Interview: Centre Stage Artistic Director Laura Nicholas Talks Shows and Logo

Last week, Greenville's Centre Stage announced their 2022-23 season.

The season will focus on a "Return to Joy," with each of the titles tied together through that common theme.

"Our theatre has experienced a wonderful renewal and return to live performance this year after a long hiatus due to the pandemic," says Managing Artistic Director Laura Nicholas. "Looking ahead to next year, Centre Stage is excited to celebrate this community once again and relish in the transformative joy that performance brings, both to performers and audience members alike."

We asked Laura to tell us more about the season as well as their brand new logo.

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BWW: First off, this season is pretty much all musicals. What can you tell us about your process of choosing a season?

LAURA NICHOLAS: Choosing a season (or two in the case of CS!) is actually one of my favorite activities. There is a lot of research and planning that I do on my own time. I check with the other theatres in town, big city events and arts festivals, Clemson home games, and then what titles are even available for licensing. I also get lots of feedback from the staff and fellow collaborators here in town. I especially enjoy swapping titles with directors and dramaturgs who are familiar with the unique challenges (opportunities!) we face at Centre Stage by producing in an intimate thrust space. It's a little like putting a puzzle together: you gotta do the corners first, then the edges, and then work on putting the whole picture together and maybe ask some friends to help you. Only then can you consult the box to make sure everything is in its place.

I think we ended up with musicals, because that was what people wanted to see! The season is also tied together by a common theme that was discovered somewhere in the midst of the selection process: the joy of live theatre. Especially now, when we're all still recovering and wading through a somewhat uncertain terrain, I wanted to just focus on returning to that joy. All of the shows in our 2022-2023 lineup celebrate joy! I can't help but smile when I talk about being able to provide that for our community.

Now let's go through the lineup, show by show.

Buddy-the Buddy Holly Story

August 18-September 18, 2022

THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY is a Centre Stage favorite. What prompted you to bring it back?

It really doesn't need much prompting! We had actually planned to produce this show back in 2020, but it got postponed until now due to the pandemic. It's such a great story with great music. I'd love to do it every year if we could!

Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play

November 30- December 18, 2022

I think we all know the story of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. What can you tell us about this version and particularly the musical component of it?

This version is so much fun. It's really hard to write a musical that really sticks, but I think this one has some really catchy tunes. Especially if you enjoy the story, you're going to love the clever way Jon Lorenz has set it to music. Plus, it's a period piece, set in a 1940s radio station with live sound effects and prompts for the audience. This one is sure to be fun for the whole family!

Once

January 26-February 12, 2023

Personally, I am thrilled that you're doing ONCE. I adored the touring production and it feels like your space could be really magical for that piece. Will you be incorporating the idea of a bar setting?

I think everyone is thrilled actually! It is a tricky one to cast and stage just because of the parameters required by our contract with the licensing house. I think that's why it really isn't done a whole lot. Rest assured, we'll be giving a nod to the Irish warmth and setting without duplicating what has been done before. I agree that our stage will make this one sing!

Singin' in the Rain

March 9-April 2, 2023

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN obviously has some iconic moments and I expect it could be tap dance heavy. Any thoughts about how to handle the dancing and, especially, the centerpiece number - will it be raining inside Centre Stage?

Secretly, I have always loved SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. It is considered one of the best movie musicals of all time and I stand by that fact! Strong dancer/singer/actors for the three leads of course are absolutely essential. We will not be skimping on that. As for rain on stage, I may have a few tricks up my sleeve. Stay tuned!

Ain't Misbehavin': the Fats Waller Musical Show

May 18-June 4, 2023

AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' feels like a perfect Centre Stage show. I don't recall seeing it play anywhere around here in a long time, but I might be wrong about that. What led you to choose this one?

This title is another one that I am incredibly excited about. I have to give a shoutout to local performer/choreographer (and more recently, director!!), Kristofer Parker on this one. He suggested it to me and I was immediately taken with the idea of how perfect the show really is for our space. Like I said, puzzles are more fun with friends!

Summer Breezin': Yacht Rock Hits of the 60s, 70s, and 80s

July 6-30, 2023

Yacht Rock! How hard is it to keep coming up with fun themes for your original revues?

So hard! Partially because Centre Stage has been doing them for so long (originating back to the time of founding Executive/Artistic Director, Doug McCoy). There are so many great ideas, though, and I always have lots of input for this one especially. I will say that I attended a Yacht Rock concert last summer and was totally blown away with how much fun the whole experience was! I want to bring that same experience to our audience!

Finally, please tell us about the process of coming up with new branding!

We've actually been undergoing the rebranding process for several years now on and off. When I took this position in summer 2020, I wanted to really push to make it happen with lots of input. We did focus groups, surveys, and lots and lots of edits. Our graphic designer has been working with us for several years now and is just so talented. He had lots of great ideas that we worked through with staff and board members, but we finally landed on the current new logo with a fresh new color scheme. When we asked people what they thought about when they thought of Centre Stage, we always came back to the idea of community and uniqueness, specifically what makes us unique. We wanted our new look to reflect those findings along with the refreshment of our brand. I think it truly accomplishes that!

In addition to the mainstage shows, Centre Stage will also present a new season of shows for their Prisma Health Fringe Series.

Songs for a New World

By Jason Robert Brown

September 6-21, 2022

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