The fall and rise of Theatre Charlotte
Plus: Top news of the week — High-level CMS leadership changes — Mandy Cohen to lead CDC — New city development rules take effect — New hospitals in Ballantyne, Cornelius
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With ‘Detroit ’67,’ Theatre Charlotte continues its rise in what has been a battered community theater landscape
An entrepreneur (Graham Williams) finally gets the woman he loves (Shanitra Lockett) to acknowledge his affection in “Detroit ‘67.” (Photo by Kyle J. Britt/courtesy of Theatre Charlotte)
by Lawrence Toppman
The first helpful stroke of fate, though no one realized it at the time, was the fire. The second was the passing of Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, the city’s only fully professional theater company for adults. From the ashes of its burned building, while the city still mourned ATC, Theatre Charlotte has risen like a phoenix and spread its wings over the local dramatic landscape.
The evidence, on view through June 11 in its ancient but refurbished home at 501 Queens Road, is “Detroit ’67.” Dominique Morisseau’s tough-minded play drops us into the racial divide in what was then America’s fifth-largest city, where hope for unity sprang up during the Civil Rights Era and then dwindled over six decades.
Ron McClelland directed this high-quality production, fired by incendiary performances by Shanitra Lockett and Devin Clark as siblings whose views differ widely. She wants to hunker down in modest, lower middle-class safety; he wants to start a business, in this case a bar, so he’ll no longer be dependent on the caprices of white employers. When he rescues a white woman he finds staggering down the street after a beating, complications inevitably follow.
Deep roots, quiet expansion: Theatre Charlotte, which had its first full season as Little Theatre of Charlotte in 1931, remains a community theater. It has a small paid staff but relies on volunteer actors, crew members and ushers to put on seven shows a season. “A Christmas Carol” reliably helps to bankroll the other six, which generally include two musicals, one mystery and three comedies or dramas.
The company has no plans to pick up the mantle of Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, which closed last fall after 33 years in various locations. (That collapse left Children’s Theatre of Charlotte as the only fully professional theater company in Mecklenburg County.)
Instead, Theatre Charlotte has quietly expanded its presence in the community physically — “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” its last show, ran at the Mint Museum Uptown and Divine Barrel Brewing in NoDa — and dramatically, with works like “Detroit ’67” and Lauren Gunderson’s “I and You.” That comedy-drama, which will run June 16-25, won the 2014 award for best new play from the American Theatre Critics Association.
A rebuilt facility: Eighteen months ago, patrons might have wondered whether the group could even stay alive. A fire on Dec. 28, 2021, damaged the seats, flooring and ceiling and ruined most of the lighting and sound equipment. Theatre Charlotte set out to raise $100,000 for repairs, optimistically quoting the Black Knight from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” on its outdoor sign: “Tis but a scratch.”
The company took shows on the road while rebuilding its facility and, as artistic director and acting executive director Chris Timmons forecast, returned to Queens Road in autumn 2022.
A sign painted on the wall near the box office reads “Welcome home.” Playgoers who haven’t been there since the Covid pandemic will get a surprise: The main auditorium seems more spacious and comfortable than ever, due to new seats and a high ceiling that reveals the wooden roof and crossbeams.
Local theater companies have had long-term rental agreements with landlords of varying benevolence, but only Theatre Charlotte actually owns its building. The recent closing of Spirit Square squeezed smaller groups such as Three Bone Theatre and Charlotte’s Off-Broadway into cramped “black-box” spaces, whether the Arts Factory at West End Studios or the Visual and Performing Arts Center. Theatre Charlotte, meanwhile, seats 220 people in front of a full proscenium stage.
That kind of distance helps a traditional show such as “Detroit ’67,” where we wouldn’t want to be right on top of the actors. (A few Charlotteans saw this play in 2019, when Three Bone and UNC Charlotte wrestled for the rights; the university won, and Three Bone did Morisseau’s “Pipeline.”)
We need to be able to take in the complexities of Timmons’ set, where pictures of Joe Louis and Malcolm X share space with a lurid black velvet painting of a Nubian sexpot and a red, black and green Pan-African flag. These siblings are complicated people navigating cautiously through a new and troubling world, and we must take the time to understand them.
The definition of “professionalism” in the arts traditionally depends on whether the cast and crew are paid, ideally a reasonable living wage. That’s the philosophy at Children’s Theatre; it was the goal, though ultimately an unachievable one, at Actor’s Theatre.
Yet professionalism can also be a mindset: painstaking attention to detail, a thorough understanding of difficult material, a willingness to take risks with works that may not please complacent audiences. On that score, Theatre Charlotte’s “Detroit ’67” makes the grade.
