981 King Street
Charleston, SC 29401

Sharon and Mason Willis opened Theatrics Unlimited, a full-line theatrical supply company, in 1978. Since that time, the business has custom built, sold and rented costumes to theatres all over the country. Ms. Willis, the president of the corporation, has a diverse and distinguished background that includes degrees in English, Political Science, Linguistics and Theater. She has also worked as a makeup artist and costume designer/stylist on film, television and stage productions. Theatrics Unlimited provides services to a vastly disparate range of clientele. It has the capacity to costume a 150-member stage production, but it is also able to accommodate smaller productions with tighter budgets. The company also works with local businesses and individuals to create a single costume for a specific event. In the past, Theatrics Unlimited has created period wedding dresses, and the business was recently charged with creating a giant Christmas lightbulb costume to be worn at this year’s James Island Christmas festivities.

Ms. Willis has worked closely with the City of Charleston since the business’s inception; Theatrics Unlimited was the first revitalization business to be created after the formation of the Mayor’s Revitalization Department. Ms. Willis has worked closely with the departments of revitalization and minority business development. The LDC was able to provide assistance with a Facade loan in 1991. This loan enabled Ms. Willis to purchase and renovate the building in which Theatrics Unlimited has been housed for the last ten years. This move to the new building constituted more than a physical relocation; it was part of a broader vision. Ms. Willis hopes to see the area in which her business is located become a smaller version of New York’s SoHo district. She is proud of the fact that in the ten years since her business changed locations, several additional arts-related businesses have moved to the area as well. Ms. Willis projects that someday Theatrics Unlimited might expand into the theatre production arena; until then, it will continue supporting and assisting the arts community, both locally and nationally

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