Mrs. John Marsh, The World Knew Her As Margaret Mitchell is a play written and produced more than twenty years ago by Atlanta playwright Melita Easters. In 2010, it was rediscovered and has been produced in prestigious venues throughout the South — Atlanta’s Margaret Mitchell House and Ansley Park Playhouse — and at the Players Club in New York. May 24th through June 7th it begins a run at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston. The Festival is considered the “trademark arts event” of this venerable community of Southern culture.
Saluda Camp as Margaret Mitchell
The Piccolo Spoleto Festival (from USA Today)
Spoleto Festival USA began in 1977 as the brainchild of composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti, perhaps best-known for his opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” wanted to bring to the United States the artistic fervor of the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. Menotti and the other founders chose Charleston to host Spoleto Festival USA because of its location and performance facilities. The city has since embraced the festival as a vital part of its identity.
Performances
Part of Spoleto Festival USA’s popularity is the variety of performances and events. During the festival’s two-week run, patrons can take in jazz, opera and contemporary music, as well as traditional and musical theater. Dance events range from ballet to modern, and visual artists display their works at galleries and museums around town. Artist talks punctuate the performances and give audiences an opportunity to hear from the visionaries themselves.
Artists and Performers
Artists as diverse as Tennessee Williams and Allen Ginsberg have had their works produced at Spoleto, and legendary performers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Yo-Yo Ma and Renee Flemming have graced Charleston’s stages. Artists scheduled to perform in 2010’s festival include The National Ballet of Georgia, the Colla Marionette Company and up-and-coming Americana group Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Venues
Spoleto Festival USA spreads throughout Charleston’s beautiful downtown. Modern performance halls, such as those at the College of Charleston, host events alongside some of the city’s historic treasures, like the Dock Street Theatre. Dock Street was built in 1809 and originally served as a hotel. The theater facility was added in the 1930s and, according to the National Register of Historic Places, might be “the first building built specifically for theatrical performances in America.”
Mrs. John Marsh Details:
Saluda Camp
http://www.piccolospoleto.com/?p=21971
The trailer:
