Fall in the Upstate becomes not only a time when the temperatures start to drop and the leaves turn to vibrant shades of red and gold but also a time when we tend to slow down and reflect. Performing and visual arts are one way to admire the vast talent that is right in our own backyard. While most of us know to check the bigger venues like the Peace Center in Greenville and the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg for such events, there are also other venues and other communities in the Upstate that have some great happenings as well.
Belton:
What: 14th Annual Belton Standpipe Heritage & Arts Festival Juried Art Show. The Belton Center for the Arts will hold its Annual Belton Standpipe Heritage & Arts Festival Juried Art Show. This is a regional juried competition included submissions from SC, NC & GA in any media, including painting (oil, watercolor, acrylic, etc.) pastel, drawing, ceramics, basketry, sculpture, photography, fiber, printmaking, weaving, wood, etc.
When: from Saturday, September 29, 2012 until Friday, November 16, 2012.
Clinton:
What: Southern Circuit Film Series: Otis Under Sky, The Russell Program and The Southern 
Studies program. Otis under the Sky is a feature-length unscripted, partially web-based experimental narrative about a hapless recluse web artist, Otis, who falls into unrequited love with Ursula, an impulsive kleptomaniac. His awkward misadventure leads to his ultimate creation, a physical light that is a reflection of positive energy across the web.
When: Oct 22nd, 7:00 pm, Harrington Peachtree (HP) Amphitheatre in the HP Academic Center
What: Searching for Higher Ground. This is an original adaptation for the stage of PC English professor Terry Barr’s short piece of creative non-fiction by the same name. The script has been developed by the students in the adaptation class under the direction of Miriam Ragland. This play explores racial relationships in George Wallace’s Alabama, where Dr. Barr grew up.
When: Nov 7th thru 9th, 7:30 pm, Harper Center for the Arts Theatre
Details: Presbyterian College Theatre Department. Tickets are $5.00 for students, PC employees and seniors, and $10 for all others and may be purchased in person or with a credit card by telephone at the Harper Box Office, 864-833-8317. The Box Office will be open from 1 – 3 pm during the week of the play, as well as for one hour before the play each night.
What: Southern Circuit Film Series: Smokin’ Fish, The Russell Program and The Southern Studies program. Cory Mann is a quirky Tlingit businessman hustling to make a dollar in Juneau, Alaska. He gets hungry for smoked salmon, nostalgic for his childhood, and decides to spend a summer smoking fish at his family’s traditional fish camp. The unusual story of his life and the untold history of his people interweave with the process of preparing traditional food as he struggles to pay his bills, keep the IRS off his back, and keep his business afloat. By turns tragic, bizarre, or just plain ridiculous,
When: Nov 12th, 7:00 pm, HP Amphitheatre
Fountain Inn:
What: The Sound of Music presented by FIRE (Fountain Inn Repertory Experience)
When: October 5th – 14th
Details: Tickets $18/$15/$10 (Adults/Seniors/Students & Children)
What: The Fountain Inn Orchestra brings “Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and more”
When: October 20th, 7:30 PM
Details: Tickets $10/$7/$5 (Adults/Seniors/Students & Children)
What: Della Mae – Nominated for a 2012 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Award and wonderful all-girl blue grass group from Boston.
When: November 2nd, 7:30 PM
Details: Tickets $18/$15 (based on seating)
What: Emile Pandolfi at Christmas. Nationally known local pianist.
When: November 23rd, 7:30 PM
Details: Tickets $25/$20 based on seating
What: Hen Party Comedy Show. Karen Mills & Leanne Morgan bring their humor to our stage.
When: December 1st, 7:30 PM
Details: Tickets $18/$15 (Based on Seating)
Greenville:
What: Carolina Youth Symphony Fall Concert. This concert features all three orchestras of the Carolina Youth Symphony (over 250 talented young musicians) with special guest artist Dr. James Stokes, Trumpet professor Appalachian State University and CYS alumnus, performing the Trumpet Concerto in F by Oskar Boehme and other selections. CYS consists of 254 young musicians ranging from 8-18 years of age and from 80 schools, 37 cities and 2 states. It is a skill-based orchestra, so everyone has to audition to become a member.
