This Greenville Journal article by Jeannie Putnam was originally published on July 13th, 2021.
After shutting the stage lights off on the musical “Hedwig & the Angry Inch” over a year ago, The Warehouse Theatre will kick off its 2021-22 season with the same production.
“When we had to close the theater we still had one week left in the run of ‘Hedwig,’” said Mike Sablone, producing artistic director of The Warehouse Theatre. “Which meant that we had patrons who didn’t get a chance to see it, as well as some who were, rightly, a little nervous about coming to the show in the days leading up to the shutdown. So, when it came time to announce our reopening we began with the show about rebirth.”
The Warehouse’s season lineup includes:
- “Hedwig & the Angry Inch,” Sept. 24-Oct. 17
- “Sense and Sensibility,” Nov. 19-Dec. 19
- “The Lotus Paradox,” Jan. 21-Feb. 6, 2022
- “Native Gardens,” March 11-27, 2022
- “The Wolves,” April 22-May 7, 2022
- “Appropriate,” June 10-26, 2022
- “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” July 29-Aug. 21, 2022
Surviving the pandemic
Similar to other Upstate venues, The Warehouse had to pivot to stay operational, pay its artists and keep audiences engaged.
“Shutting our doors was an easy decision for public safety, but an incredibly hard decision given that we were never sure when we could safely reopen,” Sablone said. “As the pandemic raged on, being a union house, there were strict guidelines for the safety of our performers so we always knew we would be the last to reopen. Given that ticket sales are a significant portion of our revenue, and the uncertainty of when we could safely reopen was constantly in flux, we pivoted to online engagement in order to keep artists and audiences engaged.”
Over the past year, the theater premiered 11 shows virtually, allowing it to pay artists and expand the audience, said Sablone.
Addressing safety
“There is still a chance we’ll have limited seating, require patrons to wear masks and limit concessions in a continued effort to protect our staff, artists and patrons,” Sablone said. “Of course, the higher the percentage of vaccinated patrons in our area will make this easier and safer for all involved. We will ensure everyone knows the details closer to opening.”
Sablone said The Warehouse is planning to resume its community forums along with its I Pay What I Can and Young Professionals nights.
Season tickets are available for $235 per person.