If you’re going:
“Detroit ’67” runs through June 11 at Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. Tickets are $30 for adults, $26 for ages 62+ and $15 for students. Get info and tickets here.
Lawrence Toppman covered the arts for 40 years at The Charlotte Observer before retiring in 2020.
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This week in Charlotte: Big apartment pullback in SouthPark; State senate passes sports gambling bill; Ice-skating rink planned for Eastland Mall site; South Charlotte jockeying ahead of key schools vote
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
CMS boundary revisions possible: (Ledger 🔒) Ahead of a Tuesday vote, two CMS board members tell The Ledger that they are examining possible changes to the latest assignment maps for south Charlotte. Meanwhile, parents are making last-ditch appeals, including a group of data scientists from the Polo Ridge Elementary feeder pattern who spent more than 1,000 hours analyzing data and creating their own proposal.
High-level changes at CMS: Less than two weeks into her tenure as superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Crystal Hill announced new executive leaders and role changes Thursday for several existing CMS staff.
Politics
CMS bond package, higher county taxes move ahead: (WFAE) Mecklenburg County commissioners gave preliminary approval to a $2.3B budget, including a $2.5B bond package for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and signaled support to raise taxes above a revenue-neutral rate, which they say is needed to cover the growing demand for services such as schools, parks, affordable housing, health and employee raises.
Sports gambling looks like a go: (WRAL) The N.C. Senate passed a bill that would allow mobile and in-person sports betting, following passage in the House in March. The House is likely to agree to small changes next week, then it would go to Gov. Roy Cooper, who favors the legislation. It would allow sports betting parlors to open at Bank of America Stadium, the Spectrum Center, Quail Hollow Club and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Local news
Mandy Cohen headed for top job at CDC: (Politico) Former N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, who became a household name across the state during the Covid pandemic, has been tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to multiple reports.
Ice rink revival at Eastland: (WSOC) As part of a new park at the old Eastland Mall site, Mecklenburg County is planning a seasonal ice-skating rink — a nod to the former mall, which had a rink. Construction on the park portion of the Eastland redevelopment is scheduled to start next year.
Business
Big apartment pullback in SouthPark: (Ledger 🔒 ) Miami-based developer Related Group is abandoning its plans for a controversial 700-apartment project in SouthPark, citing concerns about higher interest rates and lower anticipated rents.
New hospitals in Ballantyne, Cornelius: (Ledger) Novant Health’s new Ballantyne hospital, which opens on June 12, includes advanced technology, outdoor amenities and specialized services like obstetrics and gynecology. Atrium Health has plans to build a new 170,000 s.f. hospital in Cornelius with 30 beds, maternity suites, an intensive care unit with four ICU beds, imaging services and a full-time emergency department.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Thinking of SouthPark: SouthPark Community Partners is an upstart advocacy nonprofit that aims to enhance the SouthPark area and has had several notable achievements in the last year. It’s one of only three organizations funded by special taxing districts.
Human chain protest in Myers Park: Parents and students in south Charlotte formed a human chain between Alexander Graham Middle School and Myers Park High School to protest proposed school reassignment plans that would send students to South Mecklenburg High School instead of Myers Park.
New development rules take effect: Charlotte’s planning director, Alyson Craig, is optimistic about new development rules that took effect on Thursday, including improvements to neighborhood character, affordable housing, transportation, stormwater management and tree preservation. Meanwhile, the re-examination of provisions for building duplexes and triplexes is scheduled for discussion by a City Council committee on Monday.
Friday (🔒)
Corporate homebuyers back off: The number of homes in the Charlotte region purchased by investors plummeted by 66% in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the previous year, largely driven by higher interest rates and lower home values, resulting in decreased profitability for investors.
Alicia Keys celebrated birthday at Prince’s mansion: Charlotte businessman Tom Barnes’ luxury resort in Turks & Caicos that was once owned by Prince, “Emara,” has gained popularity among celebrities and large groups seeking an opulent getaway, with Alicia Keys celebrating her 40th birthday there.
Did CATS fudge Silver Line ridership numbers? Internal documents reviewed by WFAE reveal misrepresentations, errors and questionable data in the Charlotte Area Transit System’s analysis of the proposed route of the Silver Line light rail.
Charlotte FC surviving tough road stretch: Despite facing a challenging schedule and dealing with injuries and legal issues involving players Andre Shinyashiki and Nuno Santos, Charlotte FC has managed to improve its position in the Eastern Conference, and the team’s recent performance, including a win against the L.A. Galaxy, has given the team something to build on as they continue to navigate the season.
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