Ten Good Reasons to Visit Pioneer Playhouse Right NOW

By Candace Chaney
Copyright© 2006 Nougat magazine, Lexington

1. Summer ain't over. Just because you can't push your cart in Meijer with knocking over a back-to-school display of crayon boxes does not mean that fall has arrived. August is still summer, people, and Pioneer Playhouse provides theater under the stars through August 19th! Come on, there are open-toe stilettos to wear, tans to show off, mosquitoes to kill! Showtimes are 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with dinner being served at 7:30 p.m.

2. Yes, I said dinner. Like all good Southerners, these people don't invite you over without shoving a cured ham down your throat. During my last excursion to see Shakespeare in Hollywood (hilarious by the way, perfectly acted, well designed, snappily directed, superb!), we were offered our choice of honest-to-god-non-franchised Kentucky fried chicken or pork barbecue, plus green beans, salad and this corn pudding so good, I wanted to bury my whole face in the buffet dish and Scooby-Doo lick it. Fortunately, I managed to restrict any dish-licking to my own.

3. It's cool to be a part of Kentucky history. Pioneer Playhouse, founded in 1950, is the state's oldest outdoor theater and in 1962 was named, by an act of legislation, Kentucky's first official "state theatre." It's also where actors like John Travolta, Jim Varney, and Lee Majors cut their thespian teeth. Evidently, a young Travolta even laid some of the bricks, along with prisoners hired out from the local jail! Every building, brick, antique and rafter has an amazing, and often unorthodox history. For instance, two century-old, hand-hewn rafter beams were acquired in exchange for a fifth of whiskey. Now if that ain't Kentucky, I don't know what is.

4. The Hensons. This founding family is the root, branches, body and blood of Pioneer Playhouse. The late Colonel Eben Henson, a Danville legend, founded the theater some fifty-seven years ago at its first location--a mental hospital--before finding inspiration from a "hole in the ground" at its present location, where he built the theater with a combination of hard labor, determination, shrewd bargaining, volunteers, and lots of recycled bits of historic Danville. His wife, Playhouse producer, Charlotte Henson, still sings and plays guitar during the Playhouse's dinner hour. Their son, successful filmmaker Robby Henson directs, while their daughter, Holly Henson, wears the hat of Artistic Director, leaving her comedienne life in Minneapolis every summer to run the Playhouse. This is a very special family, whose hard work and vision have sustained this outdoor theater gem for over half a century.

5. Hot actors. Face it, we all have fantasies of famous actors--say, Angelina Jolie or Johny Depp. Or both at the same time. Even my mother will admit this. But I ask you, why not lust locally? Trust me, it's quite enjoyable. For instance, the guy who (so perfectly) played Oberon in Shakespeare in Hollywood was so beautiful, so eloquent, so...covered in glitter...that it was all I could do to restrain myself from begging him to follow me around indefinitely murmuring perfectly-enunciated iambic pentameter into my glitter-stained ear. And that is just one example. Call me a letch, call me a writer, but at least I'm having fun. Maybe you should try it.

6. You just may snort your pink-lemonade out your nose. Seriously, these shows are hysterical. Unless you are a sinister wretch who cheered when Old Yeller died, it will be impossible not to laugh...the material is very accessible to a wide audience. You could bring your granny or your ten year old niece or your five best gay boy friends and they would all be sporting goofy grins at curtain.

7. They work much harder than you for much less money. The least you can do is laugh at their jokes! In other words, they work their asses off. while this is true of any theater production, folks who work summer stock are the anti-divas of the theater circuit. Everything from building sets to performing several roles in several shows to handing out programs to gratefully shaking your hand as you leave--they truly do it all. Some might call this a moderate form of masochism. Others know it as the maniacal dedication. Either way, ain't none of 'em gettin' rich. Come on. They just want to see your smiling face.

8. Continuing their 37 year tradition in fundraising innovation, the Playhouse has launched its "eBay for Plays" program. Just bring your old dumpy stuff and they will sell it on eBay, with all profits directly supporting the theater.

9. They have a pod cast. How cool is that? It may be the oldest theater in Kentucky but it's still a pioneer! Just go to pioneerplayhouse.com and catch a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the cast at work and er...play.

10. Last but certainly not least, because I told you to. Would I, dear reader, ever lead you astray?

840 Stanford Rd. Danville, KY | 40422 859-236-2747 pioneer@mis.net