A broken shark, a belted Bard and a Rare Bird in town
Maura's Three for the Week in Charleston, 1/13/25 - 1/19/25
Back from a brief breather, I’m refreshed from a turn-of-the-year palate-cleanser that perhaps also allowed for local culture vultures to prime themselves for the weeks and months to come. My own cultural calendar is quickly populating, as Charleston promises a riot of options to do and see.
As I continue to survey not only the cultural scene, I also train an eye on what coverage is currently missing. With Three for the Week, I aim to include must-see events as well as might-miss offerings, too—amongst the flurry of new year press pushes and ongoing season subscriptions, sit the worthwhile, organic grass-roots happenings being presented in borrowed venues or perhaps blowing in from other Southern places.
To that end: Having flitted with so many deeply engaging conversations, I’d love for your input on what’s eluding your own cultural hunting. Also, if you know of anything worth flagging, email me at artsmaurahogan@gmail.com. After all, it truly takes an engaged village to power the arts-hub that Charleston prides itself on being, y’all, so bring it on.
Head to Hagan Fine Art to toast Mary Edna Fraser’s Horizons
Hagan Fine Art, 125 Church St., downtown Charleston, VIP Reception on Thurs., Jan. 16, 6 - 8 p.m.
Broaden your horizons at Horizons, a solo exhibition by renowned local artist and environmental activist Mary Edna Fraser. On view throughout January, this collection showcases her transition into oil painting, inspired by her iconic large-scale batiks. Each piece reflects a fresh perspective, marking a new chapter in her always-evocative artistic journey. At the reception, enjoy charcuterie and cheeses from Goat.Sheep. Cow. and raise a glass of bubbles in celebration of the show.
For more information, visit haganfineart.com.
Go behind the scenes with a famously problematic shark
Cannon Street Arts Center, 134 Cannon St., downtown Charleston, Thurs., Jan 16 - Sat., Feb. 8, various times
I likely date myself when I cop to a lingering dread of the deep blue sea thanks to residual tremors from the 1975 shocker and blockbuster that was Jaws. PURE Theatre may well prompt that formative feeling to resurface with their Southeast regional premier of The Shark Is Broken, the acclaimed play by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon about the making of the movie Jaws, which met with a critically lauded Broadway run in 2023. Directed by Sharon Graci and starring Rodney Lee Rogers, R.W. Smith and David Mandel, the production it lands on the PURE stage for the 50th anniversary of the film’s release. Set on the open ocean in 1974, it peers behind the making of the movie with its three actors—theater veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider—crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star—that is as much on the hunt for father-son dynamics as it is for fearsome fish.
For tickets and more information, visit puretheatre.org.
Hear the Bard hit the back of the house with Charleston Opera Theater
West Beach Conference Center, Kiawah Island, Fri., Jan. 17 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
I’m still aglow from Charleston Opera Theater’s magnificent production of La Boheme that lavished the stage of the Sottile Theatre this Fall, a captivating performance that has resonated with music lovers long after the curtain fell on a tragically felled Mimi. Now, the company heads to Kiawah to channel the theatrical genius of Shakespeare, whose plots have inspired opera composers to write some of their most compelling works. Opera! by Shakespeare showcases some of these masterpieces, such as Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Verdi’s Otello, Macbeth and Falstaff, Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Hamlet by Thomas and Béatrice et Bénédict by Berlioz to name a few. Charleston Opera Theater will feature a stellar cast of professional artists to present this fiery and romantic performance.
For information and tickets, click here.
Bonus: Artists, go for these grants
via South Arts
Southern artists, submit your vision. South Arts, which for 50 years has nurtured the arts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Mississippi—each year curates funding initiatives aimed at invigorating a region that, historically, has been overlooked in terms of arts funding.
Three major programs remain open to applications for artists and arts organizations and before the application deadlines hit:
Southern Prize & State Fellowships: This flagship program awards 18 artists across the region—nine visual and nine literary—with each receiving a $5,000 State Fellowship. Additionally, select artists will earn the Southern Prize, which includes a prestigious residency and an additional $25,000 cash award. Open through Jan. 15.
Cultural Sustainability: Grants totaling over $1.14 million will support 12 arts organizations that are deeply embedded in communities of color throughout the Southeast, ensuring their ongoing influence and endurance. Open through Feb. 5.
Southern Arts Relief & Recovery Fund: In response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, this fund provides rapid-response micro-grants starting at $500, with the final amounts still being determined. Open indefinitely.
For more information on South Arts, visit southarts.org.
One for the Future: Rare Bird rolls into Hed Hi Studio
Hed Hi Studio, 654 King St., downtown Charleston, Sat., Feb. 1, with a 2 p.m matinee; 5:30 p.m. meet and greet; and 7 p.m. evening show
In an effort to rebuild Madison County in North Carolina, Rare Bird Farm—a 98-acre farm and cultural event space centered on Appalachian culture, nature and history that is located 19 miles west of Asheville, N.C.—is partnering in a performance of The Old Marshall Jail Ballad Swap, the only recurring monthly ballad swap in the United States. It now on the road and heading to Charleston after Hurricane Helene floods destroyed its original home in Marshall, N.C. Join them to keep this cherished Appalachian tradition alive while supporting recovery efforts for Western North Carolina. Emcee Josh Copus will share updates on the rebuilding process and how you can help make a difference.
For tickets and information, visit rarebirdfarm.org.