Two Early Charleston Theaters With Impressive Structures Hidden In The Shadows Of Time

The Time Machine has always been one of my favorite all-time movies--that is, the original version. Especially the scene where its inventor, George, enters his full-size machine, carefully inserts a masterfully crafted lever, excitedly yet slowly pushes it forward engaging its intricate mechanisms, and fully immersed in cautious wonderment, watches his surroundings and a store's mannequin across from his residence materially change in appearance season after season, year after year. I would have loved to place that same time machine on Church Street directly across from the building that became the Dock Street Theater so I could have watched the comings and goings through its many remarkable changing and passing years.

Today, standing on Church Street and looking directly towards the storied Dock Street Theater, the eye catching wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns gracing its facade immediately captures your imagination. The theater is by far Charleston's most remembered, not because it was the City's only theater, but simply because its appellation has survived Charleston's tumultuous history of confrontation, conflagration, and cataclysm. Its cycle of existence reminds me of the Bible passage at Revelation 17:8, which in part reads, "...and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder...when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." The Dock Street Theater opened on February 12, 1736--"was", went out of existence in the Great Fire of 1740 and was replaced with the Planter's Hotel--"and is not", and finally returned as the Dock Street Theater on November 26, 1937--"and yet is."

During the time the Dock Street Theater was not, hidden in the shadows of time and lesser known by most people today, there existed two celebrated theaters housed in architecturally impressive structures. The Broad Street Theatre, also called Charleston Theatre, was built at the corner of Broad Street and Middleton Street (now New Street). The New Theater was constructed on Meeting Street.

The Broad Street Theatre was designed by James Hoban (best known as the architect of the White House in Washington). The masonry playhouse was built by contractor Capt. Anthony Toomer. As reported by the City Gazette on August 14, 1792, "the ground was laid off for the new theatre, on Savage's Green. …125 feet in length, the width 56 feet, the height 37 feet, with a handsome pediment, stone ornaments, a large flight of stone steps, and a palisaded courtyard. The front will be on Broad Street, and the pit entrance on Middleton Street. Owned by West and Bignall, the theater seated 1,200 people. It opened February 1793.

Soon after the Broad Street Theatre opened, Santo Domingan refugee John Sollée built a French-language theater on Church Street. Competition between the two theaters was fierce, and heightened by conflicting political alliances after France declared war on Great Britain in February 1793. While the wealthy elite patronized Shakespearean productions on Broad Street, supporters of the Jacobin revolutionaries flocked to the comedies, acrobatics, and light opera presented at the French Theater. After the 1795-96 season, it was effectively out of business.

While the Broad Street Theatre remained closed, the French and English theater companies merged during the spring of 1796 and through the summer of that year performed at a Church Street theater under the name of "City Theatre." Then, in the spring of 1800, the parties cooperated to open both playhouses. The re-opened Broad Street venue would present drama and the Church Street venue music, acrobatics, and ballet. Sollée then renovated his Church Street property as a music hall and ballroom, known for years as "Concert Hall." After 1800, the Broad Street theater was Charleston's only playhouse, and generally referred to as The Theatre.

The theater closed when the War of 1812 broke out, reopening in the autumn of 1815 under the management of English actor Joseph Holman. Junius Brutus Booth performed two engagements in the winter of 1821-22. On February 20, 1826, the City Gazette advised its readers that a "New Portico" would be erected at the expense of Mrs. Gilbert to induce attendance. Within a few years, the portico had been added to the Broad Street facade.

Broad Street Theatre became Medical College in 1833

By 1832, attendance had fallen off sharply. The decline was attributed to the steep price of tickets at a time when many had "circumscribed means." The tight wallets were a response to Charleston's weak economy, and the theater soon closed permanently. On July 25, 1833, the Broad Street Theatre was purchased by the faculty of the Medical College of the State of South Carolina for the sum of $12,000. The building was destroyed in the great fire of December 1861.

With the closing of the Broad Street theater, the city was without a proper theatrical venue. In early 1835, a group of businessmen led by Robert Witherspoon agreed to develop a new theater enterprise. They bought a lot on Meeting Street from the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina, and organized "The Charleston New Theatre," as a joint-stock company.

New Theatre

Famous architect, Charles Reichardt (designer of the Charleston City Hall, original Charleston Hotel, Chisolm House, and Millford Plantation), designed the world-class auditorium. It was erected by a partnership of builders, Curtis, Fogartie and Sutton. While construction was underway, the theater was leased to an experienced actor-manager who brought a company of players to Charleston.

