Chad Henderson News

BEAUTIFUL rolls out of town, but USC and Trustus raise the curtain on their next shows!

Trustus Theatre's Season 34, The Art of Adaptation, continues this spring with their production of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This American classic novel, adapted for the stage by Simon Levy, will take audiences back to the Jazz Age and will incorporate local talent from Trustus Theatre actors, Columbia City Ballet dancers, and Cola Jazz musicians.

Put on your flapper dress or your best three-piece suit, and make plans to attend the hottest party of the spring at The Great Gatsby House Party. Held at the Historic Seibels House, this signature Trustus Theatre event will kick off their Season 34 production of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, running on their Main Stage April 5 - April 27, 2019.

Audiences have been clamoring for it for nearly five and a half years, and Trustus Theatre is set to deliver a tasty theatrical treat this March: they're bringing back 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche! This play made its Trustus Theatre debut in Season 28 and was such a hit that when it came back in Season 29, the entire run was sold out before opening night! It is a delightfully bawdy, slightly over-the-top, fun production will have you laughing from the first line through the final bows. 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche will open in the Fellowship Hall at Reformation Lutheran Church on Friday, March 8, 2019 and will run through Sunday, March 17, 2019. This limited run will have eight performances including three afternoon matinees. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org or by calling the Trustus Theatre Box Office at 803-254-9732.

Trustus Theatre is proud to announce that Artistic Director Chad Henderson and Company Member Martha Hearn Kelly have been honored by the South Carolina Theatre Association with two prestigious awards. Henderson was awarded The Founders Award, and Kelly was awarded the Debora Hoffman Outstanding Mentor Teacher Award. The South Carolina Theatre Association will host its annual awards celebration on May 18 at 7pm in Greenville, South Carolina at the Birch Room in the Residence Inn/Spring Hill Suites.

A unique Valentine's Day celebration is coming to The Pastor's Study at Lula Drake this year-Trustus Theatre's beloved Love is Love Cabaret is back again this year!  With a glass of wine in hand, audiences can enjoy the musical talents of Trustus Theatre as a handful of favorite Trustus Company Members gather around the piano to sing you songs all about love.

Trustus bids adieu to CURIOUS INCIDENT, while VST opens ALADDIN and USC launches two killer shows in rep at the CPE!

A unique Valentine's Day celebration is coming to The Pastor's Study at Lula Drake this year-Trustus Theatre's beloved Love is Love Cabaret is back again this year!  With a glass of wine in hand, audiences can enjoy the musical talents of Trustus Theatre as a handful of favorite Trustus Company Members gather around the piano to sing you songs all about love.

Workshop brings down the curtain on JAKE'S WOMEN and Trustus rolls through another week of CURIOUS INCIDENT!

Workshop kicks off 2019 with a Neil Simon classic while Trustus's run of CURIOUS INCIDENT rolls on!

FACK and Town close their first productions of the new year, while Trustus kicks off 2019 with a recent Tony-winner!

Like most of his work, Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Ludwig reimagines an Arthur Conan Doyle classic as a farce, complete with madcap antics and a small troupe of actors playing a multitude of memorable characters. Michael Duffy's production for Sumter Little Theatre is a great reason to check out a lovely playhouse outside of the Metro.

For most people, the ability to connect with others, be touched, and explore the everyday world doesn't take much effort. It's different though for Christopher Boone-a fifteen-year-old living with autism-because even the simple act of holding a conversation with someone can overload his senses and emotions. What happens when the neighbor's dog is found speared with a garden fork and Christopher becomes a suspect? Find out when The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time comes to Trustus Theatre. This production will feature the Trustus debut of Beck Chandler, the first actor with autism to play the role in the Southeast. It also features British actor Scott Pattison as Christopher's father, and his performance is supported in part by a South Carolina Arts Commission Performance Initiative Grant. Simon Stephens' script adaptation, which won the 2015 Tony for Best Play and was based on the award-winning novel by Mark Haddon, will come to life at Trustus Theatre on Friday, January 18 and will run through Saturday, February 9, 2019. Shows will run Thursday through Sunday for three packed weeks of performances. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org, or by calling the Trustus Box Office at 803-254-9732.

In Trustus Theatre's 34th Season, Trustus Artistic Director Chad Henderson is looking beyond the Midlands to create the outstanding programs housed within the theatre's walls. In 2019, Trustus Theatre is collaborating with four professional theatre artists from Charleston, SC: Sharon Graci (Artistic Director of Pure Theatre), Janine McCabe (College of Charleston Department of Theatre Chair), Erin Wilson (Pure Theatre Core Ensemble Member), and Scott Pattinson (Actors' Equity Association Member, Pure Theatre Core Ensemble Member). The theatre is also bringing back past Trustus Company Member Baxter Engle and Trustus Company Emeritus Steve Harley. Engle is a professional designer who now lives in New York City working with Production Glue, a live event company. Harley is a professional actor who is based out of Myrtle Beach and is a Company Member at Atlantic Stage.

Director Patrick Michael Kelly sits down with Playwright Jon Tuttle to talk about Jon's new play BOY ABOUT TEN!

THE MORMONS ARE COMING! It's a banner week for Midlands stages as BOOK OF MORMON takes up residency at the Koger Center, Workshop opens STRING OF PEARLS, Trustus closes CONSTANCE, and Town continues HAIRSPRAY!

Town Theatre opens the contemporary classic HAIRSPRAY while Trustus' original musical CONSTANCE presses on!

Plays at Chapin and Workshop come to a close and Trustus opens its original musical!

A musical a decade in the making, The Restoration's Constance is coming to Trustus Theatre's Main Stage this May. It will make its full debut right here in Columbia and will feature a strong cast of 25 actors and a creative team of designers that will work together to create a visually exciting show that rises to the level of The Restoration's memorable and stirring music. This musical will open on Friday, May 4, and will run through Saturday, May 19, 2018. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org, or by calling the Trustus Box Office at 803-254-9732.

It's a PACKED weekend on Midlands stages, as Trustus closes up the FUN HOME, but CCT, Theatre Blythewood, Theatre South Carolina, Town, and Workshop Theatre all have big openings!