2007–2019
A history of the people, productions, and community that brought year-round theater to Berea.
Berea Arena Theater was more than a room where plays happened. It was a community-built theater: a place where local people performed, directed, designed scenery, built sets, ran lights and sound, sold tickets, welcomed audiences, and kept showing up for the next production.
For approximately twelve seasons, Berea Arena Theater gave Berea a regular year-round community stage. Its home was the former U.S. Forestry Service building at 1835 Big Hill Road. Its final production was Paul Power’s Noel and Reb, with the final performance on June 9, 2019.
The record of BAT survives in newspaper stories, archived theater webpages, radio interviews, photographs and captions, institutional collections, programs, and the memories of the people who made the theater work. This page is a living history and will continue to grow.
A Berea Theater Tradition
Berea Arena Theater did not appear out of nowhere. It grew from a long local tradition that moved between Berea College, the schools, and the wider community.
Berea College theater reaches back at least to a staged reading of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Red Parlor of Ladies Hall on November 28, 1892. Later generations built formal dramatic clubs, campus performance spaces, and the Summer Arena Theater. The college’s theater history also includes Wilderness Road, the large outdoor drama created for Berea College’s centennial in 1955 and later revived under Paul Power.
Power became an important mentor to Eddie Kennedy. His work in repertory theater, Summer Arena Theater, and Wilderness Road showed that Berea could support ambitious live performance while bringing together students, professionals, teachers, and community members. Kennedy later described Power as one of the most creative forces in his theater life.
Berea Community Theater was another important part of that story. Eddie Kennedy and Fred Kolloff had already worked together there by approximately 1973. After a long pause, Kennedy called Kolloff when he began considering a new theater. BAT was a new organization, but it carried forward relationships and habits formed through earlier Berea theater.
The Founding of Berea Arena Theater
In 2007, Berea Mayor Steve Connolly and members of the Berea City Council approached Eddie Kennedy about restoring year-round theater to the community. Kennedy agreed to develop the idea and organize the work.
Kennedy’s first call was to Fred Kolloff. Kennedy told WEKU that he was not willing to begin the physical work until he knew Kolloff was on board. Their partnership became one of the defining relationships in BAT’s history.
Then-Berea College President Larry D. Shinn supported the project and made the former U.S. Forestry Service building available for the theater. The building already housed nonprofit organizations, and Berea Arena Theater joined that community of organizations.
Eddie and Norma Kennedy organized the theater’s leadership and day-to-day operation. Kennedy served as managing producer and artistic director. Norma handled box-office and production work that audiences rarely saw but depended on for every performance.
Building a Theater Inside an Unusual Space
The building was not a conventional theater waiting for a company to move in. It had to be transformed. The work included removing a large concrete wall, jackhammering floors, pouring concrete, installing theatrical lighting, building portable risers, creating dressing rooms and work areas, and installing sound equipment.
The room’s arena layout created its own demands. The stage was wide rather than tall and did not offer the simple sightlines of a traditional proscenium theater. Kolloff and Kennedy had to invent scenery and set arrangements that worked from multiple sides and could be maintained during a performance.
In the WEKU interview, Kennedy and Kolloff remembered the practical problems with affection: doors that went out of alignment, quick entrances and exits that had to be rehearsed carefully, and repairs caused by the normal energy of live performance. They could laugh about those problems because they had solved them together for years.
That physical labor is part of BAT’s history. The theater was not simply programmed. It was built, rebuilt, repaired, painted, lit, dressed, struck, and prepared again by the people who worked there.
The Twelve-Season History
The following quick-glance chronology is based on archived Berea Arena Theater webpages, newspaper coverage, and confirmed production records. Dates are included where documented.
