The Edwards College is thrilled to announce a full lineup of cultural arts events for the Spring 2023 semester. From concerts and lectures to theatrical performances and art exhibits, our programming features superb offerings from accomplished guest artists as well as faculty members and students.

Below, we present our Spring 2023 digital cultural arts calendar in a newly accessible format. It is mobile-friendly and can be viewed full-screen and downloaded. 

We look forward to seeing you on and around the CCU campus this Fall for the sights, sounds, and spirit of Edwards College cultural arts. 

FEBRUARY

Department of Theatre
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 26-28, 7:30 p.m.Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, the Tony Award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the tale of Christopher, an intelligent, neurodivergent 15-year-old boy who is under suspicion of killing his neighbor’s dog, Wellington, with a garden fork. Taking on the role of detective, Christopher records each fact of the crime, which leads him on an adventurous quest. Directed by CCU student Alexa Castro-Giovanni, a senior majoring in theatre.

Edwards Theatre, EHFA 117
Admission: $7, with CCU discounts available. Click for tickets.

Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
SPRING ANIME AND SHINTO SERIES
Film: WEATHERING WITH YOU
Thursday, Jan. 26, 4:30 p.m.

Weathering with You, a 2019 award-winning Japanese animated romantic fantasy film, depicts a boy who runs away from his rural home to Tokyo and befriends an orphaned girl who has the ability to control the weather. Following the film, Ron Green, professor and department chair in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Susan Bergeron, associate professor and department chair in the Department of Anthropology and Geography, will lead a discussion on the film’s historical and cultural context.

EHFA 246
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of Music 
WOODWIND STUDIO RECITAL
Monday, Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.

Directed by Eric Schultz, assistant professor in CCU’s Department of Music, CCU woodwind students present a recital featuring clarinet, flute, oboe, and bassoon. 

Edwards Recital Hall, EHFA 152
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of History
WORKING IN THE MAGIC CITY
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 5 p.m.

Thomas Castillo, associate professor in CCU’s Department of History, discusses his book, Working in the Magic City: Moral Economy in Early Twentieth Century Miami (2022), an archaeological study of the social and racial history of the city. He will discuss how ideals of class harmony hid conflicts and also facilitated organized fights for greater economic security and worker dignity. 

Atheneum Hall, Room 105
Admission:Free and open to the public

Department of Music
MATTHEW STORIE, GUEST ARTIST CONCERT
Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.

Saxophonist Matthew Storie presents a concert showcasing his compositions and arrangements, accompanied by CCU’s Commercial Music and Jazz faculty. Storie is a jazz and classical saxophonist, teacher, and bandleader residing in Pendleton, S.C. He is adjunct instructor of saxophone and jazz studies at Furman University and instructor of music theory at Anderson University. 

Edwards Recital Hall, EHFA 152
Admission: $10, with CCU discounts available. Click for tickets.

Department of Theatre
New Works Projects
FREEDOM SUMMER
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 10-11, 7 p.m.

CCU junior Teniia Brown, senior Joerell Fulmore, and senior Annabelle Ravenscroft present a dramatic reading of Cynthia Robinson’s Freedom Summer. This play, set in 1964, follows the relationship of sisters Carrie and Nora of Jackson, Miss. Nora has moved to Boston to “pass” as a white woman, while Carrie is training to become a civil rights worker. The play relates the struggles of the sisters’ different paths to freedom. Kris McIntyre, senior lecturer in the Department of Theatre, serves as faculty mentor. New Works Projects is a staged reading series of new plays by BIPOC women.

Edwards Theatre, EHFA 117
Admission: Free and open to the public

Intercultural Language Resource Center
ITALIAN CARNEVALE
Monday, Feb. 13, 4 p.m.

The Intercultural Language Resource Center presents a celebration of Italian Carnevale, with a discussion of the event’s cultural and historical context as well as activities traditionally associated with the festival.

Wall Building, Room 317
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of History
SPRING 2023 EDWARDS COLLEGE FRENCH FILM SERIES
INCH’ ALLAH DIMANCHE [SUNDAY GOD WILLING]
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 5:30 p.m.

Internationally award-winning Inch’ Allah Dimanche (2001), directed by Yamina Benguigui, portrays the life of Zouina, an Algerian immigrant woman in France.  Zounia struggles for autonomy when she leaves her homeland with three children to join her husband, who has resided in France for 10 years. Following the screening, Mélanie Giraud, lecturer of French in CCU’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, leads a discussion on the film’s historical and cultural context. This film will be shown in French with English subtitles.

BRITTAIN HALL 114
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of Music
BRAD MYRICK AND NICOLA CIPRIANI
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Guest artists Brad Myrick and Nicola Cipriani are a high-energy international acoustic guitar duo (USA/Italy). Their four original albums feature diverse forays into pop, world music, jazz, American folk, and more. Their “Live in Bulb” EP (2018) was recorded in Verona, Italy; “Wanderlust” (2019), their first full-length studio album, included a tour of two continents; and their most recent album, “Live at Coastal Carolina University” (2021), was recorded on their Wanderlust tour.

