Kershaw County's Got Talent Finale at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County

CAMDEN, SC – September 5, 2012 – Who made it through? Who will win? The decision will be made Saturday, September 15 during the finale of Kershaw County’s Got Talent. Hosted by KOOL 102.7/STARTIME 1590’s Tyler Cupp, the finale will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Wood Auditorium of the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County (FAC.) Contestants who have auditioned will perform for three industry professionals. Tickets to Kershaw County’s Got Talent finale are $10 for adults and $8 for students, seniors and military. Kershaw County’s Got Talent is sponsored by McDonald’s of Camden/Sensor Enterprises.

Photo at right: Kelsey Grihim auditioning at Lugoff-Elgin High School. 

During the audition process, three preliminary judges, rated each contestant on their overall talent, stage presence and entertainment value. There were two categories this year, Youth for ages 6 to 15, and Adult for ages 16 and up. The preliminary judges chose the best of the best, and those contestants will be performing at the finale.

The preliminary Kershaw County’s Got Talent audition judges were Mary Ann Hurst, a well-known jazz artist seen regularly at the Jazz at the Center Music Festival and restaurants and clubs throughout the southeast. She has recorded four CD’s: Cool Standards, Chinese Folk Songs in a Jazz Mode, Wishing on a Star and Jazzz…d.; Dan Riddick of Naked Eye Productions, musician and event production professional who is the artistic and technical director for both the Carolina Downhome Blues Festival and the Jazz at the Center Music Festival among other well-known local events; and Hope Deese, a singer/actress who has recently moved to the Camden area. Hope was the Director of York County Idol in 2010 and 2011 and is a recent graduate of Winthrop University.

The three finale judges are Charlie Peterson, Bill Roberson and Joy Claussen Scully. Charlie Peterson is the owner of Harvest Talent, Inc. in Columbia. Harvest Talent is the only actor’s agency in South Carolina, representing actors for television, film, documentary and commercial projects. Charlie has been the owner/agent of Harvest Talent for over 20 years, and has been an actor in the Southeast for more than 30 years He has performed in hundreds of plays during his career both in Columbia (Trustus, Workshop Theatre and at USC,) as well as in Abbeville at the Abbeville Opera House. He has also appeared in several films throughout his long career.

Bill Roberson has been a professional actor for 35 years. An original member of the groundbreaking Columbus Ensemble Theatre, Bill was director of The China Project which brought leading Chinese theatre artists to the US in the 1980’s. Bill began acting for films in 1993 opposite Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. Since then, he has worked with such actors as Mel Gibson, Robin Williams, Sidney Poitier, George Clooney and many, many others. In the southeast many people remember Bill as the tie-dyed, big guy cavorting with wild animals in the Riverbanks Zoo commercials.

Joy Claussen Scully, a Camden resident, came out of Carnegie Mellon and the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Early on, she played the lead role of Hedy LaRue on Broadway in the Pulitzer Prize winning musical,  How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee. Claussen was also featured as Aphrodite in the Broadway musical, Happiest Girl in the World with Cyril Ritchard and Janice Rule. She also starred in seven Off-Broadway musicals but is perhaps best known as the spokesperson for AIM toothpaste on TV for over 10 years. Joy has acted in guest spots on many network TV comedies, and performed in stage musicals all over the country, principally as Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street. In May 2007, she played the cat Purscilla in Paddy Bell’s DOGS, The Musical at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston.

The winners of Kershaw County’s Got Talent will receive a prize package including cash prizes, season ticket packets from the FAC and an opportunity to perform at a later date.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.fineartscenter.org, by calling 803-425-7676 or stopping by the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County’s business office located at 810 Lyttleton Street, Camden, SC. Hours: Monday-Wednesday & Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Fine Arts Center is funded in part by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding provided by the City of Camden, Kershaw County, and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina along with donations from businesses and individuals.