Theater & Dance
Piccolo Spoleto offers a diverse lineup of theatre and dance, featuring captivating plays, dynamic dance productions, and more.
Theatre & Dance at Cannon Street Arts Center | 134 Cannon Street
Lowcountry Magic Jamboree is a fun family-friendly showcase presented by Charleston’s own Lowcountry Conjurors. Guests should come 45 minutes early for close-up magic in the lobby followed by a 75-minute show of captivating miracles for all ages.
This wonderful Piccolo Spoleto performance is an opportunity to see four, different, 20-minute performances by local dance groups.
Unbound Ballet
The Unbound Ballet Project proudly presents excerpts from their full-length ballet, Everything Moves and Nothing Stays, which premiered last July and was choreographed by director Crystal Wellman. Inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey,” this captivating performance invites you to explore the seasons of life through music and movement.
Annex Dance Company presents three repertory works inspired by the art of Leslie Alexander, Aya Kawano, and Mary Walker, translating their visual worlds into movement.
Collective SC presents Short Fuse, an exploration of the fragile line between calm and chaos. Like an electrical fuse, it holds energy until overloaded, stopping the flow and unleashing a sudden blow. Brief moments of quiet ignite into inevitable eruptions. Short Fuse features excerpts from BREAK alongside new works in progress, choreographed by Lacey Bates and Izzy Byers.
In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” dancers bring to life the eponymous 1892 classic feminist short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. First staged in June 2025, it tells the story of a woman suffering from postpartum depression and her struggle to get well during a time when women’s mental health was not taken seriously. The titular yellow wallpaper, brought to life by a corps of dancers, fascinates and taunts the narrator as the lines between the narrator and the wallpaper become increasingly blurred.
KANSAS tells the story of a Midwestern family where the recent suicide of the father sparks a feud of recrimination and turmoil. After the funeral, the three sons try to make sense of the senseless situation. “It’s got to be somebody’s fault” cries the youngest. But whose? Pushed apart by their own choices and the tornado of politics, the brothers fight to make peace with the past and each other.
May 24 at 2 p.m.
Admission: $12
PURCHASE TICKETS
Six Black Continental Army soldiers captured by the British are forced to explore what the promises of freedom, independence, liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness truly mean for them in this original play commissioned by the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce with funding from the SC250 Commission. Professor Annette Dees Grevious and Performance Artist Brandi LaShay collaborated to develop this compelling production, which explores and uplifts African American involvement in the founding our nation and establishment of the State of South Carolina.
Admission: $10
Photo by Dan Steffy
Written and directed by local female playwright Andrea White, this performance is sure to entertain and thrill all ages. Low Country Arts Theatre is a new educational youth theatre company by Director Andrea White, together with Assistant Director and Choreographer Simone Liberty. The company serves students with Musical Theatre learning and performing experiences in the Charleston area and beyond.
May 29 at 5 p.m.
Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
PURCHASE TICKETS
May 30 at 4:00pm
Admission: $20 in advance; $25 at the door
PURCHASE TICKETS
Other Theatre & Dance
5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE by Evan Linder and Andrew HobgoodCircular Congregational Church, Upper Lance Hall | 150 Meeting Street
Admission: $25 General Admission; $22.50 Seniors, Students, Military (ID's Required at Check-in; $30 VIP (front-row seating + possible cast interaction)
PURCHASE TICKETS
Enjoy this band and its caller Chris Hernandez as they welcome everyone to a slice of Americana in the historic Lance Hall of Circular Congregational Church. Contra dance is easy to learn, great exercise, fun for all ages, and you don’t need a partner. Zephyr comprises musicians Susan Conant, Matt Masie, Mike Kaufmann and John Holenko. Chris Hernandez will teach beginners at 7:30 bit the dancing continues until 10:30.
May 30 at 7:30 p.m., doors at 7:15 p.m.
Venue: Circular Congregational Church, Upper Lance Hall | 150 Meeting Street
Admission: Free
Stelle di Domani at the College of Charleston
The College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance is proud to present the 19th season of Stelle di Domani, its annual Piccolo Spoleto offering. The series highlights students, alumni, faculty and staff of the College of Charleston and Theatre and Dance programs and this season’s offerings include theatre, dance, staged readings of new works, and meaningful collaborations including a partnership with the Charleston Library Society.
Noise Source is an improvisational performance combining experimental sound design for tap dance using specialized effects and contact microphones alongside live noise sampling by Concept Rxch. This interdisciplinary collaboration explores both the sampler and the tap shoe as percussive technologies that fulfi ll the communal role of confi scated African drums off ering a postmodern technique of communication and maintenance of an augmented culture that is fundamentally American.
Instagram Handles: @polytap2, @concept_rxch, @project.polymath
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 St. Philip Street
Center Stage presents Late, A Cowboy Song by Sarah Ruhl
“To all the lady cowboys of heart and mind who ride outside the city limits of convention.” Mary, always late and always married, meets a lady cowboy named Red who teaches her how to ride a horse. Red exudes a taste of freedom that Mary didn't even know she lacked, and is suddenly desperate to find. Late, a Cowboy Song, is the story of one woman's education and her search to find true love outside the box.
June 5 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
June 6 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Chapel Theatre | 172 Calhoun St
Admission: $16 (general admission); $12 (students and seniors) plus ticket surcharge
Runtime: 2 hours including intermission
PURCHASE TICKETS
This perennial Piccolo favorite led by CofC alum Michael Smallwood highlights original College of Charleston student works. A series of ten-minute plays written by and performed by CofC students, Under the Lights features winners of the Franklin B. Ashley Playwriting Award, the Todd McNerney Student Playwriting Award, and more. Suitable for audiences 14+.
June 1 at 7 p.m.
June 2 at 5 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $10 (general admission) plus ticket surcharge
Runtime: 60 minutes without intermission
PURCHASE TICKETS
CofC Stages & Center Stage presents FAMILY FEUD: CABARET EDITION
Family Feud is a popular, fast-paced game where teams compete to guess the most popular answers to survey questions; but this time, it comes with a cabaret twist. Watch students and alumni face off through singing, dancing, and acting performances as they bring those “survey says” answers to life on stage. With the opportunity to show off some of their talents, hard work from the semester and plenty of friendly competition, it’s game night like you’ve never seen it before.
May 31 at 7 p.m.
Chapel Theatre | 172 Calhoun Street
Admission: Suggested Donation $10
Runtime: 45 minutes
CofC Stages and the Office of Cultural Affairs present Piccolo Spoleto Dance Showcase
As a featured component of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Stelle di Domani series, the showcase brings together dance artists and organizations in celebration of the diversity, creativity, and vitality of the Charleston and broader Southeast dance community. Featuring fi ve distinct programs, the showcase off ers multiple opportunities for audiences to experience performers of all ages across a wide range of genres.
May 29 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
May 30 at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $12
Runtime: 60 minutes without intermission
PURCHASE TICKETS
“Comedy Club's Greatest Hits (Trust Us)” Do you ever watch Saturday Night Live and wish that it felt more like lunch on a Thursday? From the same college students who just failed their Introduction to Mathematics exams, CofC Stages is proud to present The Comedy Club and Cougar Night Rewind. Enjoy an hour slam-packed with the Club's best sketch comedy! Suitable for 16+.
CofC Stages and the Charleston Library Society present Romeo & Juliet: Cuts and Kisses
Join us for Cuts and Kisses, an abbreviated version of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, as part of the College of Charleston Department of Theatre and Dance’s partnership with the Charleston Library Society. Cuts and Kisses will also be presented as a free performance as “Shakespeare on the Steps” during June’s Second Sunday on the steps of CLS. Suitable for audiences 14+.
June 5 at 5 p.m.
June 6 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $16 (general admission); $12 (students and seniors)
Runtime: 45 minutes without intermission
PURCHASE TICKETS
Dark Blue Mondaze in partnership with CofC Stages present Real Love… Negotiated
Real Love… Negotiated is a sultry, story-driven jazz cabaret where Broadway drama meets late-night swing. Heather Rice is a Jazz vocalist, songwriter, and recording artist whose performances blend soulful storytelling with intimate, emotionally rich delivery. A featured artist in the Charleston Jazz Festival, CSO and the NC Pops, she has also opened for Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Lady A, and Joan Osborne, and performed at venues including Green Room 42 and Studio 54 in New York City. Known for her vulnerability in live performance, Heather creates deeply personal experiences where jazz sophistication meets emotional truth.
June 3 at 7 p.m.
June 4 at 7 p.m.
Simons Center Black Box Theatre | 54 Saint Philip Street
Admission: $16 (general admission); $12 (students and seniors)
Runtime: 70 minutes without intermission
PURCHASE TICKETS
Theater at Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Fifth Wall Productions presents a staged reading of Brigid Amos’ “Covenant Farm”.
May 23 from 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $
PURCHASE TICKETS
William Shakespeare has colored literary history with larger-than-life characters who have changed how we see the world, and he has shaped our emotional landscape. Join Paul O’Brien as “Shakespeare and Me” takes the audience on a journey through that landscape in a solo performance featuring some of Shakespeare’s all-time favorites: “Romeo and Juliet,” “Henry V’ and “Othello.”
May 23 at 7:30 p.m.
May 24 at 7:30 p.m.
May 25 at 7:30 p.m.
May 26 at 4 p.m.
May 31 at 7:30 p.m.
June 2 at 4 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $25 - $30
Fifth Wall Productions presents Tick, Tick, Boom!
Before Rent, there was “Tick, Tick... Boom!” an autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent. Tick, Tick recounts the power and tragedy of a composer and the sacrifices that he made to achieve his big break in theatre. Containing fourteen songs, 10 characters, three actors and a band, “Tick, Tick... Boom!” takes the audience on the playwright/composer's journey to a Broadway blockbuster that he died before experiencing on the Great White Way.
May 24 at 3 p.m.
May 30 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
June 1 at 7:30 p.m.
June 4 at 7:30 p.m.
June 6 at 3 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $35
Donnie Exelbierd has been entertaining the patrons at the bar of Muse Restaurant in downtown Charleston for years. As he has for the past two years in front of sold-out crowds, Donnie brings his unique style of comedy and story-telling to the stage. Come laugh and sing along and have drink or two at the bar with Donnie in "Musings from the Bar".
May 26 at 7:30 p.m.
June 2 at 7:30 p.m.
June 3 at 7:30 p.m.
June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $25 - $30
PURCHASE TICKETS
Threshold Rep presents “The Drop of a Hat”
The English comedic singing duo Flanders and Swann charmed and delighted audiences with their witty revues on both sides of the pond in the mid-Twentieth Century with songs composed by Swann and the lyrics supplied by Flanders. Come laugh and sing along if you know the words as Paul O’Brien plays Michael Flanders and Brian Brooks becomes Donald Swann to re-create that mid-century magic featuring some of Flanders and Swann’s favorite songs including “Hippopotamus,” “The Gnu,” and “The Gasman Cometh.”
May 27 at 7:30 p.m.
May 28 at 7:30 p.m.
May 29 at 7:30 p.m.
May 31 at 4 p.m.
Threshold Repertory Theatre | 84 1/2 Society Street
Admission: $25 - $30