New theater company stages rousing gospel musical ‘Crowns’ in Simpsonville

A rousing gospel musical will mark the first collaboration between the Simpsonville Arts Center and a new theater company focusing on the Black experience.

The new company, No Dreams Deferred, will stage “Crowns,” a Gospel musical play in which church hats become a springboard for a group of women to explore Black history and identity. The show weaves together faith, fashion and family.

“Crowns” opens Oct. 6 with six performances through Oct. 15 at the Simpsonville Arts Center.

The show centers on a Brooklyn, New York, teenager who is sent south to live with her grandmother in Darlington. She develops a strong connection with a community of resilient Black women, each of whom has a poignant story to tell.

“It’s an inspirational and joyful play,” said Clark Nesbitt, founder of No Dreams Deferred. “You’ll want to clap and sing along, but there are also moments where you’ll want to shed a tear.”

“Crowns,” written by playwright Regina Taylor, features a cast of six women and one man. The music for this production was recorded by Upstate musicians William Burgess and Michael Young.

“This show touches me because I’m telling the stories of Black people and I don’t often get to do that in theater,” Nesbitt said. “I think there’s space in theater for all cultures and ethnicities to tell their stories. That leads to greater understanding and appreciation.”

Nesbitt has been a familiar figure on Greenville stages for almost 50 years, having first acted at the former Greenville Little Theatre in 1976, followed by many other roles at The Warehouse Theatre and especially Centre Stage. He was born and raised in Greer and worked in human services before his retirement.

Nesbitt has wanted to create a theater company that would feature Black playwrights and actors since he worked with young Black actors at the Phillis Wheatley Center in the 1980s.

He is planning two other stage works at the Simpsonville Arts Center, including Lorraine Hansberry’s classic “A Raisin in the Sun” (Jan. 26-Feb. 4) and a work based on James Weldon Johnson’s 1927 book of poetry, “God’s Trombones” (June 14-23).

Nesbitt hopes the theater company will attract new actors to Upstate stages.

“I encourage people to reach for their dreams,” Nesbitt said. “No Dreams Deferred can be a starting point for many Black actors in our community. It can help bring about positive change.”

What: “Crowns: A Gospel musical play”

When: Oct. 6-8 and 13-15

Where: Simpsonville Arts Center, 110 Academy St., Simpsonville