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843.723.4444 info@puretheatre.org

Health & Safety Protocols for Indoor Performances

The Absolute Brightness
of Leonard Pelkey

by James Lecesne

South Carolina Premiere
Directed by Sharon Graci

ADDITIONAL NOVEMBER
PERFORMANCES ADDED!

Pay What You Will Night
November 4 outdoors at 7:30 pm

(No Advance Ticket Sales)

+ November 5 outdoors at 7:30 pm
+ November 6 outdoors at 7:30 pm
+ November 7 outdoors at 5:00 pm

An uplifting story of all the tiny ways that one human being inspires an entire community to seek their highest selves. Chuck DeSantis, a no-bull detective working his slow beat in a small town down the Jersey shore, suddenly finds himself in the center of a high-profile investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Leonard Pelkey, a luminous force of nature whose magic is only truly appreciated after he goes missing. PURE Core Ensemble member David Mandel portrays all nine characters spotlighted during the investigation—ranging from teenagers to seniors—all of them deeply impacted by Leonard . . . and most of them from New Jersey.

“leaves you beaming with joy”
—New York Times

“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 Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Coastal Community Foundation, The John & Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund, The Joanna Foundation, The Yaschik Foundation, and The Boeing Company.

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