Our Founder, Sandy Staggs

The Spartanburg Herald-Journal posted the following article after the passing of Proud Mary’s founder Sandy Staggs in 2023. We share it with you here so you can gain a better understanding of Sandy’s passion and dedication to the arts in our community.

Sandy Staggs Leaves a Lasting Impact on the LGBTQ and Spartanburg Arts

by Joanna Johnson

August 8, 2023

Sandy Staggs had a deep passion for the arts since he was a child. He grew that passion to be a pillar in the Upstate, creating a space for other arts enthusiasts in the LGBTQ+ community.

The Spartanburg native established South Carolina’s first LGBTQ+ theater company, Proud Mary Theatre, promoting diversity and acceptance for the community through the arts. The company has won several awards from the South Carolina Theater Association and the Southeastern Theater Conference.

After Staggs died from a heart attack on Feb. 27, at the age of 55, family reflected on his contributions to the arts community and his own challenges when he first told people about his queer identity.

“He struggled coming out and was so proud of himself, and wanted to bring something, especially for the LGBTQ community,” said Sandy’s sister, Susan Staggs. “Everything about it serves the passion he’s had all his life. He poured financially, physically and spiritually into Proud Mary Theatre Company. That theater company came before anything.”

Proud Mary Theatre will continue with new performances and opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals to showcase their talents on stage. The company remains committed to its mission and will keep its doors open for future productions.

LGBTQ+ theater allows expression through the arts

The Proud Mary Theatre Company, founded in 2017, is a nonprofit theater group that serves as an advocate of the LGBTQIA+ community through theater and arts. Proud Mary produced a variety of performances over the years including dramas, comedies, musicals and local, original works.

“It’s given people a place to express themselves and do it comfortably,” Staggs said. “It gives them a way to express themselves that would be difficult to find somewhere else to do that here. He (Sandy) was giving people a way to express themselves and to let them know that they mattered. Everyone is accepted there, even if you have disabilities, it’s all-inclusive.”

Carolina Curtain Call, an online magazine, was another of Stagg’s projects that highlighted his passion for theater. Carolina Curtain Call focused on theatre and performing arts across the area as well as Western North Carolina. The coverage included theatre reviews and information about auditions and casting announcements.

Sandy Staggs built the Spartanburg LGBTQ+ theater from scratch

Staggs was dedicated to the theater all across the Upstate, and gave everyone an opportunity to have a voice, said Steven Wong, a good friend and former freelance writer for Carolina Curtain Call.

“Sandy just did not give up and he had a lot of things that were not in his favor to start a theater from scratch, especially one that was so specialized in the LGTBQ community,” Wong said. “A lot of people didn’t think that it would make it, but obviously it was. Sandy was so dedicated to all theater. He was a dear friend to so many people and certainly to the theater, Spartanburg and the causes that were important to him.”

Staggs earned his bachelor’s degree in Cinema at San Francisco State University and did graduate work in Communication at San Jose State University.

He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Spartanburg, an open-minded religion that encourages seekers of faith to explore and discover their own spiritual path.

The Rev. Anne Garner, assistant minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church, said Staggs was a hard worker who inspired many people in the community.

Proud Mary Theatre continues to prosper

Susan Gault, a board member of Proud Mary Theatre, said the company has no plans to retire and will continue to honor Stagg’s wishes.

“We definitely plan to carry out the season the way Sandy would have wanted us to,” Gault said. “We’re considering which shows to plan for the new season, and we have no plans of stopping.”

Victoria Versage has been practicing the art of drag for 30 years and said Staggs encouraged her to engage in the theater.

“Last year Sandy had seen me at a brunch I was hosting, and I sang a song from ‘Rocky Horror,'” Versage said. “Whenever they were casting for ‘Head over Heels’, he contacted me to ask if I wanted to audition for it, which I did. It was my first forte in what I call legitimate theater. I’ve been waiting on this audition (“Kinky Boots”) for quite a while. Sandy was 95% of the work that went into Proud Mary and it’s interesting to see how things will progress now that he’s gone.”

Dexter Simmons is an active member of Proud Mary Theatre who has auditioned for four productions and participated in three. Simmons said Staggs included him in anything he was interested in doing. He’s excited to see what the future holds for the theater company, he said.

“When I first walked in the door, I was blown away,” Simmons said. “It was the first LGBTQ-positive theater, and it was good to see that side of things. Whenever I would talk to Sandy about what I wanted to do, if I wanted to dance, help on set or do costumes, he would always include me.”

Simmons expressed excitement about the theater’s continuation of future performances, presenting Spartanburg with more opportunities to witness Proud Mary’s contributions to LGBTQ+ theater.

“I am really excited to be able to come back after so long,” Simmons said. “I’m really excited for the future because I am definitely someone who wants to be a part of the theater and show Spartanburg what other lives are about.”