Meet
SOBTC
Our Story
Following a prestigious operatic, performing and production career, Founder and Artistic Director Mary Gould formed the not-for-profit, Marigold Arts Development in 2000 with the mission to provide performing opportunities for aspiring Charleston artists.
​
After 18 joyous and prosperous years in trendy Park Circle, South of Broadway Theatre Company (SOBTC) has relocated to 3346 1A Rivers Avenue (between Cosgrove and Reynolds Avenues).
​
During its tenure, SOBTC has been hailed by The New York Times as: “A mainstay of the South Carolina Theatre Scene”. In 2016, the prestigious American Theatre Wing, creator and driving force behind the Tony Awards, bestowed our theatre with one of only 12 grants distributed to acclaimed production companies across the country.
Over the years, SOBTC has enjoyed the profound rewards of cultivating talent and polishing skills through educational programs, workshops and community collaborations, such as Summer in NYC where 130 graduates... and counting have experienced a month-long artistic residency where participants reside at The Julliard School in New York City. Our goal is to ignite the passion and fine tune the craft for actors who will go on to great success!
South of Broadway Theatre Company is a non-profit organization seeking to illuminate the human experience through theatre, cultivate talent, and uplift our community through the performing arts. For our patrons, we promise theatre that will intrigue, captivate and entrance with shows featuring the local faces you love. For our fellow artists, we serve as an incubator where you can explore and hone your craft. For our community, we are a resource for educational and outreach programs for all ages and populations.
Our Mission
South of Broadway Theatre Company is on a mission to maintain the highest standard of professionalism in our art by delivering a dynamic program, fostering a diverse community of local artists, and providing sustainable education to the greater Charleston area.
Beyond producing prime performances, SOBTC will continue to expand our performing arts outreach and support programs that cultivate a passion for and commitment to the arts well outside our theatre walls. Partnering with fellow performing arts organizations and community influencers, we will provide education and opportunities for budding artists to train, learn and perform.
Will you join us in elevating experience through theatre and the performing arts?
A note from the Founding Artistic Director Mary Gould
“Our dream to launch new shows headed for The Great White Way is going LIVE!”
​Those are words I waited nearly twenty years to say, and on January 11th and 12th, 2020, we did precisely that at The Charleston Music Hall. Along with NYC Production Company, Patton Daye Slater Productions we presented the World Premier of: Love and Southern D!scomfort, which is being groomed for a New York City run. In this new dramatic musical, mystery and good old-fashioned family drama collide as Tony Award Nominee Felicia P. Fields from The Color Purple and Dreamgirls, took the stage surrounded by some of Charleston’s finest singing actors. In this new work consummate story telling blends the lush backdrop of rural Louisiana with unbridled jealousy, joy, and pain, and weaves a riveting tale about an old-money family torn apart by addiction, mental illness, and a secret better left untold...
Stay tuned for news about this wonderful show's journey to Broadway! During November 2019, SOBTC and The Citadel Fine Arts Department proudly announced a partnership dedicated to providing a series of events, community activities and performances to support and expand each organization’s core values and objectives. The first joint production, Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues was interrupted by the Coronavirus but was subsequently staged in October of 2020. We look forward to many more opportunities with this dynamic partnership.
Having recently relocated to our new home, we are busier than ever: Our youth shows, Acting and Singing Classes, comedy and music shows and our annual Play Fest all continue in residence at the new facility. Stay tuned as we explore more and diverse programming opportunities which will foster local artists and arts organizations and nourish greater Charleston's thriving, creative community!
