THE SHOW HAS GONE ON: Undaunted Theatre Charlotte Comes Home After 2020 Fire

STATE OF CLT STAGES: The Show Must Go On

And at the venerable Theatre Charlotte, it has – since 1927

“We are, first and foremost, a theater for this community. All our talent onstage, backstage, front of house, you name it – they’re all from this community. These are all people that live and work right here in Charlotte. That’s what makes us special. That – and our longevity. We were the theater in town 95 years ago.”– Chris Timmons, Theatre Charlotte’s acting executive director

A pandemic, a long-time leader’s retirement and an electrical fire. Theatre Charlotte endured them all – and at roughly the same time.

But things are looking up now for Charlotte’s oldest theatrical company as they move back into their restored space and – for the 16th year – present A Christmas Carol.

We spoke with acting executive director, Chris Timmons, about how the 95-year-old Theatre Charlotte outlasted COVID-19, a devastating fire and that vagabond life and came out the other end with new tricks, new fans and undaunted enthusiasm.

Read on for more on the company’s history and future.

Get FREE tickets to A Christmas Carol

We love local theater – no humbugs about it. Charlotte Is Creative, publisher of The Biscuit, is doing our part to keep theater alive and thriving in the Queen City. But, local stages – and those who play upon them – need more than publicity and good wishes. They need ticket sales they can count on.

To that end, we’re buying four tickets (split into pairs) to A Christmas Carol as rewards to loyal readers. If you’d like to be considered for one set of tickets to this Theatre Charlotte production, email your name and why you love Charlotte theater to hello@CharlotteIsCreative.com by noon on Monday, Dec. 5.

ABOVE: TC’s 2020 production of A Christmas Carol | CREDIT: Theatre Charlotte

Works from 60+ Local Artists $100 Each

Dec. 8-10 at Camp North End
6 to 10 p.m. Thurs. & Fri.
4 to 8 p.m. Sat.

If you’re in the market for unique holiday gifts created by a Charlotte-based artist, Santa’s come a bit early for you this year. BlkMrktClt has organized more than 60 local creatives to create new works for the Hunnid Dollar Art Fair in the Ford Building at Camp North End. All work sold at the three-day installation will be available for $100.

There was no cost for artists to secure space for their work at Hunnid Dollar Art Fair. Nor will they be charged a commission on sales made. BlkMrktClt co-founder Dammit Wesley and his partners designed the event to address challenges they have experienced with art shows themselves and to encourage Charlotteans to begin investing in their own local art collection.

“Our mission for the Hunnid Dollar Art fair is to provide equitable access to art with affordable works and low points of entry for future collectors,” said Wesley.

Tickets are required and range from free to $50 for a VIP tour. MORE INFO.

Two Paid Art Projects on West Blvd.

Applications are open for both until Dec. 21

Last week, the city of Charlotte’s Urban Design Center opened applications for two paid creative placemaking projects. Both are located along West Blvd. They are:

A mural to be designed and installed at the I-77 underpass on the West Blvd. corridor
Commemorative markers honoring individuals, places and events with special significance to the West Blvd. corridor community

Both opportunities are open now and close to applications on Dec. 21 at 11:59 p.m. | READ MORE & APPLY.

Paid Art Opportunities with SEEK Raleigh

Applications have been extended to Dev. 7

RaleighArts’ SEEK Raleigh initiative is an ongoing series of site-specific art installations and performance art events. The program seeks to engage the larger Raleigh community by commissioning public art in cot parks, community spaces and greenways. Artists and creative teams across the state are invited to apply. The city of Raleigh will provide both space and funding ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per project.

The application period has been extended to Dec. 7. READ MORE & APPLY.

“What are we thankful for in the creative community this year? “⁣

We had a moment to sit down last week and think about the year that’s gone by in the creative community here in Charlotte. And, it was powerful. We know that we’re fortunate to have worked with an incredible array of creative individuals, organizations and companies in 2022. It’s an honor. And, we’re thankful for it.

There’s no way to capture everything we’ve experienced, but we’re truly grateful for:

The opportunity to add the amazing Makayla Binter to our team
The addition of new creative facilities for Charlotte Art League, Independent Picture House, Do Greater’s CRTV Lab, Archive, the Dottie Rose Foundation’s Dunbar House to our cultural landscape
The 20 Under 20 Awards recognizing Charlotteans under 20 at work in our community organized by Meredith Dean
The support of the Lending Tree Foundation, NoDa Brewing, Google Fiber and the community at large which allows us to award more than 80 local creatives HUG micro-grants ranging from $250 to $1,000
The 80 artists featured in the Mint Museum Uptown this June at LOCAL/STREET 2022 curated by Carla Aaron-Lopez
The opportunity to highlight local creatives on weekly segments with Kristen Miranda and the QC Life team at WBTV
Our partnerships with the VAPA Center and the McColl Center providing four months of free creative space to local artists
The 11 members of our Creative Entrepreneurs Initiatives powered by Wells Fargo
Charlotte SHOUT!, Rail Trail Lit, the city of Charlotte placemaking program and Charlotte International Arts Festival for providing paid opportunities for local artists
Addition of financial support for creatives through the Infusion Fund’s Opportunity Fund, Beyond Open CLT grant and Knight Foundation Art + Tech Expansion Fund
Our nine amazing partner organizations in the Lendahand Alliance Cohort
All musicians who’ve played on stage with us at OneBand
The Create Ballantyne project initiated by Northwood Office
The opportunity to put creatives to work for 11 Saturdays during South End Blooms supported by Lowe’s Home Improvement and South End
The chance to sponsor the “Not In Repose” exhibition curated by Meredith Connelly at Goodyear Arts
The Creative Business Survey we created with the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute with help from the Reemprise Fund and ASC
The chance to hire artists to create their first mural through our new event, The Drop, with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, Spark the Arts Grant and Divine Barrel Brewing
The 75+ artists we’ve met through our new Coffee With Creatives monthly event series and the 150+ creatives who joined in on the second Makers and Creators at The Chamber
The opportunity to celebrate CLT creativity with hundreds of creatives live every month at CreativeMornings/Charlotte
For Blumenthal Performing Arts and all the local musicians and theater companies keeping our stages strong

So many more to mention …

We know we have miles and miles to go to build our creative ecosystem … so many more convos to have and battles to fight … but, we are grateful to be traveling and creating alongside you.

It’s worth it.

The Biscuit is proudly sponsored by: