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Ben Butler PURE Theatre

Ben Butler
by Richard Strand

Directed by Mark Landis*
Cannon Street Arts Center
February 3-February 12, 2022
+ March 3-March 12, 2022

with Addison Dent, Michael Smallwood*, R.W. Smith* & Josh Wilhoit*

* = PURE Core Ensemble

When an escaped slave shows up at Fort Monroe demanding sanctuary, General Benjamin Butler is faced with an impossible moral dilemma—follow the letter of the law or make a game-changing move that could alter the course of American history?

“part comedy, part historical drama and part biography, often all at once…Just call it splendid…”
—New York Times

“simultaneously thought-provoking and sidesplitting” —TheaterMania.com

“an extraordinary, artful script…spirited, intense, often humorous dialogue makes this show completely captivating…a significant piece of theater and a timeless exploration of social conscience and individual responsibility.” —BroadwayWorld.com

PRODUCTION SPONSORED BY

PURE Live is a new offering featuring live simulcast events for a broader reach of our in-person performances. Working with our partners at LiveControl and Modern Mediaworks, PURE Live is filmed using three cinema cameras and impeccable sound. 

Simulcasting our performances live (vs. broadcasting a previously recorded performance) preserves the most powerful element of PURE — our present tense. PURE Live protects the immediacy, intrigue, and risk of live performance, not only for audiences in the theatre but also for those joining from afar.

PURE will simulcast three productions this season to screens worldwide: BEN BUTLER, the world premiere of HONORIA QUIETLY DRAWING STRENGTH FROM HER TRUTH, and MLIMA’S TALE. 

Production Note

 The firearms supplied for this production are, unlike weapons sometimes used in film, display replicas, designed for display only. They are non-firing, and cannot be modified to fire. The cylinders are machined so that rounds of any kind — live, blank, or dummy — cannot be chambered, there is no firing pin assembly, and the barrel is solidly plugged, preventing the use of the weapon as a cap-and-ball percussion revolver.

“When I think of emergence, I see images of movement from darkness into the light. I see rubble and debris being muscled away so that the process of becoming can flourish. To emerge means to rise up, to come forth, to be more of what you are meant to be. It’s inspiration and aspiration, it’s hope and promise, and it’s commitment and bravery all rolled into one simple word.”

— SHARON GRACI
PURE Theatre
Co-Founder & Artistic Director

“PURE Theatre productions
are universally excellent.”

Post & Courier

“There is much that can be said about PURE Theatre’s ongoing success, but this is perhaps the most important: They care deeply about what they do and it shows.”
Charleston City Paper

South Carolina Theatre Association
2020 Theatre of Distinction Award

“This is where theater gets real in Charleston. . . .
The 20 members of PURE's ensemble are brilliant and engaging”

—The Washington Post

“Seasoned actors, displaying the best in ensemble acting”

—Post & Courier

“Productions that are consummately professional in every aspect of live theater”

—Post & Courier

“Stunningly funny, moving and profound”

—Post & Courier

“This is material that challenges audiences as well as actors and directors”

—Post & Courier

“Producing contemporary theatre at its best”

—Charleston Magazine

Funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional ongoing financial support provided by The John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund, The Joanna Foundation, The Yaschik Foundation, and The Boeing Company.

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