No. This isn’t going to end well. Let’s leave the jokes to the professionals.

Like Neil Bansil. He may “sound white” on the radio (which people always told him), but he’s not. He’s Filipino-Canadian-American and he’s going to change how you feel about race.

But first he’s going to make you laugh and, apparently, laughter can end racism. Or at least that’s the hope of Bansil—the funny bone behind The Most RACES Show on Earth.

Racism is the pink elephant in the room that gets treated differently for being pink. Diversity exists in our beloved South, but it’s latent and divided. “I was giving out flyers on King Street,” Bansil describes. “That night at Tasty Thai it was all Black people. Every other bar? All White. There’s no animosity, they just don’t relate to each other yet.”

Enter Bansil stage left—and seven of his friends with backgrounds from everywhere (ex: a Polish-Peruvian-Canadian)—ready to get them to relate. Every comedian will be doing 8-10 minute sets about their culture(s) from their perspectives, and also jokes that have nothing to do with race at all. “That’d be a boring set,” adds Bansil. “Everyone’s doing their best stuff. It’s the funniest show because it’s non-stop laughter from everybody. It’s an ab workout, and you’re learning at the same time.”

Making the show hilarious was Bansil’s only objective when he created the show in Toronto seven years ago. Soon, he was selling out 2100-seat theaters and getting interest from famous comedians and television networks. He took it to New York, and then to Atlanta. After getting married and moving to Charleston last June, Bansil decided to take a risk and pitch his show to Charleston’s 9th Annual Comedy Festival. “Who needs this show more?” said Bansil. “A place that’s already multi-cultural, or the South, where there are cultures, but they’re not together?”

They will be together two nights this weekend in, ironically, The American Theater. Playing in Charleston is a new risk for Bansil, who doesn’t know: which theater, the number of tickets sold, or who’s coming. “I’m nervous!” laughs Bansil. But he’s confident in his production. “I’m good at bringing people together. That’s my job. And if no one comes, I’ll just take really close-up pictures.”

Bansil isn’t a stranger to racism; he’s had some cruel things done to him. But he chooses to make light of it by turning it into material for his stand-up: “Everywhere I go, people think I’m Chinese. I went to Chinatown in Toronto with a white friend. They brought our order and gave my friend a fork and knife, but they gave me chopsticks. That’s ignorant, just because I’m Asian, doesn’t mean I know how to use chopsticks. Frickin’ Pizza Hut. And I just ordered a soda.”

Bansil just wishes he could see a more direct benefit, so he donates to anti-racism charities. “I want to help,” says a momentarily serious Bansil. “Maybe we’re indirectly ending racism, but we don’t say that. It’s about getting everyone in the same room. They look around, realize they’re all laughing at the same things, and say, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’”

OK, got it: What do you get when Filipino-Vietnamese-African-Jamaican-Polish-Peruvian-Jewish-Canadian-Americans walk into the American Theater?

A damn funny show.

1/20 at 9:30pm, 1/21 at 8pm – Tickets $12.50
American Theater – 446 King St.
800.514.3849, Get Tickets Online

Story by: Jessica Kenny

But before you whirl off into a stress-induced tailspin, we have a one-stop solution to all your holiday shopping needs: The Mom and Pop-Up Shop.

The headquarters of this year’s Buy Local Month initiative, this conveniently located temporary store is the perfect place to please everyone on your shopping list while supporting the community. Packed with local artisans and retailers, the shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-6pm, at 359 King Street.

Children at the top of your Christmas list? Take a sharp right inside the door for imaginative toys from Wonder Works and pint-sized fashion from the Charleston Children’s Boutique. Need to satisfy your coworker’s sweet-tooth? Head to the Charleston Cookie Company’s booth. There’s colorful bling from Ceilia Cove for mom’s jewelry collection, handmade wooden frames from Melonhead Framing Co. for dad and beads from Country Bumpkin to make a necklace for that friend who already has everything. From locally made mattresses to stained glass houses, there really is something for everyone.

