A look behind the scenes of Centre Stage’s long-running gallery partnership with Metropolitan Arts Council
Hundreds of artists have found a spotlight just outside the stage lights thanks to this creative duet in downtown Greenville. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Centre Stage and Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) gallery partnership, an ever-evolving and exciting initiative where regional painters, photographers, and mixed-media artists surprise and delight patrons of the performing arts before the show has even started.
“The partnership began with a conversation between myself and B.J. Koonce, who was the executive director of Centre Stage at the time,” reflects Alan Ethridge, executive director of MAC. “We decided to curate exhibitions in conjunction with the theatrical productions being offered, with our first gallery show featuring Lynn Greer.”
Alongside the occasional group exhibition, invitations to show work at Centre Stage are usually focused on a single emerging or mid-level artist. “We like to feature newer artists, to give them some experience in that small collaborative setting,” says Alice Ratterree, director of marketing for MAC, who readily admits that researching the theater’s upcoming season and matching artists whose work aligns is one of the most fun parts of her year.
This month, the walls will be filled with the photography of Abhay Bharadwaj. “His photographs have a very abstract quality to them—some of them look like pieces of artwork or even paintings,” Ratterree says.
November through the end of December is a dynamic season at Centre Stage, with the New Play Festival and a multi-story Christmas play bringing diverse voices, tales, and audiences to the theater, and making Bharadwaj’s work an ideal fit. “He’s a really interesting person to talk to,” Ratterree notes. “He does do a lot of traveling and takes these fascinating pictures from all over.”
For 20 years, the partnership has truly been a win-win for all. With the generous help of sponsor Clinkscales Chevrolet, MAC handles the extensive promotion of each show, and the artists keep 100 percent of the profits of any sales of their work. “Centre Stage does not take a commission, and they’re very generous with their time as well—such as keeping the theater open for us during the artists’ receptions, which are on the Friday before the theatrical production opens,” says Ratterree.
“It’s been really fulfilling to see how excited the artists are for these opportunities,” she adds. “By unexpectedly connecting audiences across both mediums, this has truly become a signature program in our mission to create awareness of the incredible community of performing and visual artists we have here in Greenville.”
Winter Wanderlust
Are you a transplant to the Upstate, or have family traveling in from out of town for the holidays? Now is the perfect time to catch a play—and an art exhibition—at Centre Stage, where the globe-trotting photography of Abhay Bharadwaj is on display.
Centre Stage, 501 River St., Greenville, centrestage.org