When: October 21st, Peace Center Concert Hall, 5:00pm
Details: Tickets are $10 adults $5 students and can be obtained at the Peace Center box office and 
online.
What: CYS Holiday Concert. All three orchestras will be showcased performing traditional Holiday music including the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky, which is sure to get everyone in a festive, holiday mood.
When: December 9th, 3:00pm
Details: At McAlister Auditorium, Furman University. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available at the door.
What: SOME ENCHANTED EVENING. The Greenville Chorale is going Broadway! For the first time, the Chorale will dedicate an entire evening to the beloved songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, composers of the 20th Century’s greatest musicals, including Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and Oklahoma. This crowd-pleasing program will also feature the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and welcome back to town acclaimed Metropolitan Opera mezzo, Elizabeth Bishop.
When: Saturday, October 27, 2012 – 8 PM
Details: At the Peace Center
What: A CAROLINA CHRISTMAS. The Greenville Chorale, in collaboration with Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra, will ring in the season with our annual concert of Christmas favorites. Bring the whole family to this joyous concert that features holiday classics and lighthearted sing-alongs to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
When: Friday, December 7, 2012 – 7:30 PM
Details: At McAlister Auditorium, Furman University.
Greenwood:
What: Clean Comedian Kent Rader. Known as the “World’s Cleanest Comedian,” author, speaker, and former accountant Kent Rader will be performing live at Greenwood Community Theatre for a very special one-day presentation! Kent has been heard on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and Sirius Satellite radio. Kent also performs clean stand-up comedy in comedy clubs from New York City to Seattle and is the winner of the 2007 Branson Comedy Festival.
When: Sept 30th, 2 pm
Details: Greenwood Community Theatre, 110 Main Street, Greenwood. Box Office 864-229-5704.
What: South Carolina Historical Textiles Exhibit Opens at the Museum. Textiles Exhibit. Sponsored by The Self Family Foundation and Created by The State Museum of South Carolina. This exhibit will feature the history of textile manufacturing throughout the state, especially in Greenwood County. We welcome special guest speaker Jay Self. Objects on display at The Museum will include a Draper loom from Greenwood Mills, as well as photographs and other memorabilia celebrating Greenwood’s rich textile history.
When:October 5th through Saturday March 23, 2013.
Details: The Museum, 106 Main Street, Greenwood. Open Wed-Saturday, 10am-5pm. FREE admission sponsored by City of Greenwood Hospitality Tax. 864-229-7093.
What: Beauty and the Beast Jr. at Greenwood Community Theatre. The brainy and beautiful Belle yearns to escape her provincial life… and her brute of a suitor, Gaston. However, Belle gets more adventurous than she wanted when she becomes a captive in the Beast’s enchanted castle! Dancing flatware, menacing wolves, and singing furniture fill the stage with thrills in Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR., a beloved fairy tale about very different people finding the strength in one another and learning how to love. Beauty and the Beast, Jr. is a Kids4Kids production, which means all roles are played by actors age 18 and under.
When: October 11th – 21st
Details: Box Office 864-229-5704
What: Multi-Guild Annual Juried Show at the Arts Center. Featuring works from three local guilds in Greenwood’s vibrant arts community: Greenwood Artists Guild, Council of Lakeland Area Woodworkers, and Greenwood Area Studio Potters.
When: November
Details: Arts Center at the Federal Building, 120 Main Street, Greenwood, SC. 864-388-7800.
What: Smoke on the Mountain at Greenwood Community Theatre. The year is 1938. It’s Saturday night in Mount Pleasant, N.C., and the Reverend Oglethorpe has invited the Sanders Family Singers to Provide an upliftin’ evening of singin’ and witnessin’. The audience is invited to pull up a pew and join in the rollicking good time. More than two dozen songs, many of them vintage pop hymns, and hilarious stories from the more or less devout Sanders provide a richly entertaining evening that has audiences clapping, singing, laughing and cheering.
When: November 8th -18th
Details: Box Office 864-229-5704
Laurens:
What: Laurens County Community Theater – The Odd Couple – female version
When: September 28, 29, October 4, 5, 6, 7:30 pm curtains.