The best part? It’s all local.

“The idea is to give small local businesses the opportunity to be on King Street,” explains Lowcountry Local First director Jamee Haley.

Beyond providing prime real estate for local sellers, the Mom and Pop-Up Shop also hosts a wealth of info from local businesses not selling products. And if that wasn’t enough to entice you to pop in, the store is hosting breakfast every Thursday of Buy Local Month with coffee and goodies from Charleston-based restaurants like Glazed and Charleston Coffee Roasters.

It’s beginning to look a lot like a local artisan Christmas.

The Mom & Pop-Up Shop
359 King St., Charleston
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-6pm

Story by: Carter Worrell Dandridge
Photos by: Jason A. Zwiker

“Miss O” (Olivia Pool, woman of many fanciful hats) is the emcee and brought the event to Charleston, creating a titillating atmosphere that is unlike anything else going on. There is no instruction so it is decidedly not a class. And it isn’t held at a school, thankfully. Artists get together in a venue that combines luxury and libations. You could be drawing on a leather ottoman with a gin fizz in one hand – try that in school. And nobody says you have to draw either. Taking in the scene and the sexiness could be just as satisfying for some.

Each Dr. Sketchy’s event will have its own unique vibe. The first two, Le Chat Noir and The History of Burlesque, were held at the Speakeasy downtown and featured live music and knockout performances from multitalented models. Artists do a series of short, timed sketches and then several longer ones, with prizes from Artists and Craftsman Supply handed out, of course, to the sketchiest.

“I came across Dr. Sketchy’s when I was vacationing in Australia a few years ago and just fell in love with the concept. I’m particularly a fan of how it combines the performing and visual arts,” Pool says. “Being an artist myself, I’m sensitive to the artists’ wants and needs. Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School is a great way for visual artists to experience an out-of-the-box figure drawing class with their peers. It’s also good for the performers and musicians. Charleston’s art community is growing every day, and I thought this would be a fun way to keep things fresh and inspiring.”

Pencils, charcoal, conte crayons, a sketchbook, and your creativity…bring it. Time to explore your sketchy side.

DrSketchy.com
If you’re interested in performing/modeling, volunteering, or have a great venue, email DrSketchysCharleston@gmail.com.

Story by: Dee Dee Arthur
Photos by: Matt Rickerby

Eight years ago, she had her best friend beside her, sharing a house on Sullivan’s Island. Were pictures made? Of course they were. Isn’t there always a camera clicking away during happy moments, silly moments, and slow afternoons with friends and family in the backyard?

Today, those images bring back memories of that friend, who she lost to cancer.

So when Jeni chanced upon Images for a Cure, an annual photography event benefiting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, she knew she had to contribute.

This year, she’ll be one of hundreds of photographers donating their entire session fees for a day to the cause.

Images for a Cure began in 2009 when Orlando-based wedding and fashion photographer Kristen Weaver decided to dedicate a day of work entirely to raising funds and awareness for breast cancer. She encouraged other photographers to do the same. Something in her message must have clicked, because 239 photographers from 3 countries signed up in the first year alone. The event has only grown in size and scale each year since. Almost $29,000 has been raised so far in previous years and this year’s goal is to add another $18K to that.

Here’s how it works:

Go to the Images for a Cure web site and click on FAP (Find a Photographer). Here in Charleston, you’ll find two (so far): Sea Star Arts Boutique Photography (that’s Jeni) and Nicole Alexandra Photography, another amazing artist. You simply make your donation (the money goes directly to Images for a Cure), send the confirmation to your chosen photographer to schedule your session, and that’s that!

“I’ve already raised a ton and have several family, babies, doggies and professionals scheduled for their portraits this fall!” Jeni says. Inspiring and creating a healing atmosphere is what her photography is all about. As she’ll happily tell you, the ability of a starfish to regenerate after losing a limb is one of her main influences as an artist (hence the name “Sea Star Arts”), so there’s little wonder that this kind of project would hold such personal appeal for her.

