Connect. Create. Cultivate.
Community Division
The 2024 Community Theatre FESTIVAL will be held in:
SAT., NOVEMBER 16th
Happy Fall, Community Theatre Division!
Somehow autumn is already here, and with it comes our Community Theatre Festival! As you’ve read in recent SCTA newsletters, this year’s festival has been rescheduled to November 16th. This marks a significant moment for our division, as it represents our first step toward independence from the SCTA Convention!
The day will include several exciting events, such as:
Workshops hosted by the wonderful folks at the BlueBird Theatre
A showcase performance at the beautiful Stevenson Auditorium
A reception at the BlueBird featuring a host theatre spotlight, social hour, and discussion about the future of our division
SCTA members can attend and bring two guests for free. Non-members or additional guests are $20.
If you are already registered for the SCTA Convention, your attendance at the festival is included!
And speaking of the convention, don’t miss the Saturday, November 9th performance of The SpongeBob Musical at the BlueBird Theatre! For details, please contact Anne Lavely at ed@southcarolinatheatre.org.
We have some crucial division business to discuss on November 16th, so I encourage as many of you as possible to join us. Let’s make this THE community theatre event of the year by coming together to support our performers, celebrate community theatre in South Carolina, and collaborate on ways to support one another!
The day's events will kick off at 10:00 AM and will wrap up around 5:30 PM. Make a day of it and come to Orangeburg to learn about the creative work being done in this community and engage with other theatre artists from around the state! For more details and to register, check out the website here: https://www.southcarolinatheatre.org/community.
Please reach out to Anne Lavely or myself if you have any questions. We’re looking forward to a fantastic day in Orangeburg. Please mark your calendars and spread the word!
Anna Brown
Community Division Chair, South Carolina Theatre Association
Community Theatre is branching out!
The Festival will be held on Saturday, November 16th at the Stevenson Auditorium in the Orangeburg City Hall and the BlueBird Theatre- home of the Orangeburg Part-Time Players. There will be a showcase show from the Chapin Community Theatre, workshops geared for the Community Theatre, time to network and socialize, and more importantly discuss how to revamp the Community Division to better serve the companies in our State. Events start at 10 AM and wrap up by 5:30 PM.
Deadline to Register: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25!
Need more information? Contact Community Theatre Chair- Anna Brown or SCTA Executive Director- Anne Lavely
Come to connect, create, and cultivate the COMMUNITY in the Community Theatre Division.
Organizational and Individual Members of SCTA can attend and bring two additional guests to the one-day festival for FREE! We just want to see you in Orangeburg on November 16. Register using the button above.
Renew your Organization ($75) or your Individual ($30) Membership in the form.
Again: SCTA Members can attend the Community Theatre Festival for FREE! Please register so that we know you will be attending.
OR
SCTA Members can sign up to attend the Community Theatre Festival for $20 and be registered for the Convention the week before for FREE! (November 7th-10th)
SCTA Members can bring two additional guests for FREE! Want to bring more than two guests? You can register more guests for $20 per person
SCTA Handbook (Condensed version of the AACTFest Handbook, no forms):
The SCTA Festival is part of the American Association of Community Theatre festival, and all rules have to comply with rules set by AACT.
The official AACTFest Handbook for the festival with links to all forms can be accessed by this link:
The 2025 AACTFest will be June 25-28, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa
The SETC Convention will be March 19-23, 2025 in Baltimore Maryland
The Community Theatre Division of SCTA is committed to connecting, creating, and cultivating community theatre across our beautiful state. We are artists sharpening each other and supporting all the hard work that goes into community theatre. We recognize the exceptional work that comes from community playhouses and organizations across South Carolina. We connect passionate artists and leaders who pour their time and talents into their communities through theatre. We advocate for the success and support of community theatres in SC.
Whether you are part of a community theatre that’s new to SCTA, a veteran organization, or you’re starting a new community theatre, let the Community Theatre Division help you grow, connect, and actively contribute to the greater narrative of theatre in South Carolina!
MEET YOUR DIVISION LEADERSHIP
Donald Lee is a licensed educator in Music, English, and Educational Administration with 30+ years experience and is currently Instructor of English and Coordinator of Internship Activities for the Department of English and Communications at South Carolina State University after having served 10 years as Director of Fine Arts and English Instructor at the Orangeburg High School for Health Professions. Donald continues to serve as Assistant Director of Bands at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg, SC. Donald serves on the Board of the Orangeburg Part-Time Players (OPTP) Theatre Troupe as President where he has been given the opportunity to work with various community organizations to help strengthen the BlueBird Theatre which houses the OPTP. Furthering his commitment to the advancement of theatre in the state of South Carolina and America, Donald was appointed to the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Theatre Association (SCTA) where he serves as Chair of the Community Theatre Division and the Board of Trustees for the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Council (OCFAC). He is also a member of the State Class 3A Marching Band committee for the South Carolina Band Director’s Association (SCBDA). Outside of his community engagements, Donald serves as Grand (National) Vice President for Esquire XIII Fraternity, Inc., and as an elected member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Alumni Association Board of Directors. Continuing his educational and civic engagements, Donald is an active member of the National Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), The American Library Association (ALA), the Modern Language Association (MLA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the South Carolina Music Educator’s Association (SCMEA), the South Carolina Band Director’s Association (SCBDA). Donald is a proud brother of Esquire XIII Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia of America. In his spare time, Donald still arranges and composes music for bands nationwide, performs as a Percussionist/Vocalist/Sound Tech for The SultréMix Band based in Florence, SC, and is a Sensei (Senior Teacher) for Renshi (Master Teacher) John Bates in Bates’ Doryoku Budo Martial Arts School in Orangeburg, SC. Donald lives in Orangeburg with his wife Josalyn, herself the director of the South Carolina State University Writing Center, and their two youngest children Donald, III, 22, and Jordan, 20. Donald and Josalyn are the proud “PopPop and GiGi” to Jaidyn and Aiden Hughes and Xylee Nichols. Feel free to contact Donald at (803) 707-6497, cell; (803) 536-8355, office; or by email at dleezh@gmail.com.
