Credit: HALO
Battery Gadsden has been steeped in drama for centuries. Sitting on one of its gun emplacements, it’s easy to imagine Edgar Allan Poe nearby writing "The Gold-Bug," hearing Native American flutes from the imprisoned Seminoles, or hearing Reveille from the Army’s troops. This is where every island child invented their imaginary world as they clamored through the underbrush. Today, it’s the site of the town’s library and the Battery Gadsden Cultural Center (BGCC), which was founded in 1992 to share the island’s rich history through lectures and performances. Remarkably, it’s also where Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera (HALO) will be in residence.
When HALO produced “Into the Woods” at Battery Gadsden in 2022, the over-the-top production featured local talent enriched with big-name Broadway veterans and a 15-piece live orchestra. They built a set from scratch and transformed the gun emplacement into a multi-leveled stage.
In her critique of the show for the Post & Courier, Maura Hogan called HALO an “inventive, ambitious, excellent Charleston company that repeatedly goes the distance to animate our spaces with song and heart.” The enthusiastic response to that show ignited a desire by HALO founders Leah Edwards and Dimitri Pittas to use the space again. After a negotiation with BGCC and the Town of Sullivan’s Island, a three-year residency has begun that will bring two major productions plus several smaller performances to the island each year.
“Performing in the elements is so important for creativity, community, and inspiration. It’s the ultimate show of theatricality,” Edwards says.
Combining the rich history of the location with the island’s relaxed atmosphere presents “endless opportunities,” she enthuses.
Credit: HALO
This isn’t the first unconventional space HALO has transformed. They built their reputation during the pandemic, a time when most arts organizations were idling. Utilizing a pickup truck outfitted with a piano in the back and a TV monitor displaying supertitles in the window, they staged over 100 concerts in parking lots and front yards. That created quite a buzz in neighborhoods across the Lowcountry, with people like attendee Mark Bloom remarking, “I’ve been watching the live stream opera with The Met, and I would never have expected this on my front porch."
They time-traveled "La Traviata" into the 1980s and inventively staged it at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, complete with vintage cars, a fireworks display, and a chamber orchestra.
"Rigoletto" took place on a basketball court and combined centuries-old work with cheerleaders, basketball players, and a marching band. It’s all part of HALO’s vision to break down barriers, elevate expectations, create performances of classical art for a modern audience, and present it in new ways that are comfortable for everyone.
Collaborations have been their strategy since the nonprofit organization began in 2019. In partnership with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, they produced "Masquerade," which was the highest-grossing show the symphony presented that year.
They paired poets with composers to create new work for "Singers and Stanzas"; they sang the national anthem at Steeplechase Charleston and Riverdogs games. And with members of the LGBTQ community, they assembled a diverse cast and crew for "As One," a transgender coming-of-age tale.
HALO’s mission statement cites its dedication to “uniting communities through innovative and inclusive artistic experiences,” so the performances they’re planning at Battery Gadsden are only part of the aspiration. Edwards describes opportunities for islanders to wander by and observe or even help build sets. She hopes residents will make suggestions for shows, that partnerships with island restaurants will become “dinner and a show” date nights, and that the residency will become a model for other communities.
“Art should be a reflection of the people who see it, not the people who make it,” she says. “The ultimate goal is to fit into the fabric of the island, to make it a gathering place, and to support Battery Gadsden’s mission. We’re very excited about what we’re doing. We want the island to be excited too,” Leah says.
HALO will also be in residence at St. Johannes Lutheran Church in the Ansonborough neighborhood of downtown Charleston, where they will present smaller concerts. Some performances may take place in both venues.
The inaugural season at Battery Gadsden will present Menotti’s "The Medium" from October 24 to 26, 2024, and "Sweeney Todd" from March 12 to 15, 2025. Tickets will be available soon on HALO’s website, holycityarts.org.
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Credit: HALO
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Credit: HALO