After all, it’s the stuff we’re passionate about that brings forth the best in us. We’re already wild about the gorgeous, light-washed, and joy-filled portraits Jeni creates. Knowing that the money will help fund research toward a cure is the icing on the cake.

If you’re a photographer, sign up. If you’re not, smile for the camera. Because a picture is worth…everything, in this case.

Sea Star Arts on ImagesForACure.com
ImagesforaCure.com

Story by: Jason A. Zwiker
Photos by: Sea Star Arts

We’re also an art city, home to some spectacular galleries. Local and international art work…ours for the picking.

Now combine the two. The home as an art gallery. A spectacular place to feast your eyes on an extraordinary collection, then roll over and go to bed. A dream in itself.

Enter the home of Dottie and Brandon Shreve, a fun, spirited couple in Wild Dunes with one of the best and most diversified art collections around. These are the kind of people who will give you a David Baker after they’ve just met you if they think you’ll love it. They truly love art, and want to share that love with everyone they come in contact with. Starting with welcoming you into their home.

There are hidden gems around every corner that build up to the heart of it all – the double gallery style living room, with spectacular wall-to-wall paintings. You’ll find a lot of figure pieces (Dottie calls the human body “stunning”), landscapes, still life and sculpture. When asked what they don’t have, it seems modern abstract is the only thing missing. “Because we don’t understand it,” muses Brandon. Dottie just laughs.

It all started when they met an artist in New Hampshire, David Baker (now in the Smithsonian), who they said was “fascinating.” His was the first work they started collecting. From there, they started buying a piece from every place they traveled, slowly building their collection. Dottie says back when she didn’t have money, she bought prints…people didn’t seem to know what they were selling back then and she says she got lucky. Then they met Erwin Bernstien (widely known as “Tiny” because, of course, he was very tall), an internationally known collector who became something of an art mentor to them. And “luck” went out the window.

Tiny taught them to first and foremost, buy what you love. Plain and simple. (Like the first time they saw a John Carroll Doyle painting at a party, describing it as an “oh boy, oh boy, oh boy” moment). In terms of tips for investment? Trust your gut. Don’t buy at the bottom…wait until an artist is starting to get known, even if it’s the difference between $400 and $4,000. Work with a good gallery.

From that, Dottie and Brandon entered “Collector” world.

They tell us about a few favorites. Dottie loves “Au Bar,” a French painting that she says is the “perfect example of tension between a man and a woman.” It’s true…a bar, attraction, closing time…your mind can’t help but to skip ahead an hour. We love “Lanters,” a painting by a Chinese artist that depicts a girl entering puberty – excited but timid – with her ancestors guiding her. Brandon, of course, loves “Bikini Girl.” And why wouldn’t he? The artist did it as a study of his young, beautiful wife. Then they divorced and he practically gave the thing away (only to later search for it), and Brandon was the lucky swooper-inner.

“You never tire of a piece you love,” Dottie says. To this day, she and Brandon will sit on their couch with a glass of wine and talk about individual pieces, remember stories of meeting the artist, discover new things. And it’s a great conversation starter with newcomers. On one of our first visits, Brandon showed us a gorgeous sculpture of a women with a sheet falling down her back. He ran his fingers down the small of her back and instructed us to do the same. Extraordinary. He went back for more. “He’s allowed to stroke that one,” Dottie assures.

Whether your pieces are $10 or $50,000, Dottie says, “If you truly love a piece, you truly love a piece. Value doesn’t matter.”

So hop on in. Check out our local galleries and random home sales, and slap on the “Collector” title. Then have an Art Walk any night of the week you want.

Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Photos by: Karson Photography

These Blacksburg, VA, natives, both sons of lumberjacks, have a knack for seeing the forest through the trees. “We grew up walking through the woods, looking at a tree, and understanding what it could become,” says Colin.

After four years of architecture school at Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!), Matt realized he was headed for a desk job. Seeking a change of pace, he dropped out and started working for a barn builder. Meanwhile, Colin took a detour around the college hoo-ha altogether, leading him to London where he apprenticed for a theatre university, building sets and drinking pints. Years later, he was making a great living working on million dollar opera sets in Chicago, but he had become a cog in the machine.

Ultimately, what brought these two together is quite simple: Cold toes and a desire to call all the shots.

“It was cold in Blacksburg!” says Matt. So he moved to Charleston planning to work on beach houses and revel in the South Carolina sun.

Colin came to town shortly after Matt finished renovations on Robert Lange Studios in the fall of 2009 — the highlight of his career thus far. Once the two began collaborating, it didn’t take long for Colin to say, “Screw getting a job! It’s a lot cooler working for yourself.” And just like that, HandCrafted was born.

One year later, HandCrafted has built a reputation for itself. “Our customers understand that they can come to us with an idea and are willing to accept our vision,” says Colin, who focuses on design and build of detailed furniture pieces, cabinets and frames. They say artisan supply is their bread and butter, although both agree that they’ll do anything (within reason) and they’ll do it damn well.

“We’re blue collar artists — we’re all about function over form. From custom made wood kitchen counters, and bars with vintage hubcaps, to tables and tractor seat stools. We can do amazing things with wood and steel,” says Colin.

Their first “Einstein moment” came when they designed the Steasel, a steel easel that mounts directly to the wall. An additional accessory called a painter stick “was Matt’s baby,” says Colin. After a year of research and development, a dozen drawings, and three different models, Matt finally got it right. “When that thing came together, we felt like freakin’ geniuses!”

It’s those moments of inspiration and creation that drive these two mavericks, although their biggest motivation can be summed up in one word: Community.

“I’m new to Charleston,” says Colin, “but I’m choosing Charleston to be my home. We want to build relationships with our customers.” They see this as an opportunity to buy local and be local, saying, “You can drive to Charlotte and go to Ikea, or you can get to know us and we can work something out.”

So, the next time you’re in the market for a porch swing, picture frame or wine rack, forget Tar-jay — give Matt & Colin a call. They won’t disappoint you, those crafty little devils.

HandCraftedLLC.com
HandCrafted on Facebook
Email Matt and Colin
Matt: 843.696.1443, Colin: 304.544.8685

Story by: Lara Camozzo
Photos by: Andrew Stephen Cebulka

He’s our geeky gallant with a taste for all things retro, funky, and cool from the many-storied history of fantastic pop culture. He’s a leg up from your average comic book nerd: he won’t just grab any issue of Transformers from the quarter bin. But he will go ga-ga over a painting of Tarzan or John Carter, Warlord of Mars that looks like it was torn from a 1930s-era pulp adventure rag.

And when those kitschy but cool leanings guide us to a gallery filled with Matthew Foreman’s gorgeous textured paintings of jazz greats like John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, and Sir Duke Ellington, we start feeling it ourselves. We love Foreman’s many-layered approach to painting. From a distance, his celebrity-inspired works (his vision of Britt Ecklund is one of our favorites) have a photo-realistic quality. Up close, you can see how the lace, spray paint, and acrylics stack together, giving the work a slightly sculptural quality.

Welcome to the world of Greenway Studio, tucked away in a groovy little corner of Avondale. The fledgling studio (they just celebrated their first anniversary) hopes to host several shows each year, showcasing painters, illustrators, photographers, and others who share their broad-of-tent vision of just how surreal and enchanting the human imagination can be.

The seed of inspiration for Greenway probably goes way back to the days when local artist James Baldwin received a couple of conflicting messages about his preferred style. The head of the art department dismissed his fantasy work as “funny book stuff” while another teacher secretly pulled him aside and whispered that some of the most interesting stuff in American illustration was being done in comic books and graphic novels.

Together with Melanie Merz, Baldwin originally opened Greenway with the view to utilize it as studio space, but soon became enchanted with the idea of people gathering, laughing, perhaps even sipping from the requisite glass of wine, and absorbing art less commonly seen.

