NiA – Columbia’s Nomadic Theatre Troupe

By August Krickel Performance venues and physical space are big issues for theatres in Columbia. “Theatre” usually implies, first, the building itself, whether historic facilities like Town Theatre and USC’s Longstreet Theatre and Drayton Hall, or recent constructions like the current spaces used by Workshop, Trustus, and Chapin Community Theatres. Not so much for The NiA Company, happily independent and “truly nomadic,”... Read More

The Lush World of Tish Lowe

By August Krickel A stroll through the Italianate Arcade Mall is a trip back in time.  Take the stairs to the second level on the Washington Street side, turn left, peek into the first studio space, and your journey to an earlier era is complete. Rich oil paintings of dusky Latin beauties adorn the walls, along with ballerinas frozen in mid-pose, intricately detailed nudes, lush still lifes, and rakish gentlemen in elegant garb. You almost expect... Read More

Cover Story/Jasper Watches Lyon Hill

By August Krickel Visual artist. Graphic illustrator.  Award-winning indie film maker.  Puppeteer.  Children’s entertainer.  Avant-garde event organizer. Suburban husband and dad.  Dark (and vaguely disturbing) visionary.  Lyon Hill wears any number of hats, and is one of a growing number of local artists who are able not only to follow and develop their own creative vision, but to make a living doing so here in the Midlands, and attract... Read More

Jim and Kay Thigpen and the Trustus Legacy

By August Krickel Jim and Kay Thigpen didn’t set out to be Columbia icons, or even pioneers in the local arts community. They just wanted to see and be involved in some good shows It’s hard to imagine the local cultural landscape without their creation, Trustus Theatre, Columbia’s professional theatre company that specializes, and excels, in alternative and non-traditional plays. It’s harder still to accept that Jim and Kay are... Read More

Editorial- Issue 1

Dear Friends,  Building a local arts magazine from the ground up must be something akin to building a guest house. You know what you want it to look like, and you hold dear the message you want to convey to your friends – you are welcome here, the door is always open, we want you to feel as if this is a place where you can come to be nurtured, to enjoy yourself, to reflect and grow.  But it would take a fool to try to undertake either endeavor... Read More

Crafting Broadway Bobby Star

By August Krickel There is a moment on stage at Workshop Theatre, during The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, in which “volunteers” are plucked from the audience. At first they are given simple words to spell, then are quickly dispatched via increasingly difficult words; a judge rings a loud bell to signal their elimination. On opening night, Bobby Craft was chosen. Upon receiving his impossible word, Craft paused, looked around,... Read More