Gilliam in “A Streetcar Named Desire”
well-known artists, and their work spoke for them. There were no bank loans or start-up expenditures; all she needed was her typewriter, which she notes she had won in a copywriting competition. While taking great pride in her work, Gilliam does laugh that “commercials don’t necessarily have to be good, as long as they are played over and over.” Meanwhile, Gilliam was still a prolific actress at Town Theatre, where shows were always directed by the resident director. Gilliam and friend Jim E. Quick wanted the chance to branch out and do different plays. Gilliam clarifies one common misconception: it wasn’t so much dissatisfaction with Town, which was doing serious dramas along with popular musicals and comedies, but simply the chance to do more shows, and for her and Quick to be able to direct. “We were young,” she recalls, with great ambitions and boundless energy. Initially, there was no name or formal organization, just young friends performing wherever they could. “We were gypsies back in those days, but we managed to stage credible productions, get decent reviews, draw good crowds, pay our bills, share what was left over, and do exactly as we pleased.” First there was dinner theatre at the old Laurel Hill Supper Club near the Governor’s Mansion, then performances everywhere from Safran’s Antique Gallery on Gervais Street, to Fort Jackson, to the former Eau Claire Post Office building. Productions included works by Albee, Williams, and even A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with Quick as Pseudolus. Forum was the first play produced locally with a racially diverse cast; Gilliam happily recalls no backlash whatsoever. Audiences began to realize there were alternate options to enjoy live theatre, and the momentum to create Workshop Theatre was born. Columbia Museum director “Jack Craft really ignited it,” and was instrumental in arranging for the new group to relocate to the museum property where Workshop still performs. Gilliam appreciates how Craft provided her “first lesson as an entrepreneur,” with a clicker used to count planetarium attendance. Each person who