We can see why. It’s easy to get swept into the strange magic of one of Erin Eckman’s works or to stand in front of one of a surreal landscape by James Christopher Hill and almost feel transported into the heart of a classic sci-fi film or a strange land of ancient ruins.

These almost seem like the kinds of realms that Baldwin and Merz are dreaming of when they start speaking about the abundance of talent and creative vision in the Charleston area as well as of their hopes for a broader-minded aesthetic in the future.

Baldwin, an artist who gushes over the work of his influences – fantasy greats like Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, and Hal Foster – likes to imagine a day when not only publishers of graphic novels but also Hollywood special effects types will recruit from Charleston when searching for the next visionary to help create strange, surreal lost worlds to enchant and amaze us.

Thanks, Greenway Studio, for keeping that magical cauldron of imagination well-stirred.

GreenwayStudiollc.com
MatthewForeman.com
ErinEckman.com
JamesHillGallery.com

Story and photos by: Jason A. Zwiker

CIRCA

O. M. G. In EVERY sense of the letter. This show is astounding. Raw strength, grace and fearlessness on a mat. Only using two apparatuses (and some hoola hoops) throughout the entire show, it makes Cirque de Soleil look like a fakey, showy farce. This one is worth getting a front row seat, although you can see every mini muscle from the back. Prepare to watch the entire show with your mouth dropped open, part in anxious awe of the stunts (one guy balances only on his head on a trapeze bar, holding a woman beneath him), part in pure shock that the human body can possibly be that strong. It will make you never want to eat cheese again. Until you go to Bin 152 after the show.

Our arty barometer says: It’s the best thing we’ve seen…if you go to only one Spoleto performance, make it this one.

Get your tickets here.

–Caroline Nuttall

There is a fine line between “Dark Irish comedy” and “Irish tragedy.” They are redundant terms, anyway. Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan by Druid Theatre is a darkly humorous Irish play, which means you laugh up until you cry, knowing the whole time you’re going to cry. Set in a small, Irish sea village in the 1930s, Inishmaan spins a yarn of orphaned Cripple Billy, who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go to Hollywood for a screen test to play . . . (wait for it) . . . a cripple. Smothered by a small group of idiosyncratic characters his whole life, Billy craves to be somebody somewhere else. With brilliant playwrighting and impeccable performances, Inishmaan is a must-see for Spoleto 2011.

Arty barometer: It’s a feckin’ bittersweet story. Grab a ticket before the run ends.

Get your tickets here.

–Duffy Lewis

THE BIKE TRIP

One thing most hippies and world travelers love to do is regale others with stories of their wildest trips. In Martin Dockery’s one man Piccolo Spoleto show at Theater 99, The Bike Trip, the acid-laced tales of his adventures manage to both thoroughly entertain and enlighten us. Dockery’s personal reflections are shared intimately with the audience in a style that combines expressive vocal intonations with some solid pantomime that helps us visualize the action. We get to sit back and absorb his brilliance, laughing and gleaning bits of wisdom in exchange for being a good listener. In the vein of Spalding Gray and David Sedaris (but with a psychedelic twist), Dockery’s intelligence, wit, and kind-heartedness make his storytelling compelling and surprisingly touching.

Our arty barometer says: You don’t need a stick of dosed Big Red gum to love this performance.

Get your tickets here.

–Dee Dee Arthur

BELA FLECK AND THE ORIGINAL FLECKTONES

Bela Fleck reunited with his original bandmates and enchanted a sold-out Gaillard crowd Sunday for a one-night-only show. While Fleck’s lightning-speed banjo picking mastered just about every musical genre, the band was at its best when it stuck to the script. A couple of the prolonged jam sessions veered into highly experimental – and at times frenetic – territory, prompting a handful of older patrons (who perhaps had more of a taste for opera?) to flee the scene. A highlight was guest fiddler Casey Driessen, whose freestyle exchange with Fleck a la Dueling Banjos took the band soaring to new heights. How many times have you really gotten to say, “That fiddle player was nasty!”

Our arty barometer says: This ain’t no Cotton-Eyed Joe. It’s banjo for grownups.

–Allison Skipper

13 MOST BEAUTIFUL…SONGS FOR ANDY WARHOL’S SCREEN TESTS

Call Andy Warhol what you will – genius, whack job, or some combination of the two – the man certainly had an eye for pretty people.

In 13 Most Beautiful, indie rock/pop musicians Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips pair hypnotic musical compositions against a backdrop of black and white projections of some of Warhol’s famous (or infamous) screen subjects. The footage itself is grainy and subjects range from the familiar (Lou Reed, Edie Sedgwick, Dennis Hopper, Nico) to the obscure. You can imagine Warhol himself off-screen, directing the subject to spontaneously cry, drink a Coca-Cola, look melancholy, or choreographing a slow curl of cigarette smoke or light reflected from the lens of sunglasses. Wareham and Phillips give an understated performance, demonstrating a conscious effort to take a backseat to the screen stars. The music serves to connect the audience with the subjects, in doing so achieving what they wanted all along. We love them, we adore them, we are fascinated by them. They are all famous, for at least 13 songs.

Our arty barometer says: It’s Warhol. It’s weird. Embrace it – with or without some mind-altering substance.

While the screen is dark for the show’s run at Spoleto, a recorded version is available to Watch Instantly on Netflix. Happy viewing.

–Allison Skipper

SARAH JAROSZ

We know we’re supposed to be writing about the great shows we have actually seen, but this is only a one-night performance (tonight!), so consider it a premonition recommendation. Of all the folks at this year’s Festival, we’re zeroing in on Sarah Jarosz. She’s got it all – she’s young (just turned 20), sweet, and has one of the smoothest, purest voices you’ll ever hear. And of course, two Grammy nominations to prove it.

Our arty barometer says: You don’t need to be arty to enjoy this. A night at the Cistern is great. A night with Sarah Jarosz at the Cistern is extraordinary.

Get your tickets here.

–Caroline Nuttall

THE RED SHOES

Performing in ragged tighty whities might seem like an actor’s anxiety dream, but it is one of the many elements in The Red Shoes that elicits a surreal feeling for the viewer. The astounding originality of Kneehigh Theatre’s production makes it truly unforgettable and a must-see for this year’s Spoleto. With live music, spirited dancing, a trannie narrator, and a slightly less macabre butcher than Sweeny Todd, you will have some laughs, be fully engaged, and on the edge of your seat when the big scary scene goes down. If great theater is your obsession, grab your own red shoes and go.

Our arty barometer says: If you like Terry Gilliam’s movie Brazil, you will absolutely love this play.

Get your tickets here.

–Dee Dee Arthur

CHARLIE will be keeping a running tab of the best Spoleto and Piccolo Spoleto shows we’re seeing during the Festival. Check back here for updates! If you see a great show and are interested in writing a short blurb on why everyone should see it, please submit it to news@readcharlie.com and you will be considered for publish. Thank you, and enjoy the Festival!

To us, this is Spoleto.

The 17 days and nights of international inspiration and cultured chaos set the town ablaze. There is really nothing for the savvy Holy City-ite to do but put on your best flame retardant gear and fan the fire.

We know your Spoleto program has been well dog-earred and scrutinized, Spoleto SCENE, the must-join set of young arts patrons, has made its performa-party picks and the box office demand will weed out the last minute buyers – but here is a bit of insight from CHARLIE on the hip, sophisticated and just plain spolicious picks for 2011.

These selections are a compilation of Spoleto insider picks, past performance track records and a few solid hunches. We wouldn’t steer you wrong…

The Festival kicks off with Red Shoes, performed by the Kneehigh Theater Co., a Spoleto favorite with throwbacks including the 2006 Tristan & Yseult and 2009 Don John. This time they are putting their uncommon spin on the works of Hans Christian Andersen. It is sure to knock the knickers off any version you were read as a child.