Details: At Florida Street Theatre 600 Florida Street, Clinton, SC. Tickets: Adults $12.00 ~ Seniors/Students/Children $10.00. Reservations 864-833-LCCT (5228)
What: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
When: November 30, December 1, 6, 7, 8, 2012, 7:30 pm curtains.
Details: At Florida Street Theatre 600 Florida Street, Clinton, SC. Tickets: Adults $12.00 ~ Seniors/Students/Children $10.00. Reservations 864-833-LCCT (5228)
Spartanburg:
What: The Spartanburg Youth Theatre – The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Take a thrilling ride through Sleepy Hollow with the mysterious Headless Horseman, when this classic storybook tale by Washington Irving comes to life. While the awkward and superstitious schoolteacher Ichabod Crane competes with his brutish rival Brom Bones for the affections of the young beauty, Katrina, a ghostly apparition awaits Ichabod, ready to pursue him on his night ride through the forest. With plenty of chills and laughs and the perfect combination of comedy and suspense, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is exciting family entertainment and the perfect Halloween treat! Most suited for children in grades 3 and above.
When: October 5th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM, October 6th at 2 PM
Details: In the David Reid Theatre at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, SC. $9 Students, $12 Adults. Call 542-ARTS or visit Chapman Cultural Center’s Events page for tickets.
What: Madeline’s Christmas. Join Madeline and her friends as they embark on an enchanting Christmas journey in this delightful family musical. It’s the night before Christmas, and not a creature is stirring, because everyone’s sick in bed…even the mouse! Only Madeline is up and about, bravely taking care of Miss Clavel and eleven sniffling and sneezing little girls. When a magical merchant arrives at the door selling 12 flying carpets, Madeline and her friends take to the skies on an exciting cross-country carpet ride to visit their parents for the holidays. Bring the entire family and kick off the holiday season with this charming musical treat.
When: November 30th at 4:30 and 7:30 PM and December 1st at 2 PM and 4 PM
Details: Suitable for all ages, $9 Students, $12 Adults, Call 542-ARTS or visit Chapman Cultural Center’s Events page for tickets
Walhalla:
What: An Evening with John McEuen (Bluegrass/Folk). A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (now in their 44th year) John McEuen has continually performed since 1964 – 8,500 concerts and 300 television shows throughout more than 3 million miles – both with the band and as a solo performer. Come spend the evening with a true music legend as he brings his guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin along with favorite Dirt Band songs and the stories behind them.
When: Friday, October 5, 2012 at 8 pm
Details: Tickets $20.00.Tickets can be purchased by calling the Walhalla Civic Auditorium box office at 864-638-5277 orvisiting their website.
What: Cravin Melon (pop music). Playing live is where Cravin’ Melon is at its best. Instantly addicting, fun-loving melodies battered up with swaggering southern charm is the classic recipe for a down-home party with Cravin’ Melon as the congenial hosts! The re-loaded rhythm section of bassist Rob Clay, drummer Gary Greene, (former percussion player for Hootie) and keyboardist Chad Barger, crank out the horse-power for the road-hugging vocals of lead singer Doug Jones, and the top-down guitar licks of Jimbo Chapman!
When: Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 8 pm.
Details: Tickets $15.00
What: NewFound Road (bluegrass). One of the most exciting bands to emerge on the national bluegrass scene makes their debut on the WCA stage! NewFound Road specializes in a powerfully streamlined sound delivered with heartfelt honesty and passion. NewFound Road is contemporary bluegrass at its most soulful and sincere.
When: Friday, November 16 at 8 pm.
Details: Tickets $20.00
There are many, many more performing and visual arts events across the Upstate this fall. Please check the Upstate Information Hub calendar for more information.
[…] Fall in the Upstate becomes not only a time when the temperatures start to drop and the leaves turn to vibrant shades of red and gold but also a time when we tend to slow down and reflect. Performing and visual arts are one way to admire the vast talent that is right in our own backyard. While most of us know to check the bigger venues like the Peace Center in Greenville and the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg for such events, there are also other venues and other communities in the Upstate that have some great happenings as well. This article was published at OurUpstateSC.info and See the South. […]