Over the past three decades, one of Columbia's pivotal arts events spaces has played host to Broadway shows, jazz festivals and ballets.
But as the University of South Carolina's Koger Center for the Arts emerges from the pandemic, it's been evolving to offer bigger shows and more unique experiences, including the announcement of Broadway's "Hamilton" coming to Koger next year for nearly three weeks of performances and a recently unveiled upstairs gallery.
What began as a way to usher in a new era for the city's arts scene has become a massive hub for the city's economy and culture, following the original vision of the building's namesake, Ira Koger.
'A facility of unmatched quality of music, dance and theater'
Koger took the arts seriously. The successful real estate developer gave some $4 million in the mid-1980s to kickstart development of the arts center that bears his and his wife, Nancy's, names. Nearly four decades later, USC’s Koger Center continues his original vision, with an eye toward growth and diversification.
In interviews with The State newspaper soon after the building’s groundbreaking in September 1985, Koger anticipated economic growth for Columbia and an increase in quality of life for its citizens as more prominent performers and productions were attracted to the venue.
Then-USC President James Holderman added that the new structure would “provide the entire state with a facility of unmatched quality of music, dance and theater."
The building came with state-of-the-art acoustics and technology that would enhance performances from university students and faculty, local performing groups and visiting acts. The building, which ended up totaling around $15 million — about a third of which came from the city and county — opened to much fanfare in 1989 with performances from members of the Bolshoi Ballet, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Choirboys.
Former performers, such as retired drama teacher Jeannette Arvay-Beck, said the performing arts center's imposing 110-foot-wide stage gave her "more choices as to where to position your body" for better audience interaction.
“Using that space is vital to telling your story," Arvay-Beck told Free Times. The physical closeness of the stage to the audience allowed for intimacy, she said, without taking away from the performance itself. "There is the power … and the grandeur of the final act curtain coming down.”
But the Koger Center's early years were not without controversy. Holderman, the university's president at the time, resigned, causing a temporary scaling back of his grand vision. The Kogers’ gift was a planned bequest, including stock that might have later diminished in value. Audiences complained about the continental seating with no central aisle; dancers noted that the stage floor was too hard on their feet, although installation of a dancer-friendly sprung floor soon resolved that issue.
The Koger Center and its facilities have been consistently upgraded over the years, according to its current director, Nate Terracio, who has led Koger since 2018. Additions have included an orchestra shell designed to mix and channel sound appropriately yet still be quickly disassembled in time for a traditional stage show that requires a proscenium. And overhead grids, catwalks and electrical fixtures now make bigger shows more feasible.
Evolving to draw more people
As the Koger Center has had time to grow and expand its offerings, Columbia has also changed over the years in terms of what's available and what interests people who live here.
“In the past, Columbia was a tough place to fill seats — once folks go home, they stay home and aren't interested in coming out for anything," said Bill Schmidt, who's been a regular attendee at the Koger Center for over 30 years. "I think that's changing, particularly as the city gets younger, with younger folks having more energy (and) get-up-and-go."
Popular demand, high renewal rates and rising season ticket sales over the past few years have led to the extension of most shows from one or two nights only to "a minimum of three performances each," according to The Roberts Group, which books the popular Broadway in Columbia series. The longer-running shows include the Tony and Pulitzer-winning pop culture phenomenon “Hamilton,” which will run for nearly two weeks in February and March 2024.
“Recent tech upgrades at the Koger Center have enabled us to present outstanding livestream concerts, which significantly enhance our ability to make live symphonic performances accessible for everyone," Rhonda Hunsinger, executive director of the South Carolina Philharmonic, said. “We consider the Koger Center to be our home and are excited to see recent changes to the building.”
But Koger is a home to many, not just the Philharmonic, with groups like the Columbia City Ballet also becoming an early partner in Koger's history. The ballet's executive director, William Starrett, praised the work that the center's director has done over the course of the pandemic.
“Working with Nate Terracio has been particularly rewarding,” Starrett said. “(He) is so forward-thinking and approachable. Nate takes a genuine interest in our organization and its success at the Koger Center.”
Terracio has expressed a desire to diversify the Koger’s offerings beyond a rental venue for local and touring productions and into a central magnet for multiple disciplines, including visual art.
Putting new life into the visual arts at Koger
One striking aspect of the Koger has always been the presence of the James C. Moore, Jr. Collection of the Work of Philip Mullen, large and colorful abstract works by the USC professor emeritus.
The artist, Mullen, said Terracio and the center's staff have put new life into the visual arts at Koger, noting the availability of his work for viewing as well as the center's other exhibits and annual competitions.
Additionally, a former reception room has been dubbed the Upstairs Gallery and has hosted exhibitions of works by Stephen Chesley, Boyd Saunders and Laura Spong, with future shows planned for work by Jaime Misenheimer, Marius Valdes and Robert Ariail. Adjacent is an additional exhibition space, The Nook, which has featured works by Richland School District One art students, a display of memorabilia from the band KISS and an ongoing collaboration with The Jasper Project to showcase local artists monthly as part of the Vista’s Third Thursday initiative.
Proceeds from a small endowment, along with revenue generated by successful national acts, subsidize the facility, enabling programming that benefits the community as a whole. Local groups, meanwhile, get a break on the price. The director hopes to attract a diverse audience beyond the stereotypical arts patron crowd.
With the Live in the Lobby series, featuring jazz and blues artists in an intimate setting, Terracio said he hopes to create “a listening room experience rather than a bar experience” for smaller acts that might attract a hundred or more patrons but would be overwhelmed in the facility’s 2,200-plus-seat auditorium. A new outdoor stage will enable Plaza Sundays and free concerts, such as the recent folk-Americana-centric Southern Sounds Festival.
Predicting the center’s future importance, Ira Koger told The State in 1985 that, while a city’s first priority may be infrastructure, the absence of cultural activities might create a void or hollowness.
He posed a question: If there is “nothing left that adds spice and joy” to a city, why live there? “It’s a dull city.”
