The South Carolina Theatre Association, a subset of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, was founded on September 23, 1967 in Greenwood, South Carolina, by the 30 delegates representing community and educational theaters in South Carolina. Phillip Hill was appointed to be the SETC representative in South Carolina, and Donald McKellar served as SCTA’s first President.

The first annual convention was held at the Town Theatre in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 20, 1968. It was at this convention, the constitution and by-laws were formally adopted. Town Theatre director John Bitterman booked Margaret Webster to perform in the program. In 1975, the SCTA executive board permanently moved the dates of the annual convention to be hosted in the fall.

In 2017, SCTA (South Carolina Theatre Association) celebrated 50 years of work in creating, connecting, and cultivating theatre in South Carolina. An archive of the first 50-year history of SCTA can be found at the Special Collections section of the James B. Duke Library at Furman University. The documents are available to the public upon request.

The first committee of SCTA directors were as follows: Donald McKellar as President, Philip Hill as Vice President, Betty Hudgens as Secretary, and Gene Eaker as Treasurer.

In 2016, the Executive Board established a South Carolina Theatre Hall of Fame and inducted Dr. Phillip Hill as its first recipient and this honor award is presented each year at the annual Awards Gala.

SCTA’s Annual Business meeting is held at the annual convention and all members are invited to attend and vote on electing new officers or any proposed changes to the by-laws. The SCTA 990 is filed annually as required and can be requested.

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President: Blair Dawkins (Spartanburg, SC)
Theatre and Media Arts Educator, Dorman High School Freshman Campus

Vice President/ SETC Rep: Elizabeth Watkins (Columbia, SC)
Assistant Director for SETC

Treasurer: Chris Rose (Greenville, SC)
Freelance Theatre Artist

Secretary: Angela Rogers (Charleston, SC)
Theatre Teacher, Howe Hall Arts Infused Magnet School

Past-President: Reed Halvorson (Taylors, SC)
Theatre Teacher, Christ Church Episcopal School

Division Rep: Jenna Tamisiea Elser, Professional Division
Artistic Director, Glow Lyric Theatre

At-Large Rep:

Division Chairs

Theatre For Youth Division Chair: Stephanie Walker (Columbia, SC)
K-5 Theatre Teacher, Saluda River Academy for the Arts
(Vice Chair: Emily Pears Caitlyn)

High School Division Chair: Erin Gill (Greenville, SC)
High School Theatre, Woodmont High School and C0-Lead Teacher for Greenville Co.
(Vice Chair: Jonathon Long)

College and University Division Chair: Sadie DeSantis (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Professor, Coastal Carolina University
(Vice Chair: TBD)

Community Theatre Division Chair: Anna Brown (Greenville, SC)
Business Admin, Integrity Blinds & Shutters
(Vice Chair: TBD)

Professional Division Chair: Jenna Tamisiea Elser (Greenville, SC)
Producing Artistic Director, Glow Lyric Theatre
(Vice Chair: TBD)