Whirligig Stage, a new center for performing arts, is coming to Uptown Greenville. | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    GREENVILLE, N.C.     Whirligig Stage, a new center for performing arts, is coming to Uptown Greenville. The venue for theatre performances and training is located at 628 South Pitt Street.

    Jason Coale, executive director, says performances are scheduled to begin in December, with classes for all ages to follow. "There'll be private classes and group classes for kids and adults," he said. "You'll be able to come and learn about Shakespeare or simply how to speak in public."

    The arts and culture already in the district helped make it the easy choice for Coale and his wife Elana, the managing artistic director. After living in Greenville for a short time, they felt at home and found they couldn't leave, deciding instead to create a cultural center that will contribute to the economic growth and development of the area.

    "We looked all over the region at different properties to consider when putting the plan for this together," Jason says. "The work done by the city of Greenville in its Horizon plan and the continued work being done by Uptown Greenville sealed the deal for us."

    The theatre is taking shape in a building that was formerly home to a cleaning supply company, the largely empty shell making a great starting point. While the building renovations are completed in the coming months, Whirligig Stage will host performances in a large event tent with a concession trailer. Casting calls have already begun.

    With continual programming by professional personnel nearly every week of the year and conservatory-level theatre training, Jason says the venue will be a place to "showcase the art and talent around us, to express to each other who we are and what we think about things."

    For more information, visit whirligigstage.com.

• Contact: Uptown Greenville
•     info@uptowngreenville.com