South Carolina New Play Festival 2026 to Debut Production Featuring Drew Gehling

The South Carolina New Play Festival will premiere its first full production The House That I Live In; Josh White's America, by Donnetta Lavinia Grays, taking place July 29-August 9 as part of the fifth anniversary season of the festival. This marks a major expansion of the festival, founded in 2022 by Executive Director, West Hyler and Artistic Director, Shelley Butler, and deepens SCNPF's commitment to developing and producing new, original works of theater.

In addition to the first full production and a slate of staged readings of new plays and musicals, the 2026 festival will present the return of fan favorites The Closing Night Broadway Cabaret and The Spinx Market Live Arts Fair and introduce a Late-Night Variety Show.

SCNPF commissioned and developed The House That I Live In: Josh White's America by Donnetta Lavinia Grays. The original musical is inspired by the true-life story of prominent blues and folk musician Josh White, who rose to fame in the 1930s and 1940s as a singer-songwriter and as a pioneer in the civil rights movement. Tamilla Woodard will direct the production with Wesley Hix as the musical director. Auditions will be held in May and full casting announced at a later date.

The production will take place in the "Cristal Palace," a historic Spiegeltent from the 1940s that will call to mind "Café Society," the first integrated club and dance hall where Josh White initially made his name. The Cristal Palace bar will be open inside the tent both before and after the production to fully immerse the audience in the world of the play.

The Cristal Palace will also be the venue for the Broadway Cabaret starring Drew Gehling and Late-Night Variety Show, as well as other select events, and will be erected on the lawn outside of New Realm Brewing. It has been provided to SCNPF by West Coast Spiegeltents. Presenting a world-premiere production within an evocative, historic venue underscores the South Carolina New Play Festival's ambitious and innovative approach to new-work development.

The House That I Live In: Josh White's America tells the story of Josh White's beginning in Greenville, SC as a "lead boy" to Blind Musicians in the Upstate all the way to his rise to fame in the 30's and 40's at New York Clubs like Café Society and as a star of Broadway and Hollywood, including scenes with legends like Billie Holiday, Woody Guthrie, and Paul Robeson, to name a few. Over the past three years, SCNPF has facilitated research and interviews between Donnetta Lavinia Grays and Josh White's family members as well as local experts and scholars from the Greenville community. Many of those who were interviewed, like Ruth Ann Butler, Mary Duckett, and Josh White Jr. have passed during the creation of the project, and the show immortalizes their stories in play form. The commission was sponsored by Bunny and Bob Hughes.

The festival will culminate with a Broadway Cabaret starring Drew Gehling, who is currently playing Shakespeare in the blockbuster musical & Juliet on Broadway. Gehling made his Broadway debut as Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys and went on to play Warren Smith in the Broadway revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever alongside Harry Connick, Jr. In 2016, he originated the role of Jim Pomatter in the musical Waitress on Broadway, and starred alongside Sara Bareilles. He recently starred in the new musical Dave at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and in Almost Famous on Broadway. The Broadway Cabaret will take place in the Cristal Palace on Sunday, August 9 at 7:00pm.