ARTS CENTER OF COASTAL CAROLINA
Providing Entertainment and Education for all Ages BY RISA WILLIAMS MCMILLAN
It was many moons ago that some local thinkers and dreamers thought big thoughts and dreamed big dreams and brought their idea of an arts center on Hilton Head to fruition. The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, originally known as the Self Family Arts Center, ushered in its first guests 22 years ago and has not looked backwards since. This large and vibrant Arts Center has put the Island on the map as a spot that attracts big name talent and has earned us the badge as a desirable destination for entertainment and educational programs for all ages. It was and still is quite a coup for the Island and community to have the means to build and support an arts venue that can seat close to 300 and draw national talent to the place we call home. The Arts Center is known as a Regional Equity Theatre – not to be confused with a community theatre like what we initially had in the Hilton Head Playhouse on Dunnagan’s Alley which showcased local talent. The difference is that they bring in equity actors from New York and elsewhere to perform. “What sets us apart from other coastal communities is that we bring in big names and culture that you would normally only get in a city,” said Andrea Gannon, VP of marketing for the center. “I have been told by a lot of people that the Arts 50
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Center is the reason they moved here,” she added. While they may bring in a lot of the stage talent, everything else they do ‘in-house’. The Arts Center is loaded with talented people and production crews who take care of all facets of their shows including casting, directing, costumes, set design, painting, and lighting. They are also blessed with a major supporting cast of volunteers that see to things like ushering, bartending, and even stitching a costume hem. The line-up of shows for the next season is spectacular with 4 musicals and a murder mystery. Major upcoming productions include Disney’s Newsies, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Evita, and 70’s favorite Saturday Night Fever as well as Tony Award winning Dial M for Murder, which was an audience top pick. Aside from the theatrical productions each year, the Arts Center intersperses “Great Performances” that go from one to three nights. Pilobus, an acrobatic dance company, will be here in January, comedian Colin Quinn in February, and the Celtic Tenors and Music of Queen will be on stage in March. With their central Island location, the Arts Center also fields three community events each year which are all free to the public. On February 3rd, a Taste of Gullah Festival will bring the parking lot to life with a masterful celebration of all things