Edwards Recital Hall, EHFA 152
Admission: $10, with CCU discounts available. Click for tickets.

Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
SPRING ANIME AND SHINTO SERIES
Lecture: LANDSCAPE AND MYTHOLOGY IN DEMON SLAYER
Thursday, Feb. 16, 4:30 p.m.

Ron Green, professor and department chair in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Susan Bergeron, associate professor and department chair in the Department of Anthropology and Geography, present a discussion on the locations depicted in the Japanese manga series Demon Slayer. The lecture will include the historical background and significance of the places and landscapes.

EHFA 246
Admission:Free and open to the public

Department of Theatre
THE GREEN BIRD
Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.; Thursday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

In Hillary DePiano’s modern adaptation of Carlo Gozzi’s classic commedia dell’arte, it’s been years since King Tartaglia went on a quest for three magical oranges and found his Queen Ninetta. Now, enemies have seized the throne and seek revenge on the couple; ensuing action includes curses, clowns, demons, and a talking statue who keeps losing control of the story he’s telling. This is a three-act play with two intermissions and is directed by Dory Sibley, assistant professor in the CCU Department of Theatre. 

Wheelwright Auditorium
Admission: $18, with CCU discounts available. Click for tickets.

Department of History
History at the Carolina Forest Library
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand: The Long, Hard Stumble into Mr. Lincoln’s War 
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, 5:30-7 p.m.

John Navin, Ph.D., of Coastal Carolina University’s Department of History will discuss the geographic, economic, political, and social divide that culminated in four years of civil war. Beginning with the clash of interests at the Constitutional Convention, we will explore the key moments and issues that set the slaveholding South on a different course than the rest of the nation. We will examine clashing ideologies, political brinksmanship and blunders, outside “agitation,” alleged conspiracies, genuine moments of national crisis, states’ rights arguments, and questions about the inevitability of the war. Time will be reserved for questions and discussion.

Carolina Forest Library (2250 Carolina Forest Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29579)
The series is free and open to the public.

Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values
HURSTON’S SECRET LAUGHTER: CONTRIBUTIONS TO AFRICAN AMERICAN THOUGHT
Thursday, Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m.

Guest lecturer Lindsey Stewart, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Memphis and author of The Politics of Black Joy (2022), presents a lecture on Zora Neale Hurston’s essay “High John de Conquer.” Stewart poses the question, “What is Black joy, and how is it achieved?” She also considers the impact of Hurston’s research on “conjure” on contemporary African American philosophy. 

Edwards 256
Admission: Free and open to the public

Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies
GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY DAY
Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This annual celebration of Gullah people and culture is a collaboration among CCU faculty and students, community members, and Gullah artisans, historians, and cultural practitioners. Presentations, workshops, exhibits, activities, and demonstrations involving art, music, food, and history take place throughout downtown Conway. Visit the Joyner Institute website at coastal.edu/joynerinstitute/ for more information.

Locations throughout downtown Conway
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of Theatre and Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies
New Works Projects
MAHALA ISLAND
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25, 7 p.m.

Award-winning author A’ndrea Wilson presents a dramatic reading of her play, Mahala Island. Set in 2019, the play, follows three couples who became friends in college and gather to spend a weekend at the Freeman Cottage on Mahala Island, a sea island of South Carolina. When a dangerous hurricane traps them in the cottage, individuals’ personalities are revealed and relationships tested. New Works Projects is a staged reading series of new plays by BIPOC women. This production is presented in coordination with the Joyner Institute’s Gullah Geechee Community Day.

Edwards Theatre, EHFA 117
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of History
PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES PRESENTS
THE WAR IN UKRAINE: YEAR ONE
Saturday, Feb. 25, 10:30 a.m.

Professors Philip Whalen and Christopher Gunn, of CCU’s Department of History, present a discussion of the war in Ukraine from numerous historical perspectives on the first anniversary of the conflict. 

Atheneum Hall, Room 105
Admission: Free and open to the public

Department of Music
STEINWAY PIANO SERIES
JI HYANG GWAK, PIANO
Sunday, Feb. 26, 4 p.m.

Award-winning pianist Ji-Hyang Gwak performs a solo concert. Gwak is internationally renowned for her versatility, energy, and technical mastery. As a solo artist, chamber musician, and educator, Gwak has made appearances across the United States as well as in the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, and Korea. 

Edwards Recital Hall, EHFA 152
Admission: $18 with CCU discounts available. Click for tickets.

Department of Visual Arts
DAVID BOGUS’ Bogus Boutique
Monday, Feb. 27, through Friday, March 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Artist reception: Thursday, March 2, 4:30 p.m.

David Bogus presents the Bogus Boutique, a lifestyle brand featuring unique, brightly-colored ceramic objects and status symbols. In the Bogus Boutique, items such as high-heeled shoes, punk rock lock necklaces, anchors, suitcases, cigarette lighters, cases of beer, and life preservers are outrageously overpriced objects as viable subjects for branding and art. Bogus has taught at the University of Idaho, Texas A&M International University, and the University of Florida, and has shown his work internationally.

Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery
Admission:Free and open to the public

 For tickets, visit tickets.coastal.edu.