There are plenty of other live theatre venues in the Charleston area. Today, the Footlight Players host dozens of live performances each year at the rebranded Queen Street Playhouse. However, it was more than 30 years later, in August 2018, that the current name was adopted. In 1986, they moved exclusively to the Queen Street location. Over the next few decades, the Footlight Players regularly performed at their own theatre as well as the Dock Street and other locations throughout the city. Volunteers remodeled the building into a true community playhouse. That facility initially functioned as storage and scenery construction space, but soon proved an ideal location for their needs. 1850 cotton warehouse at 20 Queen Street back in 1934. They remained in residence there until 1941.īy that time, the Players realized the need for their own performance space. In fact, they are the troupe who performed at the 1937 second opening of the Dock Street Theatre. Formed in 1931, they originally acted on various stages around Charleston, including the Dock Street. While the Dock Street is the oldest physical theatre in Charleston, the Footlight Players are the longest existing theatre company in the city. Today, you can experience live theatre in America’s first playhouse, as countless residents and visitors alike have over the years. They produce more than 100 performances each year. Since 1978, Charleston Stage has been the resident theatrical company at the Dock Street. Completed in March 2010, it leaves the Dock Street well-equipped to enter its fourth century at the heart of Charleston’s artistic community. This time, the City of Charleston undertook a state-of-the-art renovation. Dated facilities and uncomfortable seating drew from its appeal. It earned recognition on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.īut by the 21st century, the stage was showing its age. The revitalized theatre enjoyed decades as Charleston’s primary venue for stage performances. Following historic precedent, it staged a revival of The Recruiting Officer.
More than 100 years after its first opening performance, the restored Dock Street Theatre held a second grand opening in November 1937. The interior of the existing hotel was retrofitted to return the building to its original purpose as a live theatre. However, in 1935, the building was purchased by the City of Charleston and renovated as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. It stood in disrepair until the Great Depression, when it was slated for demolition. Unfortunately, the Civil War destroyed much of the rest of the hotel. That balcony still exists above the current entrance. In 1835, a balcony trimmed with exquisite iron railings was added. It operated as the Planter’s Hotel for the next 126 years. Roughly 70 years later, in 1809, the current building was erected on the site. That original building was probably lost along with many of its neighbors in the Great Fire of 1740. The first opera recital in America, Flora, also took place at the Dock Street. This popular 18th century script was also the first to be staged on Broadway, and continues to be performed contemporarily. Its first production was of George Farquhar’s rather risqué play, The Recruiting Officer. The original structure on the site dated to 1736 and was the very first building in the colonies constructed exclusively for live theatre. It is located on the corner of Church Street and Queen Street, which was previously named Dock Street. The oldest and most famous place to experience live theatre in Charleston is the historic Dock Street Theatre. Each has its own place in our nation’s dramatic history. Two Charleston theatres are DHM’s neighbors in the French Quarter neighborhood of downtown Charleston.
To this day, Charleston, South Carolina continues to present many different entertainment options, making it an enticing place to live or visit. That’s right, New York’s Broadway isn’t the only place famous for offering live stage performances. But did you know we also had the first theatre – which predates America itself?
Charleston is home to many firsts, including America’s first museum, first golf course, first regularly-scheduled passenger train, and of course the first historic district.