The USC Dept. of Theatre and Dance will present the dark comedy THE GROWN-UPS, a play produced in collaboration with student group Ghost Light Productions, October 23-26 at Benson Theatre.
Show times are 7:30pm, October 23-25 and 3pm, October 26. Tickets are $10 and are available online at sc.universitytickets.com or at the door. Benson Theatre is located on the 2nd floor of the Benson School building at 226 Bull St. (between Bull and Pickens Streets). THE GROWN-UPS contains language and situations that are not appropriate for children.
Set in a summer camp called Indigo Woods, this acclaimed play by Simon Henriques and Skylar Fox invites the audience to pull up a seat around the fire with a cast of camp counselors who meet nightly to strategize about the next day’s activities without the kids finding out about…well, you’ve seen the news. As an increasingly volatile outside threat gets closer to their safe haven, the counselors struggle with how to preserve the fun while keeping their campers – and themselves – alive. THE GROWN-UPS explores how to mold the leaders of tomorrow in a dangerous world you’re hopelessly, tragically not prepared for. “An apocalyptic play... part satire, part scary story.” – The New York Times
“The story is told over a series of conversations where counselors wrestle with growing up, relationships, and responsibility,” says director Hannah Magner, a junior majoring in English and Public Relations. “And it all transpires while a civil war erupts outside over a viral image of a pineapple that may or may not look like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.”
“What I love about the show is how even-handed it is,” Magner says. “It’s hilarious and lighthearted, but also deeply human. The play shows that no one really has adulthood figured out—everyone feels lost and confused sometimes, and that’s okay.”
Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the play was initially staged in 2021 in an outdoor staging that sat limited audiences around a real campfire with the actors. While the pandemic threat has lessened in the four years since, Magner says the play still has a lot to say about today’s tense social climate.
“This play definitely resonates with the political polarization we’re seeing today,” she says. “In a time when everything feels so heavy and isolating, it reminds us to lean on each other, to laugh, and to look at what we’re really fighting about.”
Student group Ghost Light Productions is producing the play with support from the university’s theatre program. The all-undergraduate group produces several plays each year and is open to all students regardless of their prior experience. “Ghost Light is focused on making theatre accessible for students so they can develop as artists,” Magner says.
Cast in the production are Cameron Kendrick, Zach Krebs, Billy McNeill, Morgan Passley, and Zoey Pippin, with Libbie Brownlow, Aubrey Ford, and Logan Keller taking on understudy roles. The production team includes Meagan Aubuchon (Apprentice Director), Mel Driggers (Costume Designer), Lilly Thompson (Stage Manager), and Sara Brown (Asst. Stage Manager).
“The chemistry of this cast is just incredible, and it pulls you right into their world,” Magner says. “I hope audiences feel in touch with these characters and their situations, and that they leave feeling seen.”
For more information about THE GROWN-UPS or the theatre program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at
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“The Grown-Ups” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
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