South Carolina Children’s Theatre breaks ground

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The South Carolina Children’s Theatre broke ground Sept. 11 on the Theatre Arts and Education Center for Children. 

The theater’s current property at 153 Augusta St., combined with an adjacent parcel of land donated by Josephine Cureton, will be the location of South Carolina Children’s Theatre’s new home. The 36,871-square-foot facility will house the theater’s MainStage and 2nd Stage productions, its educational programs and administrative offices, according to a news release. 

The theater’s leaders also opened the public phase of a capital campaign, with a goal of $12.8 million. The campaign leadership has raised $11.4 million of that goal through gifts from philanthropic organizations and individuals across the state. The remaining $1.4 million will be raised through a public fundraising effort driven by the “CHAIRish the Children”campaign, through which donors can choose to name one or more chairs in the MainStage audience chamber, the news release said.

As a challenge to the public, an anonymous donor has made a matching gift of $100,000 to help kick off this public phase. The donor will match every dollar raised, up to the next $100,000, according to the release. 

“We are humbled by and grateful for the growing list of donors and advocates who have lined up to support us in our efforts,” said Executive Director Debbie Bell in the release. “Now is the time when all members of our community can become a part of our exciting journey home. Any gift – every gift – makes a difference.” 

The theater’s new facility will allow them to serve their various audiences from one, central location and will position them for continued growth in future years, the release said. 

Craig Gaulden Davis designed the facility and Triangle Construction will begin construction this month with an estimated 15 months to completion. Southern First Bank is financing the project.