Julian Wiles
Julian Wiles is a man of many talents. As the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Charleston Stage, Wiles has proven himself to be a skilled playwright, director, and entrepreneur.
This is not a direction that Wiles chose intentionally. Growing up on a small cotton farm in Fort Motte, South Carolina, Wiles didn’t experience much of the performing arts as a child. His main theatre experiences consisted of church pageants, which later led to a summer job at Camp St. Christopher during college. He started creating brief skits for the campers’ recreation time. It was here that he realized he enjoyed working with young people in a creative and educational manner. “It was my own little laboratory to see what worked,” Wiles says laughingly. “Children give great feedback. You quickly know when something’s working, and when it has fallen flat.”
Wiles got a history degree from the College of Charleston, a design and dramatic art degree from the University of North Carolina, and an MFA in Dramatic Art from Chapel Hill. Afterwards, he came back to Charleston and worked for the Footlight Players, and also participated in the inaugural year of the Spoleto Festival in 1977.
After a few years, Wiles realized Charleston lacked a performing arts organization specifically for youngsters. He filled that niche by creating Charleston Stage. The goal of his new endeavor was “to serve young people, to have kids enjoy their imaginative and creative sides and learn to use that in whatever they do.”
As Charleston Stage developed, Wiles experienced difficulty finding scripts he deemed appropriate for young people, and decided to write his own. In addition to that, he also began to adapt works by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and the like. From there, 
Wiles began investigating old Charleston histories and adapting them into modern plays, such as this spring’s Inga Binga.
Wiles is dedicated to giving young people the exposure to the performing arts that he lacked as a child. Every year, more than 15,000 kids are involved with Charleston Stage in some aspect: acting classes, internships, or attending special performances through their school.
Since its inception, Charleston Stage has grown tremendously. The educational component is still very important to Wiles, but the company has grown to be one of Charleston’s premier theatre companies, reaching audiences of all ages.
words: Callie Smith
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