COASTAL STAGE PRODUCTIONS
A Clear Vision for Great Theater
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by COASTAL STAGE PRODUCTIONS
If you talk to Rodney Vaughn or Luke Cleveland for any amount of time, one word is bound to keep coming up: accessibility. They aren’t interested in putting on airs, making the most money, or having their names be the biggest in the business. They care about educating and entertaining, maintaining variety, and making theater accessible to everyone.
Rodney moved to the Lowcountry from Kentucky eleven years ago. He participated in speech and drama in high school and always had an interest in the arts and theater. He originally moved to Bluffton and was involved with the May River Theatre Company and acted with them for about six years. He was in several shows in Bluffton before becoming the Art and Entertainment reporter for WHHI TV. He knew everything that was happening within the arts community. He developed a segment called “Out and About,” where he interviewed different people in the Bluffton area about what was happening in the art and entertainment industry and local artist events.
Luke is a Lowcountry native and was involved in drama in high school, although they didn’t have a wide range of options at the smaller private schools he attended. He was always involved in any show they put on. At the College of Charleston, he participated in drama and was interested in the opportunities he had there. As he was in his early 20s and developing his career, he started focusing more on teaching than drama or theater. He took a hiatus from the arts before getting involved at the May River Theatre during Rodney’s final year there.
The two got to know each other there, and both felt that there might be some missed opportunities for live theater in the rural areas of South Carolina. They wanted to focus on traveling to those rural parts and bring theater to them. They started Coastal Stage Productions as a way to be more actor-driven, instead of board-driven. They also became aware that north of the Broad lacked dramas and comedies being performed. They spent their first four years traveling. When they started the company, they didn’t have a theater or a playhouse. They rehearsed in provided warehouses, vacant garages, or any empty building they could access. Their first show as part of their new venture was in Estill, SC, in the community hall. Luke had graduated from high school in Estill and wanted to give back to the community with his love of theater. In these rural communities, if you have a desire to be involved in theater, you have to be able to afford traveling back and forth to a larger area to participate. It was fun, and they enjoyed traveling, but it wasn’t fiscally successful. They shifted focus and started doing most of their shows in Beaufort, where the audiences were spectacular, and the shows were successful.
Luke and Rodney are both very enthusiastic about making theater accessible and wanting everyone to be able to be involved regardless of where they live or their financial situation. You don’t have to have any experience to be involved in a Coastal Stage Productions show. They even bring in professionals to present a variety of teaching workshops for cast and crew.
They are very particular about how they choose their shows. They don’t want to do the same shows that every other local theater or production company is doing. They sell out their shows because they aren’t trying to put on these airs. They are just bringing theater to the people. They try and keep their ticket prices low, have student rates, or other deals. They also offer friends and family night performances for each show. Everyone in the company is a volunteer, so it’s important to Luke and Rodney to find ways to give back to them. One of these ways is a yearly banquet for the 40 or so active members of their company. That number can extend to 70 if you count non-active members, who have either moved away or are taking a break. Theater consumes a lot of time and energy. You have to be passionate about it to really be involved. That passion will pay off in the end when you create something beautiful.
In the last five years, Coastal Stage Productions has grown as they refocused their energy to be more Beaufort-centric. It’s been an organic process. Most of their actors live in Beaufort and have traveled to wherever the company was based at the time. Some of these actors were once driving from Beaufort to Ridgeland to the CSP rehearsal space. Changing their focus to Beaufort allowed them to experience growth.
A theater grows as a family does: kids go off to college, people move or come back, and you keep adopting more and more members into the folds of the family. Coastal Stage Productions prides itself on being actor-centric, and overall, the consensus comes from all the members of the company. The actors choose one of the shows for the season. The company members vote at the yearly banquet on the MVP of the company and on the company-choice show of the year. There is a group of people that volunteer to read plays to help select the rest of the shows for the season. Anyone can make suggestions or bring in shows they would like to read.
They are currently putting on their performances at AMVETS in Port Royal. Luke says they are “Port Royal Proud.” AMVETS was an answer to prayer for the company. It is everything they need for their performances. They’ve been able to build a stage and turn the space into an intimate black-box theater. It is different than any other performance space in Beaufort.
Coastal Stage Productions is currently opening its sixth season. They are blessed to have a loyal audience. With 20 years of combined theater experience, Rodney and Luke do almost everything needed within the company. Luke is the creative director, while also being a teacher and head of the drama program at Beaufort Academy. Rodney handles 90% of everything the theater entails, from marketing to assisting with costumes and set building.
This year the company increased from 4 to 5 shows for the season. This allows them to provide more opportunities for their actors and audiences. The company is looking to link up with art counsels within a 3-hour circle of Beaufort, throughout Georgia, North and South Carolina. They have booked shows outside of Beaufort for this upcoming season.
A few years ago, Coastal Stage Productions launched the ability for people to donate to the company, and it is tax-deductible. Their budget is extensive, because even with volunteers, they have to pay for the traveling, for the royalties to the shows, and for any equipment that is needed. Their company members promote their campaigns so that they have the ability to keep growing and providing accessibility to the surrounding areas.
They are finding people within and outside the company who would like to direct shows. They had several guest directors last year. It allows Luke and Rodney the ability to focus on other things within the company, while also allowing these members to try something new. They are also looking to work with more youth this coming year and help them learn and experience what theater is like. They will continue offering workshops with professionals for each production.
Their theme for this season is: “2020—A Clear Vision for Great Theater.” They are trying to be more focused on the show at hand and the skills that it takes to perfect those shows. They want to be putting on quality productions. Their first show is Doubt which is a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner. Make sure you check it out! More information on Coastal Stage Productions and their 2020 season is available online at www.coastalstage.com.