Season 1 — 2007–2008
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| The Odd Couple | Fall 2007 |
| Arsenic and Old Lace | May 2008 |
| Noel and Reb | June 5–7 and 12–14, 2008 |
| Night of January 16th | July 10–13 and 17–20, 2008 |
| You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown | August 25 – September 1, 2008 |
| The Belle of Amherst | September 19–21, 2008 SaraCare benefit |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 2007 |
| Mitch Barrett in Concert | June 19, 2008 |
Season 2 — 2008–2009
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| Nunsense | February 2009 |
| See How They Run | March 19–22 and 26–29, 2009 |
| The Curious Savage | July 9–12 and 16–19, 2009 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 2008 |
Season 3 — 2009–2010
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| Twelve Angry Jurors | June 17–20 and 24–27, 2009 |
| Pure as the Driven Snow | July 22–25, 29–30 and August 1, 2009 |
| A Thurber Carnival | November 18–22 and 27–29, 2009 |
| Nunsense II | February 4–7, 10–12 and 14, 2010 |
| The Sunshine Boys | March 18–21 and 25–28, 2010 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Pythonesque: Sketches of Monty Python | August 27–30, 2009 |
| Tom Hubbard: Master Magician | September 3, 2009 |
| Money Blues KY Women Playwrights | September 12, 2009 |
| The Gong Show! | September 24–27, 2009 |
| A Christmas Carol | December 16–20, 2009 |
| Hee Haw! | May 13–16, 2010 |
Season 4 — 2010–2011
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| We Got Talent | January 20–23 and 28–30, 2011 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 2010 |
Season 5 — 2011–2012
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| California Suite | October 13–15 and 21–23, 2011 |
| The Kitchen Witches | February 2–4 and 10–12, 2012 |
| Greater Tuna | February 29 and March 1–4, 2012 |
| Hee Haw all new show | May 10–12 and 18–20, 2012 |
| Rumors | June 14–16 and 22–24, 2012 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 7–11, 2011 |
| Holiday Musical Special | December 16, 2011 |
| A Kennedy Evening | April 27–29, 2012 |
| Nine Characters in Search of an Audience KY Women Playwrights | July 13–14, 2012 |
Season 6 — 2012–2013
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| The Odd Couple | October 4–6 and 12–14, 2012 |
| Rehearsal for Murder | February 7–9 and 15–17, 2013 |
| Berea’s Hee Haw | May 9–11 and 17–19, 2013 |
| Nunsensations! Vegas Revue | June 13–15 and 21–23, 2013 |
| The Prisoner of Second Avenue | July 11–13 and 19–21, 2013 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 6–9, 2012 |
| Beauty Parade | January 10–13, 2013 |
| We Got Talent! | March 7–10, 2013 |
Season 7 — 2013–2014
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| Last of the Red Hot Lovers | September 12–14 and 20–22, 2013 |
| The Crucible | February 6–8 and 14–16, 2014 |
| Berea’s Hee Haw | May 8–10 and 16–18, 2014 |
| Barefoot in the Park | September 2014 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| The Gong Show | November 7–10, 2013 |
| A Christmas Carol | December 5–8, 2013 |
| Back to Broadway! | March 6–9, 2014 |
Season 8 — 2014–2015
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| Steel Magnolias | September 11–13 and 19–21, 2014 |
| Agnes of God | February 5–7 and 13–15, 2015 |
| Berea’s Hee Haw | May 7–9 and 15–17, 2015 |
| Noel and Reb | June 11–14, 2015 |
| Sweet Simon Suite Night | July 9–11 and 17–19, 2015 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| We Got Talent! | October 23–26, 2014 |
| A Christmas Carol | December 4–7, 2014 |
| Holiday Musical Special | December 12, 2014 |
| C.A.R.E. Concert | January 9, 2015 |
| Broadway, Oh What a Night! | March 5–8, 2015 |
| Andy Blythe Concert | April 11, 2015 |
Season 9 — 2015–2016
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| We Got Talent! | September 17–20, 2015 |
| Natalie Needs a Nightie | October 22–25, 2015 |
| Cabaret Tonight! | March 3–6, 2016 |
| Berea’s Country Jamboree | May 12–15, 2016 |
| Harvey | June 9–12, 2016 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 3–6, 2015 |
| Holiday Musical Special | December 13, 2015 |
| C.A.R.E. Concert | January 15, 2016 |
| Kristi Miller Concert | March 18, 2016 |
| Andy Blythe Concert | April 23, 2016 |
Season 10 — 2016–2017
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| Showcase! | September 15–18, 2016 |
| Murder Takes the Stage | October 13–16, 2016 |
| Pop, Rock, Do-Wop! | March 2–5, 2017 |
| Berea’s Country Jamboree | May 11–14, 2017 |
| The Prisoner of Second Avenue | June 8–11, 2017 |
| A Kennedy Evening | Spring 2017 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | December 1–4, 2016 |
| Holiday Musical Special | December 2016 |
| C.A.R.E. Concert | January 6, 2017 |
| Kentucky Women Playwrights New Plays | April 2017 |
| Hasan Davis One Man Show | 2017 |
| Joe Duece Comedy Show | 2017 |
| Night at the Improv | 2017 |
Season 11 — 2017–2018
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| We Got Talent | September 7–10, 2017 |
| An Evening of Culture | October 12–15, 2017 |
| Pythonesque | February 8–11, 2018 |
| Music of the Night: Classics | March 1–4, 2018 |
| Berea’s Country Jamboree | May 10–13, 2018 |
| The Owl and the Pussycat | June 7–10, 2018 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | November 30 and December 1–3, 2017 |
| Confessions of a Scaredy Cat | November 9–12, 2017 |
| Holiday Musical Special | December 10, 2017 |
| C.A.R.E. Benefit Concert | January 5, 2018 |
| Swap Talk: WSLO Radio | April 26–29, 2018 |
| Arts Behind Bars Benefit Concert | June 16, 2018 |
Season 12 — 2018–2019
| Production | Dates |
|---|---|
| We Got Talent | September 27–30, 2018 |
| Twelve Angry Jurors | November 1–4, 2018 |
| Showcase! | March 7–10, 2019 |
| Berea’s Country Jamboree | May 9–12, 2019 |
| Noel and Reb | June 6–9, 2019 |
Special events:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol | November 29 and December 1–2, 2018 |
| Holiday Musical Special | December 8, 2018 |
| C.A.R.E. Benefit Concert | January 4, 2019 |
| An Evening with Amanda Rader | February 9, 2019 |
| An Evening with Author/Performer Hasan Davis | February 16, 2019 |
The Christmas Carol Tradition
One of BAT’s most important traditions began before BAT existed. Eddie Kennedy taught in the Berea Community Schools for 33 years. During the final 22 years of that career, his students presented his adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. The annual school production featured hundreds of student performers, many of whom returned to see the show in later years.
Kennedy described that school tradition as glorious and said that Berea Arena Theater continued it annually. The figures sometimes repeated in later coverage therefore have a specific meaning: 33 years refers to Kennedy’s teaching career, while 22 years refers to the student Christmas Carol tradition.
A Community Stage
BAT’s importance was not limited to its mainstage titles. It offered accessible ticket prices, season tickets, concerts, benefits, talent shows, musical revues, holiday programs, and opportunities for people who wanted to act, direct, build, play music, run technical elements, or help from the front of house.
The theater worked with local writers and Kentucky Women Playwrights. It connected adult performers with students and carried older Berea theater relationships into new productions. The audience came from nearby roads and communities, but the Berea Citizen also reported patrons from as far away as Seattle.
In the 2019 WEKU interview, Eddie Kennedy estimated that approximately 34,000 patrons had attended Berea Arena Theater over twelve years. That number represents more than ticket sales. It represents twelve years of people choosing to make room in their lives for community theater.
The Final Season and Closing
In February 2019, Berea College notified Kennedy that the former U.S. Forestry Service building would be closed. Kennedy later described the notice as a Valentine’s Day present that was neither sugary nor sweet. The decision ended BAT’s access to the facility that had made the theater possible.
The closing came as Kennedy was already thinking about a gradual transition, with other directors taking on portions of future seasons. He had not expected the transition to be forced by the loss of the building.
BAT completed its final production, Noel and Reb, with performances June 6 through June 9, 2019. After the Sunday matinee, Kennedy invited people connected to the theater to gather in the Tropicana Room, the theater’s lobby. The gathering marked the end of the facility, but not the end of the relationships created there.
Kennedy and Kolloff talked about other venues and future projects. Kennedy intended to keep the Berea Arena Theater name and retain lighting equipment, basic sets, chairs, and other materials. The theater’s building closed, but its work continued through the people who had learned, performed, built, and served there.
Known Participants and Documented Roles
This is a selected list, not a complete company roster. It combines published evidence with participant information supplied during the preparation of this history. Roles are listed only where they are confirmed.
