South City Theatre, Pelham earned multiple awards at the prestigious 2020 Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Community Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, Feb. 29 including Best in Show for “The Gulf” by Alabama playwright Audrey Cefaly. Additional awards included Outstanding Director (Lisa Ponder), Outstanding Acting (Autumn LaShay Brown and Rachael Pike) and Outstanding Scene Design (Mike Gerrells). The other Best in Show award went to another Alabama theatre, Spark Theatre Company in Dothan. SCT Artistic Director Sue Ellen Gerrells noted that this was an historic win for Alabama with both top awards going to the same state.
According to the SETC.org, “SETC is the strongest and broadest network of theatre practitioners in the United States…providing extensive resources and year-round opportunities for our constituents. Our services, publications, and products contribute significantly to the careers of emerging artists, seasoned professionals and academicians. SETC energizes the practical, intellectual and creative profile of theatre in America.”
SETC sponsors a community theatre festival during their annual convention. The Southeast region’s top community theaters gather for multiple days of performances, critiques and social events during the annual SETC Convention. Every other year, two SETC winners advance to compete at the American Association of Community Theatre’s national festival (the next AACTFest year is 2021). This year nine productions competed from Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
