This season at the Chap

By Cindy Landrum  

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 9:04 p.m. (0)

Setting the season lineup for the Chapman Cultural Center’s CenterStage is a balancing act.

The schedule needs to have some crowd favorites that are sure to be slam dunks at the box office and acts that push the envelope and are outside the norm for the Spartanburg arts community.

“We feel a strong obligation not only to give the community what it wants, but also give it things that are different,” said Steve Wong, marketing director for the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg. “Part of our responsibility artistically is to broaden horizons.”

The 2010-11 season has a bit of everything, from comedy by a famous Chicago improv troupe that has produced many of the stars of the television show “Saturday Night Live” to the big band sound of the Glenn Miller Orchestra to a group of Chinese acrobats.

“We have a powerful lineup of touring shows this year,” said Perry Mixter, the Art Partnership’s president and chief operating officer. “We are very excited about the depth and diversity of the offerings on the 2010-11 CenterStage series. This series has something for everyone.”

This year’s series has seven shows from September through April.

Tickets for CenterStage shows range from $25 to $35 for adult tickets. Discounts are offered for students.

“Compared to other venues in the region, our tickets are very reasonable,” Mixter said. “That’s easy to see if you compare us to Greenville, Charlotte and other neighboring cities.”

Mixter said he expects to announce several shows later that will be free or have low ticket prices. He said ticket sales cover only about half the cost of presenting the events and the series would not be financially viable without the series’ corporate sponsors.

In addition to the CenterStage Series events, the Chapman Cultural Center will host plays and musicals by the Spartanburg Little Theatre, dance programs by Ballet Spartanburg and art exhibits by the Spartanburg Art Museum and the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg.

G.R.I.T.S., Girls Raised in The South, a musical comedy with its roots in the 2006 best-selling book by the same name by author Deborah Ford, opens the season on Sept. 24. Southern women should be able to relate to at least one of the four Southern gals in this celebration of womanhood. Shows will be held on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. and on Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $27.50.

The Capitol Steps, a group of former Washington insiders, is back on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. These comedians make bi-partisan fun of politics and politicians through song, dance and wit. Known as the troupe which put the “mock in Democracy,” the Capitol Steps are sure to make this election season more interesting. Tickets are $32.50.

On Feb. 4, The Golden Dragons, a troupe of Chinese acrobats, will combine contemporary music and innovative choreography with 25 centuries of Far Eastern tradition. The show begins at 7 p.m. and cost $32.50.

The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company will be in Spartanburg on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. The professional dance company incorporates traditional African moves into its choreography. It will use local gospel choirs as part of the show. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $22.50.

The Second City Touring Theatre Co., an improv comedy team from Chicago, will present two shows in Spartanburg on April 8. The 7 p.m. show will have a PG-13 rating, while a 10 p.m. show will be no-holds-barred. Many of the stars of stage, screen and Saturday Night Live started at Second City.

Lovers of The Beatles will love Yesterday & Today, a tribute band to the Fab Four. The show is April 21 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $27.50.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra will end the season on April 29. The world famous orchestra sold out a show two seasons ago and is expected to do the same this season. This big band will play two shows on April 29, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $27.50.

Tickets are on sale now at the Chapman Cultural Center ticket office or online at www.ChapmanCulturalCenter.org.