| Participant | Confirmed connection or role |
|---|---|
| Eddie Kennedy | Founder, managing producer, artistic director, playwright, teacher, and performer; Charlie Brown in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Reb Dooley in Noel and Reb (2008); lead director of most productions. |
| Norma Kennedy | Co-founder and box-office and production leader; Nurse Punky West in Noel and Reb (2008). |
| Fred Kolloff | Set designer, builder, and Eddie Kennedy’s long-term theater partner. |
| Chad Hembree | Participant in Pure as the Driven Snow, multiple Hee Haw productions, multiple talent shows, and Rehearsal for Murder. |
| Todd King | Performer and director; Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace (2008); See How They Run (2009); California Suite (2011); later BAT solo work. |
| Diane Kerby | Ms. Ardele Sperry in Noel and Reb (2008); See How They Run (2009); The Curious Savage (2009); Gert in California Suite (2011); participant in Noel and Reb (2019). |
| Rebecca Ansary Pettys | The Curious Savage (2009); participant in 12 Angry Jurors and Noel and Reb. |
| John Stauffer | The Curious Savage (2009); participant in BAT productions including California Suite, Natalie Needs a Nightie, 12 Angry Jurors, and Noel and Reb; participant recollection identifies him as a recurring company member. |
| Darrell Harrison | Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace (2008); Noel Godby in Noel and Reb (2008); See How They Run (2009); Scrooge in BAT Christmas Carol productions. |
| Chuck Morgan | Scrooge in a documented later Christmas Carol production; participant in 12 Angry Jurors and Noel and Reb. |
| Angela Bailey Davis | A Thurber Carnival. |
| Tara Bellando | Mother Miriam Ruth in Agnes of God. |
| Wendy Barnett | Iris Munser in Noel and Reb (2008); Karen Andre in Night of January 16th (2008); See How They Run (2009); Pure as the Driven Snow. |
| Patty Boyce | Attorney in Night of January 16th (2008); Nunsense (2009); Nunsense II (2010). |
| Nancy Marema | Musical director for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. |
| Suzy Martin | Flute for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. |
| Christie Tate | Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. |
| Jan Tate | Earlier Berea community-theater Lucy and participant in BAT’s Hee Haw programming. |
| Richard Bellando | Ghost performer in BAT Christmas Carol productions and holiday musical programming. |
| Sebastian Rose | Ghost performer in BAT Christmas Carol productions and participant in 12 Angry Jurors. |
| Tommy Ruth | The Curious Savage (2009); Ghost of Christmas Present in a documented BAT Christmas Carol production. |
| Anna Homa | Nunsense (2009); Nunsense II (2010); participant in California Suite and a documented Christmas Carol rehearsal. |
| Teri Thompson | Participant in California Suite and holiday musical programming. |
| Steve Gowler | The Curious Savage (2009); participant in California Suite. |
| Gary McCormick | Director and participant in multiple BAT productions. |
| Allison Estes | Participant in Noel and Reb. |
| Barbara Baker | Bernice Godby in Noel and Reb (2008); participant in 12 Angry Jurors and Noel and Reb (2019). |
| Doug Duerson | Officer O’Hara in Arsenic and Old Lace (2008); See How They Run (2009). |
| Scott Powell | Teddy Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace (2008). |
| Erikke Meadows | Fellow officer in Arsenic and Old Lace (2008). |
| Mark Gailey | Fellow officer in Arsenic and Old Lace (2008). |
| Linda Ross | PA voice in Noel and Reb (2008); Nunsense (2009). |
| Kelsey Debord | Nunsense (2009); Nunsense II (2010). |
| Kelli Hensley | Nunsense (2009). |
| Mary Ruth Isaacs | Nunsense (2009); Nunsense II (2010). |
| Rebekah Phillippi | Nunsense (2009); Nunsense II (2010). |
| Linda Hays | See How They Run (2009). |
| John Howson | See How They Run (2009). |
| Jody Flara | The Curious Savage (2009). |
| Kate Pieratt | The Curious Savage (2009). |
| Andrew Tolliver | The Curious Savage (2009). |
| Tiffany Johnson | The Curious Savage (2009). |
| Lisa Scully | Nunsense II (2010). |
| Larinda Combs | Nunsense II (2010). |
| Kathryn Wallace | Nunsense II (2010). |
Sources and Contributions Welcome
This history draws on the Berea Citizen, Richmond Register, Eastern Progress, archived Berea Arena Theater webpages, WEKU interviews with Eddie Kennedy and Fred Kolloff, Berea College Digital Collections, Berea College theater history, and the historical material maintained by The Spotlight Playhouse.
- Berea Citizen, September 4, 2008
- Richmond Register: Berea Arena Theater taking its final bow
- Richmond Register: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Richmond Register: Berea Arena Theater presents A Christmas Carol
- Eastern Progress: A Christmas Carol returns to Berea Arena Theater
- WEKU Part 1: Eddie Kennedy and Fred Kolloff on Berea Arena Theater
- WEKU Part 2: Eddie Kennedy and Fred Kolloff on Berea Arena Theater
- The Spotlight Playhouse: Berea theater history
- Berea College Special Collections and Digital Collections, including theater and Wilderness Road materials.
Can you help expand this history?
We welcome memories, programs, playbills, newspaper clippings, schedules, cast information, backstage stories, corrections, and additional names connected to Berea Arena Theater. If you acted, directed, built sets, worked lights or sound, played music, volunteered, sold tickets, or attended a show, we would be glad to hear from you.
Some details in this history come from participants’ firsthand recollections and from surviving materials that are not currently available in searchable online archives. Contributions may be incorporated into future revisions, with contributors credited where appropriate. Please contact The Spotlight Playhouse through the contact information on this site.
Collected by Chad Hembree – Bluegrass Playwright