South Carolina Children's Theatre announces 2nd Annual Characters in Concert

There’s a certain type of magic in seeing your favorite characters come to life — not on a TV screen — but right before your eyes. South Carolina Children’s Theatre has created this magic for children for over 25 years with its Character Breakfast event.

SCCT Executive Director Debbie Bell recognizes how special it is for young children whose eyes light up when their favorite character’s themed music plays and they emerge on stage. “It is truly delightful. I tear up every year at the event,” Bell says.

The Character Breakfast began in 1995 as a Winnie the Pooh Breakfast and evolved to showcase over 35 characters, each in full costume and makeup. After breakfast was served, characters would promenade in a narrated musical parade. Families would then visit stations to meet and take pictures with their favorite characters. Over the years, the sold-out event has been held at Thornblade, Greenville Country Club, and the Poinsett Club.

In March 2020, the 25th Annual Character Breakfast happened days before pandemic lockdowns began. “Oh my goodness, we just squeaked by,” Bell says. Days later, SCCT’s lights dimmed and its doors closed for an entire year.

In 2021, the Character Breakfast gave way to the food-free Characters in Concert at the new SCCT facility, 153 Augusta Street. “When we were able to safely open our doors, we had to adapt to continue the event,” Bell says.

Instead of just meeting and hugging the characters, now children can see them do what they do best. Each fully-costumed character gets a featured special moment where they sing or dance, inviting children into the world of their story. Continued from the rich tradition of the Character Breakfast, children are invited to wear costumes to the performance.

“We did what we had to do to continue the event and we were surprised to find that we loved the new format! By eliminating the food, we were able to focus on what SCCT does best – the performance,” Bell says.