Experiences and Creations in Live Entertainment

The Black Pearl

Written by Cynthia Grace Robinson

Directed by Cezar Williams

Sound Designer/Composer - Alex Drelich

Coastal Carolina University’s Department of Theatre presents the world premiere of The Black Pearl, a love story spanning generations and set in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina. The play will be presented in CCU’s Edwards Black Box Theater from March 28 to April 6, 2025.

Written by guest artist Cynthia Robinson and directed by guest artist Cezar Williams, the work is part of a commission made possible by Nancy and Billy Cave through the University.

The Black Pearl centers on the fictional Wise family, who fights to preserve the integrity of Atlantic Beach, one of the last Black-owned beaches in America. One storyline takes place in 1954, during racial segregation, and another takes place in 2025, among the descendants of earlier residents. The play incorporates the history, culture, and spirituality of Atlantic Beach and includes music, movement, and magical realism. 

Alice By Heart

Coastal Carolina University Theatre

Directed by Alison Levenberg

Coastal Carolina University’s Department of Theatre presents the musical Alice by Heart, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, live in CCU’s Wheelwright Auditorium Feb. 8-16. The production, which premiered off-Broadway in 2019 but was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, features music by pop icon Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Stephen Sater, and book by Sater and Jessie Nelson.

Alex Drelich - Sound Board Operator

Carrie: The Musical at Coastal Carolina University Spring 2025

Directed by Robin Edwards-Russell

Music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and book by Lawrence D. Cohen

Alex Drelich - Sound Board Operator

Coastal Carolina University’s Department of Theatre presents Carrie: The Musical live in Wheelwright Auditorium Oct. 25 through Nov. 3. At Bates High School in the 1970s, teenage outcast Carrie White is bullied by the popular crowd, and at home, she’s dominated by her loving but cruelly controlling mother. When pushed to her limits, Carrie reveals her telekinetic powers. This musical adaptation features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and book by Lawrence D. Cohen. CCU’s stage adaptation comes 50 years after Stephen King published the classic horror novel of the same name.

Macbeth

Written by William Shakespeare

Coastal Carolina University Theatre

The Shakespeare classic reimagined with a modern message.

Sound Designer/Lead Electrician
Alex Drelich

Composer
Ian Scheffer

Director
Thom Penn

Fall Semester
October 2024

Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus

Script by Mo Willems and Mr. Warburton | Lyrics by Mo Willems | Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma | Directed by Caitlin Lowans

Sound Designer: Alex Drelich

From the CSFAC website: “It’s not easy being the Pigeon—you never get to do ANYTHING! But when the Bus Driver has a crisis that threatens to make her passengers (gasp!) late, maybe that wily bird CAN do something. With a script written by Mo Willems, the creator of the #1 New York Times best-selling, Caldecott Honor award-winning Pigeon picture books, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is sure to get everyone’s wings flapping.”

Water By The Spoonful

From the CSFAC website: “Somewhere in Philadelphia, Elliot, a Puerto Rican veteran of the Iraq war, has returned home and is struggling to find his place in the world. Somewhere in an online chat room, recovering addicts forge an unbreakable bond of support and love. The boundaries of family and community are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and online families collide. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Quiara Alegría Hudes (In the Heights) is a heartfelt meditation on lives on the brink of redemption, and challenges our notions of family, forgiveness, community, and courage.”

By Quiara Alegría Hudes | Directed by Elise Santora

Sound Board Operator: Alex Drelich

Elf The Musical

From the CSFAC Website: “Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. 

This modern-day holiday classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. After all, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear. 

Based on the cherished 2003 New Line Cinema hit, Elf features songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar (The Wedding Singer) and Chad Beguelin (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway), with a book by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).”

Sound Board Operator: Alex Drelich

Balloonacy

Sound Designer: Alex Drelich

From CSFAC website: “It starts so simply: A red balloon drifts through the window of a solitary old man’s home. But then some serious silliness begins — with things fast becoming so magical and so blissfully fun, you barely notice that along the way you’ve learned something about the extraordinarily transformative power of play! Without a single spoken word, this sweet, inventive, and uplifting show — packed with plenty of playful shtick, along with touching reminders of the ups and downs of building a friendship — is a tender and laugh-filled delight for little ones (and big ones, too)!”

Misery

By William Goldman | Based on the Stephen King Novel | Directed by SaMi Chester

Sound Board Operator: Alex Drelich

From the CSFAC Website: “Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and it does.”

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