Etherredge Center: two gallery exhibits, Cultural Series and Carolina Series
The Etherredge Center for visual and performing arts is an entertainment mecca at USC Aiken and a link to surrounding communities.
The center houses practice and performance spaces, classrooms, computer labs and faculty office space. For students, the theater facilities provide a training ground as well as a showplace. The theater facilities include scene and costume shops, dressing rooms, green room and property storage.
Teddy Palmer, Etherredge Center assistant technical director, said, “the favorite part of my job is to train students to work in the theater.”
A portrait of Palmer is currently displayed in an exhibit at the theater’s entrance, one of a series of portraits and two sculptures in a show entitled “Faces and Figures” by Andrew Murphy.
The large gallery exhibit upstairs is entitled “Painting at a Distance” with paintings from five visual artists, who, like Murphy, had training in the USCA Art Department. This group’s in-person instruction was cut short by the pandemic and the content of the work was affected. Both shows will remain through Sept. 25.
The Etherredge Center theaters are available for community causes. Chet Longley, associate professor of theatrical design, said, “the Aiken Women's Heart Board and Benefit sells more tickets than anything else all year long.”
The 2020-2021 Cultural Series and Carolina Series combined offer nine shows in the 687-seat proscenium theater. Discounted tickets are offered to faculty and to staff, young professionals but not to students.
Palmer found that odd and said, “I don’t think the students should be charged anything to see the shows. We need them to participate.”
Cultural Series’ performances include “The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra,” Oct. 8, “The Queen’s Cartoonists” Jan. 16, “Trey McLaughlin and the Sounds of Zamar” Feb. 9, “Mike Wiley’s Dar He: The Story of Emmet Till” March 18 and “Branford Marsalis & Joey Calderazzo Duo” April 4.
Another show was planned, then postponed for one year, and a replacement is now being sought.
Carolina Series tickets sold separately include “Frost and Friends Feature Lauren Meccia” Dec. 3, “John Holloway Contemporary Photographer” Feb. 5 and “Dawn Larsen Corn Under Canvas: An Evening with a Tent Show Actress” April 23.
Upstairs, the thrust style O’Connell Theater holds 110 patrons. The University Theatre Players (UTP) are staging three one-act plays, Oct. 15-16, Oct. 24-25, and Nov. 23-24.
Longley said, “The students’ opportunities afforded by the Etherredge Center to be in these shows, work on them and see them, along with all the other performing and visual arts that go on here makes the center invaluable to the department.”
With Cecil and Virginia Etherredge’s generosity, the center that was dedicated to them and opened in January 1986 will soon start year 35 of service.
