Spoleto Festival USA Announces 2013 Theater Program

Internationally recognized for its adventurous programming, Spoleto Festival USA offers a robust lineup of theater for its 37th season. In addition to the American premieres of Bristol Old Vic/Handspring Puppet Company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Steven Berkoff's modern adaptation of Oedipus, the theater program also includes the
French circus company, Compagnie XY, with their physical theater production Le Grand C. Two one-man shows bookend the 17-day Festival: Mayday Mayday featuring Tristan Sturrock, last seen in the 2006 Festival presentation of Kneehigh Theatre's Tristan & Yseult, and Rob Drummond's interactive magic show Bullet Catch. Rounding out the theater program is the live-action graphic novel The Intergalactic Nemesis, complete with original illustrations, a Foley artist, and three actors performing a full cast of characters.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (American premiere)
Award-winning director Tom Morris takes the helm of Shakespeare's comedy along with South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company in in their first collaboration since the Tony Award-winning show War Horse. This production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which received its world premiere in Bristol in March, is co-commissioned by Spoleto Festival USA and Bristol Old Vic. The show will have its U.S. premiere performance at the Dock Street Theatre on May 25 at 8pm and will run for the duration of the Festival. Under the direction of Handspring's Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones, more than twenty handcrafted puppets come to life for a production The Guardian calls "magical and mysterious," and The Times (London) describes as "eerily beautiful...irresistibly funny."

In a related event, Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent Martha Teichner interviews director Tom Morris at the Charleston Library Society on May 25 at 12pm.

Oedipus (American premiere)
Based on Sophocles' classical Greek tragedy, Nottingham Theatre Company's Oedipus has been adapted for a contemporary audience by celebrated actor/director Steven Berkoff. Berkoff directed the critically acclaimed Salomé at the 1990 Festival and is also known for film work that includes roles in Octopussy, Rambo, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. For Oedipus he not only directs the production, but also takes the stage in the role of Oedipus' brother-in-law (and uncle) Creon. The premiere will take place on June 4 at 7pm in Memminger Auditorium.

Martha Teichner interviews Steven Berkoff at the Charleston Library Society on June 2 at 3:30pm.

Le Grand C
French nouveau circus company, Compaigne XY, makes its Festival debut this season with Le Grand C. The title refers to le grand chapiteau, or "big top," but the piece is not like any standard circus. Set to traditional French music, Le Grand C is a display of expressive movement and powerful physicality. The show opens on May 24 at 7pm at the Memminger Auditorium and runs through June 1.

Mayday Mayday
Directed by Katy Carmichael, Mayday Mayday opens at Spoleto Festival USA on May 24 at 9:30pm at the Emmett Robinson Theatre at the College of Charleston. This autobiographical one-man show tells the story of actor Tristan Sturrock's struggle to overcome a traumatic injury that threatened to end his career and change his life forever. The New York Times says of Sturrock's performance "... [he] moves with nimble gracefulness around the stage, animating the story with the sheer warmth of his presence." Sturrock was last seen at the Festival in 2006 as the male lead in the Kneehigh Theatre production of Tristan & Yseult and is currently an associate artist of Bristol Old Vic. In Mayday Mayday, which won the Fringe Review Award for Outstanding Theater, Sturrock plays close to 20 different characters including himself, his wife, paramedics, and his neurosurgeon.

The Intergalactic Nemesis
Spoleto Festival USA presents Books One and Two of the live-action graphic novel The Intergalactic Nemesis, a sci-fi adventure story complete with original illustrations, voice actors, a Foley sound artist, and a keyboardist. The first presentation of Book One: Target Earth will be performed on June 5 at 7pm; Book Two: Robot Planet Rising will have its first performance on June 6 at 7pm. All performances will take place at the College of Charleston Sottile Theatre. The Intergalactic Nemesis follows the adventures of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Molly Sloan and her research assistant as they encounter time travel, robots, spies, and monsters from outer space.

Martha Teichner interviews Foley artist Buzz Moran and writer/director/producer Jason Neulander of The Intergalactic Nemesis at the Charleston Library Society on June 6 at 5pm.

Bullet Catch
Writer, producer, and performer Rob Drummond explores the history of the infamous magic trick in his one-man show Bullet Catch, opening at Spoleto Festival USA on June 5 at 8pm in the Emmett Robinson Theatre at the College of Charleston. In what was called a "remarkable, multilayered and utterly gripping show" by The Guardian, Drummond's alter ego, William Wonder, leads the audience through a theatrical magic show featuring levitation, games of chance, and mindreading.

Theater Schedule at a Glance

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Thursday, May 23, at 7:30pm (Preview)
Saturday, May 25, at 3:30pm (Preview) and 8:00pm (Opening Night)
Sunday, May 26, at 3:30pm
Monday, May 27, at 3:30pm and 8:00pm
Tuesday, May 28, at 7:00pm
Thursday, May 30, at 7:00pm
Friday, May 31, at 3:30pm and 8:00pm
Saturday, June 1, at 3:30pm
Sunday, June 2, at 3:30pm and 8:00pm
Monday, June 3, at 7:00pm
Wednesday, June 5, at 7:00pm
Thursday, June 6, at 7:00pm
Friday, June 7, at 8:00pm
Saturday, June 8, at 3:30pm
Sunday, June 9, at 3:30pm

Oedipus
Tuesday, June 4, at 7:00pm
Wednesday, June 5, at 7:30pm
Thursday, June 6, at 3:00 and 7:30pm
Friday, June 7, at 6:30pm
Saturday, June 8, at 3:30 and 8:00pm

Le Grand C
Wednesday, May 22, at 7:00pm (preview)
Thursday, May 23, at 7:00pm (preview)
Friday, May 24, at 8:00pm (opening Night)
Saturday, May 25, at 4:00pm
Sunday, May 26, at 8:00pm
Monday, May 27, at 2:00pm
Wednesday, May 29, at 7:30pm
Thursday, May 30, at 7:30pm
Friday, May 31, at 6:00pm
Saturday, June 1, at 3:30pm

Mayday Mayday
Thursday, May 23, at 8:30pm (Preview)
Friday, May 24, at 9:30pm
Saturday, May 25, at 12:00pm
Sunday, May 26, at 8:00pm
Monday, May 27, at 1:00pm

The Intergalactic Nemesis
Book One: Target Earth
Wednesday, June 5, at 7:00pm
Friday, June 7, at 3:00pm
Saturday, June 8, at 1:00pm

Book Two: Robot Planet Rising
Thursday, June 6, at 7:00pm
Saturday, June 8, at 6:30pm
Sunday, June 9, at 1:00pm

Bullet Catch
Wednesday, June 5, at 8:00pm
Thursday, June 6, at 10:00pm
Friday, June 7, at 1:00pm and 10:00pm
Saturday, June 8, at 7:30pm
Sunday, June 9, at 1:00pm

HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased online at spoletousa.org, by phone at 843.579.3100, in person at the Festival's Box office located at the Charleston Visitor Center at 375 Meeting Street from Mar 25 - June 9, or by downloading the Festival's new mobile app, Spoleto Festival USA, from the iTunes App Store, Android App Market, or Google Play.

To post a comment, you must register and login.