CofC Stages in the College of Charleston’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present its 2026-2027 Theatre and Dance season “Footprints,” a thought-provoking season that invites audiences to consider the footprints we leave behind. How will they impact those around us, our community and the world?
From the high-stakes ambitions of young artists to the timeless reflection of life, the season offers a series of powerful performances that map the boundaries of human experience, exploring the beginnings that define us, the endings that shape us and the lasting legacy we leave in the spaces between. “Footprints” includes many meaningful collaborations with Charleston arts organizations, both within the campus community and the greater Charleston area.
The season kicks off with macbitches, a gripping new play about college students fighting over the role of Lady Macbeth. Dripping with themes of ambition, power and betrayal, macbitches retells the Shakespearean classic for a 21st century audience. Written by Sophie McIntosh and directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Nakeisha Daniel, the season opener will take place in the Simons Center Black Box Theatre, September 24-30.
CofC Stages is proud to partner again with the City of Charleston’s Office of Cultural Affairs to co-present events for the MOJA Arts Festival, taking place September 24-October 1 at venues across the city. This year, CofC Stages presents The Stages Series, a collection of theatre, dance and music offerings for the 2026 festival. On September 25, CofC Stages will host Asase Yaa, a West African dance troupe driven by a mission of cultural education.
The series continues with two original theatre offerings. The College of Charleston and Claflin University present a co-production of The Promise, a new play that explores themes of life and liberty through the story of six Black Continental Army soldiers captured by the British. Performances run September 26 and 27. On October 1 and 2, patrons can enjoy Masterpiece in Progress, a play written and directed by Instructor of Theatre Gary DeWitt Marshall. In a solo performance, Marshall cuts through memory and manufactured truth with his classic wit and wisdom.
The Stages Series concludes with two music offerings featuring local musicians and vocalists. On October 3, the Lowcountry’s finest hip hop lyricists will share their inspirations between performances of hits from their catalogues in Palmetto Pulitzer Poets: Rappers in the Round. Burke High School alumnae will perform as a soulful female string quintet in Divine Strength on October 4.
The season continues with Between the Lines, a dance concert featuring choreography by faculty, alumni and guest artists. The performance showcases modern, ballet, jazz, Indian and hip hop techniques and includes a guest artist residency with the legendary postmodern Trisha Brown Dance Company, presented by special arrangement with the Charleston Gaillard Center. Between the Lines runs October 17 and 18, in the Sottile Theatre.
Following the fall dance concert is the sensational 1960s musical Hair by Gerome Ragni, James Rado and Galt MacDermot. Alternatively dubbed the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, the Tony-award winning musical celebrates the sixties counterculture and the waves of change that followed. Set to an infectiously energetic rock beat, Hair promises to wow audiences and remains relevant as ever as it explores ideas of identity, community, politics, global responsibility, peace and what it means to be a young person in a changing world. The musical features a cast of 26 and is directed by Head of Theatre Performance Evan Parry. Hair runs November 12-18 in the Emmett Robinson Theatre.
For the holiday season, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Peter Spearman spearheads a radio drama adaptation of It’s A Wonderful Life, based on the classic 1946 film of the same name, which itself is based on the short story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. The holiday classic will be available to audiences as a streaming offering while campus community members are away for the holiday break and also will be broadcast over the air in partnership with Ohm Radio 96.3. It’s A Wonderful Life will stream December 15-31, 2026.
Stepping into the new year, CofC Stages presents Passage by Christopher Chen. Passage examines the concepts of freedom, borders and belonging, partially borrowing its title and central concept from E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. Directed by Professor of Theatre Susan Kattwinkel, performances of Passage will be held in the Simons Center Black Box Theatre, January 28-February 2.
The Department of Theatre and Dance continues its triennial collaboration with the Department of Music and CofC Opera with Cendrillon, the French four-act opera by Jules Massenet based on the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. Having first premiered at the turn of the 19th century, this well-loved classic provides magic and spectacle suitable for audiences of all ages. Cendrillon will be directed by Nakeisha Daniel and will feature the talents of the Charleston Symphony, conducted by Wojciech Milewski, with performances occurring February 19-21, 2027 in the Sottile Theatre.
Spring offerings continue with Threshold, the department’s annual student-choreographed dance concert. Providing a wide variety of styles centered on the themes of beginnings, endings and transitions, Threshold invites audiences to reflect on the power of the in-between. Performances will take place in the Simons Center Black Box Theatre, March 19-24, 2027.
The season concludes with Our Town, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by Thornton Wilder and deemed “the greatest American play ever written” by Edward Albee. Directed by Professor of Theatre Todd McNerney, Our Town presents the fictional town of Grover’s Corners in three acts: “Daily Life,” “Love and Marriage” and “Death and Eternity.” Narrated by a stage manager and performed with minimal props and sets, the play depicts the simple daily lives of the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry and eventually – in one of the most famous scenes in American theatre – die. Performances run April 8-14 in the Emmett Robinson Theatre.
TICKETS & SUBSCRIPTIONS
Tickets and season subscription packages go on sale Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Individual ticket pricing varies between performances. Discounts for seniors, military, youth and CofC students, faculty and staff are available. Season subscriptions are $189 with a discounted rate of $147 for seniors, active military and veterans, offering a 10% savings on total subscription cost.
CofC students have a variety of ticketing options: Full year subscriptions are $77, with semester subscriptions for the fall ($36) or spring ($48) semesters also available. Students can also purchase a fall flex pass ($24) or a spring flex pass ($26), where they are able to choose any two events to attend each semester. Tickets can be purchased online through the George Street Box Office or by calling (843) 953-4726 or emailing gsbo@cofc.edu. Applicable fees are applied to all ticket purchases.
Patrons can learn more about each production on the department’s Now Playing webpage (go.charleston.edu/nowplaying)
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College of Charleston’s award-winning Department of Theatre and Dance presents a diverse season of plays, dance, and musical theatre each year, fully mounted on various stages and featuring guest artists, faculty members and invited collaborators. The program offers degrees in Theatre and Dance, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching in K12 Theatre Education and a Musical Theatre Certificate for undergraduate students. Learn more about the department at charleston.edu/theatre-dance.
CofC Stages 2026-27 Season: Footprints
macbitches by Sophie McIntosh
- Sept. 24-30, 2026 | Simons Center Black Box Theatre
The Stages Series at the MOJA Arts Festival
- Sept. 25-October 4, 2026 | Chapel Theatre
Between the Lines (faculty-choreographed dance concert)
- Oct. 17-18, 2026 | Sottile Theatre
Hair by Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot
- Nov. 12-18, 2026 | Emmett Robinson Theatre
It’s a Wonderful Life by Philip Van Doren Stern
- Airing on Ohm Radio on select dates and available for streaming December 15-31, 2026
Passage by Christopher Chen
- Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 2027 | Simons Center Black Box Theatre
Cendrillon composed by Jules Massenet and libretto by Henri Cain
- Feb. 19-21, 2027 | Sottile Theatre
Threshold (student-choreographed dance concert)
- March 19-24, 2027 | Simons Center Black Box Theatre
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
- April 8-14, 2027 | Emmett Robinson Theatre
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