VENUE + LODGING
Host Venue
The Sottile Theatre is a theater in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. It is owned by the College of Charleston and is a rental venue used by many local, regional and national performing arts groups including Spoleto Festival USA. It has 785 seats and was built in the 1920s by Albert Sottile, President of Pastime Amusement Company.
The Theatre served as both a vaudeville house and movie theatre and was designed as a smaller example of the great movie palaces of the era. The South Carolina premiere of Gone with the Wind, which highlighted the "charm and grace" of Charleston, took place at the Gloria Theater with members of the cast in attendance, including Charleston's own Alicia Rhett who portrayed India Wilkes in the film.
The theater was reworked in 1966 and served primarily as a movie house until it closed its doors in 1975. The College of Charleston bought the former Gloria Theater in 1976.
The main auditorium still features a shimmering blue sky-like dome with twinkling stars created from lights above. Side archways are covered with ornamental ironwork and the original domed ceiling is surrounded by a plaster oculus. The stage is framed by a proscenium trimmed with molding. The lobbies were completely renovated and a new second floor lobby was constructed to serve the balconies. The second floor plaza opens onto a covered porch that overlooks George Street.
Today the Sottile Theatre hosts a wide variety of performing art events, serving as the site of College of Charleston performances and programs, as well as many community and privately sponsored events.
Host Hotel
Workshops, Competitions, and Callbacks, August 4th, 5th, and 7th 2022
Francis Marion Hotel
387 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
Hotel Phone: 843-722-0600
Theater and Host Hotel are .1 mile walking distance from each other
Discounted Group Rate is $199/night Guests can book online, or they can call the hotel directly and mention DISCOVERY SPOTLIGHT.
Online Code: DISCOVERY22
Host City
CHARLESTON, S.C. was ranked #1 city in the US by Travel + Leisure Magazine for the ninth year in a row. Charleston has history, architecture, culture, pleasant weather, gracious locals, and even proximity to the beach. But chances are, if you were to ask T+L readers for their top reason for their obsession with this genteel city, they’d say the food.” Charleston is such a historic treasure with beauty at every corner. King Street has excellent shops, bars, and restaurants and is great for nightlife. Charleston continues to steal the hearts of its readers with their mixture of warm hospitality, approachable size, excellent food, and striking architecture. Charleston is defined by its cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel antebellum houses, particularly in the elegant French Quarter and Battery districts. The Battery promenade and Waterfront Park both overlook Charleston Harbor, while Fort Sumter, a federal stronghold where the first shots of the Civil War rang out, lies across the water."
