SUMMARY
The Peace Center for the Performing Arts is an active part of the Greenville community. Built in 1990 – it hosts over 300 productions each year and serves to create a diverse cultural and educational environment for the residents of Greenville, SC.
ARTICLE
The Peace Center, Greenville, SC’s performing arts complex located in downtown Greenville is host to a number of large and small productions each year. Known as the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, the center consists of two indoor theatres and an outdoor amphitheatre. Founded in 1990 – the center puts on a number of travelling productions each year and is the home to the Greenville Symphony, the Carolina Ballet Theatre, the International Ballet, and the South Carolina Children’s Theatre.
The two indoor theatres are Peace Concert Hall which seats 2,100 and the more intimate Gunter Theatre which seats 400. During the warmer summer months – the DowBrands Amphitheatre hosts a variety of outdoor concerts and festivals on the banks of the Reedy River. The Peace Center for the Performing Arts is host to over 300 performances every year in the city of Greenville.
As part of the community outreach at the Peace Center, Greenville schools bring over 70,000 students on field trips every year to see shows as well as participate and explore various aspects of the theatre’s inner workings. The Steinway Grand Piano in use at the center was donated by the schoolchildren of the Greenville County School District. Each child in the district donated 88 cents towards the purchase of the piano – of course representing the 88 keys on the piano.
Local productions as well as national and international productions grace the stages of the Peace Center for the Performing Arts each season. From readings by well known authors like David Sedaris to performances by internationally recognized and known musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, the Peace Center is Greenville’s cultural connection to the rest of the world. A number of other theatre productions are put on each year – including productions like ‘Willy Wonka’ by the South Carolina Children’s Theatre and “Don Quixote” by the International Ballet.
By supporting the Peace Center, Greenville residents get the chance to bring a variety of events and performances to the Upstate region that might not otherwise have a proper venue to perform. It was originally built with a generous donation from the Peace family who gave 10 million dollars towards its development. A local committee of residents researched possible sites – and finally settled on the historic buildings that were renovated and now make up the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. They include an old textile factory, a wagon factory used during the Civil War, and the home of Duke Mayonaisse – an early aristocrat that had settled in the Greenville, SC area.
The Peace Center, Greenville, SC’s most popular and active theatre is part of the reason for Greenville’s current urban renewal and boom. Part of the diverse downtown area – the Peace Center is a focal point along with Falls Park on the Reedy, the West End Market, and the rest of downtown Greenville.
Updated: January, 2010