The Charleston Courier, December 18, 1837 described the 1200-seat New Theatre as being two full stories in height above a raised basement. The stuccoed brick building had a massive Ionic portico, with four columns, above an arcaded base. The portico was accessible only from within the building; entry from Meeting Street was through the arcade level. Three main doors opened to the lobby/vestibule, which had a ticket office at one side, ladies withdrawing room at the other, and a corridor leading to the boxes and seating floor. Above the richly ornamented auditorium was a large dome, at its center a forty-eight lamp chandelier eight feet across.

The New Theatre opened on December 15, 1837 to a large audience. After Mr. Latham delivered a "poetical address" written for the occasion by William Gilmore Simms, theater manager William Abbott took the lead role in the play, The Honey Moon, supported by Miss Melton and Mrs. Herbert, who also sang an "afterpiece."

In March of 1838, Junius Booth was booked to make his first appearance in Charleston in more than a decade at the theater. His characterization of Sir Giles Overreach was declared by the Southern Patriot as being on the whole "the most thrilling piece of acting we have ever seen…" In May, 1840, the celebrated German ballerina Fanny Elssler, whose appearances in Baltimore and New York had caused riots among her adoring fans, danced at Charleston's theater.

Although Abbott left Charleston in 1841, a series of managers were relatively successful in running the theater for the next twenty years. In 1858 and 1859, Edwin Booth (son of Junius Booth and brother of John Wilkes Booth) played several engagements. He reenacted his father's great roles as Richelieu, Hamlet, Giles Overreach, and Othello. The New Theatre was also destroyed in the great fire of December 1861.


The steps in the foreground was all that was left of the New Theatre after the 1861 fire and the Civil War.

The Broad Street Theatre and the New Theatre were not the only venues in Charleston back in their day just as the Dock Street Theatre is not the only one today, but they were prominent venues with impressive structures. What set the Dock Street Theatre apart from all others? It was America's first built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances and its name has prevailed over the ravages of time. It seats 475 people with state-of-the-art lighting and sound.

Not far from the Dock Street Theatre on Queen Street is the The Footlight Players. It was formally organized and incorporated in 1932. In 1934, the group purchased an old 1850 cotton warehouse that eventually became their permanent home. There are many other smaller venues located throughout Charleston--all producing quality entertainment.

Sassy "Chicago" At The James F. Dean Theatre In Summerville Razzle Dazzles

Chicago blew into Summerville this week with obscenely riotous results-A packed James F. Dean Theatre and a standing ovation once the two leading ladies of the show, Kelly McDavid(Velma Kelly) and Lindsay Marie(Roxie Hart), made their final appearance. After seeing Chicago advertisements plastered on billboards throughout the area, I went into this with high expectations. I wasn't disappointed.

Many may not know that the two main characters of this musical were based on the true life 1924 trials of murderesses Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner. A reporter by the name of Maurine Dallas Watkins was assigned to cover these trials for the Chicago Tribune. Her resulting sensational columns documenting these trials proved so popular she decided to write a play based on them. "Roxie Hart" was patterned after Beula Annan and "Velma Kelly" after Belva Gaertner. Lawyers William Scott Stewart and W. W. O'Brien were models for the character "Billy Flynn". Both ladies were acquitted of their murders just weeks apart and Chicago was born.

The Flowertown Players presentation of this highly acclaimed and sizzling Broadway hit with its Academy award-winning film version was nothing less than spectacular for Summerville's intimate theater venue. I was thoroughly captivated by Kelly McDavid's rendition of Velma. Her body language was convincingly brash and facial expressions definitively sassy, exactly what you would expect from a cabaret singer accused of murder. Her portrayal was unshakably confident and her dance routines were executed with audacious swag.

On the other hand, Lindsey Marie exuded the appearance of innocence, a dead-ringer for Roxie, and that's no play on words. Lindsey's scene with Brendan Kelly as Billy Flynn portraying Roxie's press conference turned into a ventriloquist act with Billy dictating a new version of the truth to the press while Roxie mouthed the words was executed impeccably and one of the more engaging highlights of the play, in my humble opinion.

John Black played timid Amos Hart, Roxie's husband, a.k.a. 'Mister Cellophane should have been my name. Mister cellophane cause you can look right through me, walk right by me, and never know I'm there'. The scene where John sang this song was another highlight of the night as was Kristen May's(Mama Morton) execution of "When You're Good to Mama".

From "All That Jazz" to the "Finale" the whole cast put on a highly energized performance with know let up. The punch lines were delivered successfully. The stage was simple, but appropriate. The live orchestra with trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and percussion added to the realism and jazziness. Victoria Malone and Linda Wills accompaniment on the keyboard was superb(It's not easy to play simultaneously on the same keyboard and stay in sync.) Congratulations to JC Conway and the production team for a successful, razzle dazzle evening.

