History
Founded in 1950 by Col. Eben C. Henson, Pioneer Playhouse is the oldest
outdoor theatre in Kentucky and has been called the "Granddaddy"
of Kentucky Outdoor Dramas. The Playhouse was also instrumental in pioneering
the outdoor theatre movement in the state.
In the fifties and sixties it received national attention as the "King
of Summer Stocks" in New York trade magazines and in 1962 was the
first theatre in the nation to be accorded the legal status of State Theatre
(by act of Legislation).
Col.
Henson built the theatre by acquiring many of the construction materials
in unorthodox ways. He once bartered a fifth of whiskey for hand-hewn
two hundred-year-old rafter beams and hired prisoners from the local county
jail to help him lay the first foundations.
 Those looking closely at the structural design will find it includes
everything, from World War Two army barracks to movie sets from the
Golden
Era of cinema!
For most of the fifty years that Col. Henson and his wife Charlotte have
dedicated to running the theatre, it has also been a School of Drama and
was the first Governor's School of the Arts in the state.
Each spring the Hensons travel to New York to audition actors. They also
select a handful of interns, who have the opportunity to work alongside
experienced professionals in a constructive, hands on environment. Many
Playhouse actors and interns have gone on to successful careers in the
entertainment industry.
More
than 3,000 aspiring actors have strode across the stage since Henson
turned
an empty field into a theatre complex. Today the unconventional, hand-built
theatre serves a pre-show dinner out of doors and a live performance
Tuesday
through Saturday, every summer, come rain or shine. (Indoors in case
of rain.)
Visitors can stroll through a quaint replica of early Danville on a self-guided
tour and enjoy a fine Off-Broadway or Broadway hit play in a rustic setting
... beneath a spangle of stars!
A documentary about Pioneer Playhouse aired on Kentucky Educational
Television and appeared nationwide on PBS stations in 2003, bringing
floods of emails from theater buffs and former actors.
For further reading ...
 Fifty
Years Under the Stars -- a 48-page coffee table booklet
about the history of Pioneer Playhouse, is available for purchase
in the gift shop. Pick one up when you come to a show, or order
one from the giftshop.
|
 True
Kentucky Legends – by Robert Powell features Col.
Eben C. Henson as the only living legend among 12 famous Kentuckians,
and is available in the giftshop.
|
 Award-winning
filmmaker Robby Henson shot a one hour documentary "Summerstock," following
the cast through an entire season from auditions in New York to
tearing down the final set, which was shown nationwide on PBS this
past summer.
Its lively and varied account of vanishing summer stock traditions
can be ordered from the Playhouse giftshop.
|
840 Stanford Rd.
Danville, KY |
40422 859-236-2747 pioneer@mis.net | 
