Sold Out Since 2017

A former yogurt shop. The actors write the shows. Sometimes you can even hear horses walk by…

Every performance has sold since 2017!

But somehow really great theater happens here.

Our current show ADDICTED TO LOVE has been sold out for 5 weeks straight!

For fear of stating the obvious — all the reasons it shouldn’t work are ALL the reasons why it does.

Sure you could see a show in a traditional theater space (there’s even some pretty historic venues in town!). But nowhere in Charleston, or anywhere in the world for that matter, can you see original stories written by the actors and performed in an old yogurt shop.

And it only adds to the charm if you can hear horses clopping by!

It’s intimate. It’s cozy. It feels like a cabaret but it’s so much more…

Picture a wall of frozen yogurt machines where the stage is located. Our bar occupies the area where you could get your toppings. Even the benches along the wall are facing the same direction. Owners Jeff and Steve walked into the yogurt shop and immediately thought, “it’s a natural theater!”

Our audience loves being incredibly close to the show. A big reason for this is we never ask anyone to get on stage or sing or participate in any way. You simply get to sit inches away from the actors and enjoy the show.

By the way, the furthest seat in the house is only 16 feet from the stage. That’s the 2nd or 3rd row in most theaters :)

After everyone gets their wine and nibbles before the performance, the lights dim, the soundscape begins, and you’re instantly immersed in the world of the story. The action may happen around you (but not to you!). Think of it as a non-immersive, immersive experience.

With the switch of a hat or woman’s jumper, the actors become completely different characters. The energy is high, the senses are on overload. You may even recognize owners Jeff and Steve in the play because they also escorted you to your seat and made you a drink at the bar before the show!

The overall theater experience is of delight, wonder, and all the feels… and you’ve completely forgotten that at one point in time this place served sprinkles.

“One of my most memorable and enjoyable theater experiences ever.” - Tony and Olivier award-winning producer, Greg Noble.

For tickets…

Open Auditions

Auditions at 34 West are like opening Pandora's Box. You never know what to expect.

Therefore, it’s super-rare when we host an open call. Once every eight years, in fact.

We’re not elitist or anything. When we find actors who can pull off our type of high-energy comedies, who can sing, who add gravitas to the role AND who are good people who care about others — we tend to work with them again and again.

Seems like a lot to ask, doesn’t it?

The truth of the mater is, the stakes are very high. The intimacy of the venue requires authentic performers. There’s no hiding. You’re literally inches from the audience. And you can hear EVERYTHING that happens in the theater.

Open auditions April 9. Email casting@34west.org

You can tell if the audience is enjoying the show just by the way they breathe! And the same is true for them. They see everything you’re thinking and feeling.

Performing at 34 West is electrifying. The adrenaline of a packed, intimate house — laughing, cheering, chortling — it’s everything you can do to stay in the moment and in character. It requires focus and discipline.

Most of all, it requires you to put the story first.

Not all actors understand this. Many actors, if not most, put themselves first. They crave the applause, accolades, they need feedback afterward. The irony is that when we put the story first, our performance is better.

Our audience expects to be taken on a journey. Inspired. We write characters who overcome insurmountable odds. The audience is right there, five feet away, waiting for a triumphant ending.

Because in the end, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE AUDIENCE.

Our cast has to care about the audience every night. Actually, many of our actors are also educators — teachers, tutors, mentors, etc. We like to hire people who have a natural inclination to care for others. That’s part of our secret formula. It’s what makes a great performance, memorable.

Because the audience can tell…

They know when someone is a diva. They know when the actor has “checked out.” They know when you’re just playing for laughs and when you’re honestly in the moment.

If the idea of performing in this environment excites you, then come on in. You’re in good company.

We’re all in it together. The actors, the audiences. There is not a more supportive, generous environment in all of Charleston. Everyone knows the shows are written by our actors and designers. This sort of creativity births kindness and thankfulness from our audience and community.

It’s a wonderful, magical box to play in each and every night. We hope you’ll consider lifting the lid and exploring more. Auditions are April 9. Email casting@34west.org for an appointment.

Open sesame!

We’re waiting for you… April 9, casting@34west.org

March Madness

Creators Jeff and Steve have had a full month, to say the least.

Our latest live show sold out the first four weeks, our short film hit the festival circuit, and our pilot episode is ready to pitch!

Actors-writers-directors Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne — but why are their glasses empty??

March started with a bang (more like an explosion!) as their latest live comedy ADDICTED TO LOVE opened to riotous applause and reviews. “34 West is so on fire with Addicted” says Susan Van Bavel.

Querin and Wayne star in the fast-paced comedy along with veteran actor Becca Anderson, who recently took on a larger role at 34 West as Head of Casting and Social. Rounding out the cast is Rebecca René Kelley, who was last featured in the popular summer sellout STAYIN’ ALIVE.

“We’ve certainly found our lane,” states Querin, who co-wrote the production with Wayne. “Audiences are desperate for feel-good, underdog stories these days. This current ‘episode’ of our Arden High series is a delight.”

In the middle of tech rehearsals and opening night, our Creative Team was also submitting to dozens of short film festivals around the globe.

Based off our 2017 sellout production, LOVE POTION chronicles a zombie outbreak in a quaint 1950’s diner. Think Pleasantville meets Shaun of the Dead!

The short is already gaining the attention of a few industry execs, and more importantly, we’re accomplishing our goal of developing a “Films + TV” arm of 34 West.

Creative Team members Kristine Kuhlman, Ian Maddox, Becca Anderson, Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne

Our Creative Team is hard at work writing the pilot episode of LOVE POTION which will be pitched as a 10 episode series based off the 15-minute short film.