Thank you to the Flowertown Players for my front row seats, I was up close and personal-close enough to smell the perfume and see the sweat. Go see it-purchase tickets. "What can I say, it's Chicago."

Charleston's Theaters Offer High Class Entertainment And Opportunity For The Talented

Dock Street Theater stage

I recently did something I don't normally do. I watched the SAG Awards. I don't know what came over me. The beginning of the program captured my attention and from there I just lingered. At the opening credits, different actors and actresses who were nominated for awards recounted how they got into acting.

Listening to the nominees speak of their first experience with acting took me back many years ago, back to my first part on a stage in a live performance. I was eleven years old. It was a school play. I played the lead role as Robinson Crusoe in an adaptation of the novel written by Daniel DeFoe called "Robinson Crusoe." I also played a minor role as a pirate in the play. In my role as a pirate I wore the typical pirate eye patch. There was this one scene where I got the two characters crossed. I stepped out onto the stage as Crusoe wearing the eye patch. I forgot to remove it after the conclusion of a previous scene as the pirate. I didn't realize my wardrobe mistake until I looked out at the audience, and there was no turning back. Somewhat embarrassed, mostly self inflicted, I muddled through the scene. My error went unnoticed, not a word was said about it. The play was a success.

Dock Street Theater mezzanine seating

If you enjoy acting and would like to participate in a live stage performance, Charleston theaters offer opportunities for individuals to audition for parts in upcoming plays. I have personally given consideration to auditioning. I think it would be an enjoyable experience. I am just waiting for a good pirate role to come available. On a recent outing into Charleston, I walked through two of its theaters, talked to some of the staff, and took pictures. It was richly informative and no, I didn't see or hear any ghosts.

Charleston Stage is the resident acting company performing at the Dock Street Theater. The Dock Street Theater was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. The original building burned in the Great Fire of 1740, which destroyed many of the buildings in Charleston's French Quarter. In 1809 the Planters Hotel was built at the location. The Hotel ultimately fell into disrepair and slated for demolition. It was saved and efforts began to turn it into a theater once again. It reopened in 1937 as the Dock Street Theater. In 2007, it closed again and after a three year 19 million dollar renovation, the theater opened its doors again in 2010.

Dock Street Theater bar

The Dock Street, located at 135 Church Street, is a beautiful proscenium space theater with seating for 430 people--proscenium space refers to the front stage between the curtain and orchestra. The ornate wood interior gives it a warm, rich feeling. It has mezzanine seating with an excellent view of the stage and is outfitted with state-of-the-art lighting and sound. The theater hires actors from the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions for their Resident Acting Intern Program, which is held in February of every year. If interested contact Charleston Stage auditions. You can also volunteer to work backstage or on costumes and scenery. If interested contact Charleston Stage volunteer opportunities.

Footlight Theater stage

The Footlight Players are associated with the Footlight Theater located at 20 Queen Street. The building was originally an old cotton warehouse built in 1850. At first, it was only used for storage and scenery construction. After a dramatic renovation in 1986, the Footlight Players moved into the building for good. During my walk through, I noticed all the seats had a small metal plate mounted on the backs with names of people engraved on it, some stating "In memory of" and others "In honor of." They are individuals who made donations to the theater, some still living, some not. When those still living buy tickets for plays they can request their permanently reserved seat, if they choose to do so.

Painting on a wall in Footlight Theater

The Footlight Players are very similar to the Flowertown Players when it comes to auditions. It is open to the public. They are presently taking auditions for "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged)" scheduled for opening March 29 and will run to April 7. March 4 and 5 auditions will be held for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." Six men and seven woman will be needed to fill the roles. March 18 and 19 auditions will be held for "Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)." Two men and two woman will be needed for that play.

The Flowertown Players, James F. Dean Theatre in Summerville, held open auditions on January 10th and 11th for the 1966 stage play written by Frederick Knott called "Wait Until Dark", which will be presented beginning March 2nd. The film adaptation released in 1967 starring Audrey Hepburn thrilled audiences and was ranked tenth on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments for its climactic scene. Perhaps, you remember the climactic scene when the theater dimmed its lights, then turned them off after each light on-screen was shattered one by one by Susy Hendrix(Audrey Hepburn), resulting in the theater being plunged into complete darkness. Seconds ticked off in that heightened state of suspense. Then surprisingly, the killer leaped from the shadows. My friends literally jumped out of their seats. It will be interesting to see how the Flowertown Players will duplicate that infamous scary scene.

So, join in the fun of acting, if you dare. If not, buy a ticket and enjoy the show. You can not beat the feel of a live performance. Maybe, you will see some crazy guy up on the stage wearing an eye patch, wielding a sword, and inviting you to "Drink up me hearties. Drink up."