Charleston a focus of 40th season of Spoleto Festival USA

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Historic Charleston is a large focus of next spring's 40th edition of the Spoleto Festival USA, from glimpses of the city in the iconic opera "Porgy and Bess" to the tragedy of the Emanuel AME Church shootings.

The production incudes songs, texts, spoken words and video projections raising questions about the role of grace in a democracy.

Nigel Redden, the festival's general director, said in a statement that Spoleto has long called Charleston home and "wanted to provide an outlet for these reactions to demonstrate how art can help people heal as well as provide an important voice in times when it can be difficult to find words."

Among other shows on the Spoleto schedule are a production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Ernest" staged by Dublin's Gate Theatre and the American premiere of "The Little Match Girl" by German composer Helmut Lachenmann.