A high brow Spoleto experience is not complete without an opera, and those willing to invest the energy in some solid subtitle reading will be all the better for it. The Medium is written by the Gian Carlo Menotti, Spoleto Festival Founder, and is being performed in honor of the 100th anniversary of his birth. The slightly morbid portrayal of post-war Europe was a Broadway hit relocating to our own backyard. The Magic Flute is also getting great buzz.

Corella Ballet is getting the points for pretty this year. The synchronized elegance should have classicists dusting off their point shoes while keeping the trend spotters on their toes.

The music offerings this year are really what determine the men from the boys — taking the cake with a wide scope of not-to-miss shows!

13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests pairs indie-pop artists with rarely seen silent film portraits by the artist.

Sarah Jarosz, the Grammy-nominated, sweet young thing with a voice to reckon with, will make a one-night appearance.

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones pluck the gambit of folk, bluegrass, funk and jazz to meet the harmonious needs of even the harshest critic.

Perhaps the most buzzworthy of the 2011 offerings, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue are set to have the Cistern Yard reverberating with high-energy beats.

No Spoleto Festival is complete without the Finale, so be sure to pack a picnic and head out to Middleton Place to wake up the grounds and light up the sky with the annual indulgence for the ears, eyes and soul.

Story by: Meredith Seimens*

*As Meredith heads to Kentucky. She leaves you these final words…
“It seemed only fitting to write my last piece for CHARLIE on Spoleto, as it is what initially brought me to Charleston and introduced me to its many unforgettable characters. For my final curtain call, I wish you each the same improbable escapades, accomplishments, friendships and good fortune. Keep the corks popping and see you soon!”

The Old City Jail. A common stop for ghost tours, the offices of the American College of the Building Arts, and venue to many a rowdy Charleston party.

But it is actually home to our very own Akrla, whose compassion and gift is widely valued in the Charleston community.

We all know that Akrlas can see people’s imminent futures and have the obligation to try and save them. And that once an Akrla gives into temptation (killing someone they could have saved by remaining silent), they lose the ability to warn someone of their fate. Well, such is the case with our Akrla on the corner of Magazine and Franklin Streets.

It started back with a guy and a prophecy that one in his family shall defy, one shall love, and one shall betray his fate. Like many of us set out to prove ourselves in this world, so did Nobunaga, who eventually made his way to what we call Charleston.

He came to visit our Akrla (who can still be spotted at Fast & French, Peninsula Grill, and the upstairs bar at Cypress from time to time), but of course, she had to remain silent. Devastated, thinking he was the one to betray his fate, he took the plunge into the Cooper River in search of the Boneyard (the place in the harbor where – as all you boaters know – a dead steer is blasted into a skeleton in less than 5 minutes).

Luckily, his travel companion, Nascyera, a woman disguised as a man who was, as it turns out, in love with him, saved him.

After a few days relaxing under The Angel Oak, they ultimately realized they both loved their fates, which left the next Nobunaga to be the one who betrayed his fate. But this was a concept so paralyzing that for generations, the community weakened and weakened because the leader of the Clan was so afraid to be a betrayer that he did nothing. Not until Nobunaga-Ventreven came along, but that is another story.

So keep your eyes peeled for Akrla. She requested no photos for this story, but you’ll know when you see her.

And she, in turn, will know your fate.

Story by: Caroline Nuttall

*No, we have not lost our minds at CHARLIE. We’re getting you in the spirit for the new exhibit at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Eames’ Demetrios’ Kcymaerxthaere – an alternate universe created through the largest ever global art exhibit spanning 6 continents. Come play make believe at the following events:

Opening Reception
Thursday, May 26, 5-7pm
Halsey Institute, 161 Calhoun Street
$0

Artist Lecture
Saturday, May 28, 4pm
Old City Jail, 21 Magazine Street
$0

Plaque Unveiling at Sea
Saturday, May 28, 7pm
Departing from 10 Wharfside
$10 for boat ride complete with cash bar, sake toast, and O-Ku sushi (Contact 843.953.HICA)