“There’s so much fun and backstory to these rich characters that we weren’t able to get into before,” says Querin. “It’s been a blast fleshing out these quirky, subversive personalities.”

34 West’s goal is to develop our live shows (and their follow-up “episodes”) into several different series for the screen.

Why?

Because the characters in each story are lovable outcasts. Unlikely heroes. They beat the odds. They find hope. They makes audiences feel-good and your mouth will hurt from smiling so long!

If you haven’t seen a live show, make you’re decisions soon. We tend to sellout sooner than later. Tickets are here.

If you want to follow our progress through the film festivals this year, you can follow us here on Twitter.

March was a crazy month. Can you imagine what April will be like???

Moments after an intense weekend of writing the latest show.

Creative Team

We’ve written over 50 plays and musicals. Every performance has sold out since 2017.

All because of this motley crew!

Actor-director-producers Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne with Becca Anderson

It takes a village. A very small, unpopulated village.

Jeff and Steve may have started the company 22 years ago with a goal of producing innovatively triumphant stories, but it wasn’t until about 2015 when the tipping point occurred.

That’s when we met Becca Anderson.

Funny, dramatic, powerhouse vocals,… and most of all — a beautiful soul.

The more shows we produced with Becca the more we realized just how valuable she was to the creative process. Her logistical approach to story and artistic perspective have shaped almost everything we make.

Creative Team members Jeff Querin, Stephen Wayne and Becca Anderson getting nothing accomplished

We then began brainstorming “what’s next” for 34 West.

Every play was artistically and commercially a success. Broadway producers and friends were telling us to expand or franchise or license our shows. Sometimes too many options can be paralyzing.

So what did we do when the world shut down in 2020??

What. Is. Happening in this pic?!

We added 34 West Films!

Our quarantine bubble played around with some short films. We eventually settled on a 15-minute version of our comedy, LOVE POTION set in a post-apocalyptic 1950’s diner.

Yes, you read that right :)

The film has won “Gold” at the Independent Shorts Awards and we’re pitching a pilot episode based off the same concept!

Today our Creative Team includes Jeff, Steve, Becca and West Hollywood residents Kristine Kuhlman (NBC/Universal and Live Nation) and screenwriter Ian Maddox (The Night Agent, Lovecraft Country, District 13).

We don’t have any pics of Kris and Ian yet, so we’ll just post another pic of this happy trio…

Our greatest asset? We’ve got nothing to lose.

Now there’s more ways to enjoy 34 West… theater AND films!

We hope you’ll take in a live show the next time you’re downtown. Our current production (below) is epically 80’s and totally rad.

You can also visit our Films page and watch our award-winning short LOVE POTION!

See actors Stephen Wayne, Becca Anderson and Jeff Querin LIVE, now through May 28!

Becoming a Series

Our most popular shows have sequels and more sequels. It’s like watching a new episode of your favorite TV show!

Jeff Querin, Stephen Wayne, Becca Anderson and Sarah Black in ADDICTED TO LOVE, 2016

We wrote a show six years ago that was our version of an 80’s teen comedy about the adults. A homage to John Hughes movies, if you will, but where the parents and teachers take center stage.

The setting was the faculty lounge of Arden High. The science teacher has a secret crush, the A/V teacher’s in love with the substitute. Then one day, they’re all forced to attend prom and chaos ensues.

Actor/writer Jeff Querin with an eyepatch. Because every 80’s movie has a guy with an eyepatch.

ADDICTED TO LOVE sold out the entire 4-month run. The response was unprecedented.

We then developed HOLIDAY ROAD around these same characters and their annual Christmas party. This time our protagonist (the school secretary) decides to introduce her “gentleman-friend” to her mother which quickly turns into a dumpster fire.

The audience didn’t need to see the first episode (a year prior) to enjoy the story they were watching that evening.

The characters were so strong, with a thorough backstory, the audience was immediately drawn in to their lives and problems.

Actor/Writers Becca Anderson and Stephen Wayne in the follow-up HOLIDAY ROAD, 2017.

So you can guess what happened next? We wrote a third episode!

Two years later, we wrote a summer show based off these beloved characters which concluded with an epic wedding ceremony. (No spoilers since we’re bringing the show back in 2024!)

And once again, the audience didn’t need to know what happened in the previous two episodes to enjoy the show they were watching.

Actor/writer Jeff Querin as the lovable-neurotic A/V teacher in SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, 2019.

We’ve learned two valuable lessons with the “Arden High” shows:

1) All of our plays are like a TV series. You just want to see the next episode!

2) You don’t need to see the first one to enjoy them all!

Each episode follows the Hero’s Journey, which means the stories are complete and stand alone. The characters are fully fleshed-out personalities with a rich backstory.

Actor/Writers Stephen Wayne and Becca Anderson in another popular series, CAN’T BUY ME LOVE, 2019.

And the secret ingredient to the success of all this is the ingenuity of how we tell the stories.

Big budgets be damned!

We don’t need fancy pyrotechnics or hydraulic lifts to transport you to another world.

A martini glass and a spot light creates a New York night club circa 1987.

A picture frame and Gumby doll can create the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade circa 1965.

Actor/writer Stephen Wayne watches the holiday parade in IT’S CHRISTMAS, BABE!, 2020.

The possibilities are endless as long as ingenuity and imagination helm the ship.

This spring, we invite you to see the show that started it all. ADDICTED TO LOVE plays through May 28 and is an absolute delight.

You and your friends will love the humor and music. The pre-show festivities are a delight too. Grab a snack, maybe a bottle of wine, and settle in for a night of entertainment unlike any other!

This couple even got engaged on stage following the performance!