a young woman’s quest for beauty amidst the image-obsessed landscape of the 1960s. Facially disfigured in a childhood accident, Violet dreams of a miraculous transformation through the power of faith. Convinced that a televangelist in Oklahoma can heal her, she hops a Greyhound bus and starts the journey of a lifetime, discovering love and the true meaning of beauty along the way.
DETAILS: Performances of Violet at the Chapel Theatre (172 Calhoun St.) are Oct. 5th-8th. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5th-8th, with a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Oct. 8th. Four new performance dates have been added: Monday, October 10th, Tuesday, October 11th, Wednesday, October 12th, and Thursday, October 13th. Please contact the box office at (843) 953-4726 or gsbo@cofc.edu if you need assistance transferring or purchasing tickets.
Discounted season ticket packages are available for all six CofC Stages productions. Individual tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for seniors (60+), military/veterans, and youth under 18; and $12 for CofC students, faculty, and staff. Purchase season packages or individual tickets ONLINE or contact the George Street Box Office by emailing gsbo@cofc.edu or calling (843) 953-4726.
Composed by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Brian Crawley (book, lyrics), Violet premiered Off-Broadway in 1997 and debuted on Broadway in 2014, where it garnered four Tony nominations. Tesori is known for her Tony Award-winning score for Fun Home and Tony-nominated Broadway scores for Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Caroline, or Change and Shrek the Musical. Crawley has written several musicals, including A Little Princess, Evangeline and Down There. He won the Kleban Award for the libretto of Violet.
Directed by Assistant Professor of African American Theatre and Performance, Nakeisha Daniel, with musical direction by fellow theatre professor Laura Turner and choreography by Associate Professor of Dance, Kristin Alexander, the College’s production is a musical gem recommended for all ages. Daniel shares, “Violet is a dynamic, witty, and heartfelt musical. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy in this compelling story. Audiences should come prepared to laugh, lament, and tap their feet to the gorgeous music.”
The cast is led by Gillian Huntley in the role of Violet, Jaden Jenkins as Flick, and Aidan O’Connor as Monty. Students of all class years comprise the cast and crew, and the show’s designers include faculty member Janine McCabe (costume design), student Max Marshall (scenic design), recent graduate Eddie Frye (lighting design), and adjunct faculty member Caleb Garner (sound design). Student Mollie Davis, a major in Psychology with a Theatre minor, serves as stage manager.
CofC Stages: 2022-23 Season
Visit go.cofc.edu/cofcstages to learn about all six productions that center on the theme “Constructing Identity”:
Violet by Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley
Shifting Perspectives (faculty-choreographed dance concert)
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
Becoming We (student-choreographed dance concert)
Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet by Tarell Alvin McCraney