Auditions

A Community Theater

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The Spotlight Playhouse is home to two theater companies: Spotlight Acting School and The Bluegrass Players. Both groups hold open auditions regularly, and there is always something new on stage.

New to our theater family? Take a minute to get to know each group before you audition:

Ready to audition? Every audition announcement, notice, and cast list is posted on the Spotlight Acting School website, with each listing designated SAS (Spotlight Acting School) or BGP (Bluegrass Players). Visit the Spotlight Acting School auditions page for current auditions and enrollment details.

Questions about joining either group: chad@spotlightactingschool.com or 859-756-0011.

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Pay What You Can Performances

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Pay What You Can Performances

The “Pay What You Can” initiative at The Spotlight Playhouse is part of our commitment to making the performing arts accessible to all. These performances allow you to decide the price of your ticket. Whether you use your spare change for an evening of theater or choose to contribute a bit more to help further our cause, every bit counts. Make sure to review the rules below before your visit.

RULES:

  • Every Friday evening performance of our non-dinner shows is a Pay What You Can performance. (Dinner theater productions are excluded.)
  • Unsold tickets will be made available online or at the box office two hours before the performance starts, on a first-come-first-served basis.
  • Tickets purchased under the “Pay What You Can” initiative are non-transferable and cannot be resold.
  • All ticket sales are final and non-refundable.

Important Note: Pay What You Can pricing does not apply to dinner theater productions, which require advanced reservations at standard pricing.

Child Actors, Family-Friendly, Musical, Show, Spotlight Acting School

Disney’s Frozen KIDS (October 16-25)

Presented by Spotlight Acting School
Ages: 4–11
Directed by Daesha Miller
Music & Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez | Book by Jennifer Lee

Two Casts — Two Weekends
Blue Cast: October 16–18
Purple Cast: October 23–25

Performances: Fridays & Saturdays at 6:00pm, Sundays at 2:00pm

Do you want to build a snowman? 🏰❄️

Disney’s

Rating: All ages · Runtime: approximately 30 minutes · Pay What You Can: Friday performances are name-your-own-price; unsold tickets release two hours before showtime.

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

Frozen KIDS brings Arendelle to life in this enchanting stage adaptation featuring your favorite characters — Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven. With a cast of our youngest Spotlight stars, this heartwarming story of sisterhood, love, and self-discovery is the perfect family theatre experience.

Packed with beloved songs like Let It Go, Love Is an Open Door, and In Summer, plus show-stopping ensemble numbers, Frozen KIDS is a magical journey for audiences of all ages.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403


Book now

“Disney’s Frozen KIDS” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019 | www.MTIShows.com

Comedy, Family-Friendly, Show, The Bluegrass Players, Thriller

Zombie Night: The Musical (October 23 – November 1)

The Bluegrass Players present
Directed by Chad Hembree
Book by Tim Kelly | Music by Bill Francoeur | Lyrics by Scott DeTurk
October 23 – November 1

Performances: October 23 & 24 at 8:00pm, Sunday Oct 25 at 4:00pm
October 30 at 6:00pm, Sunday Nov 1 at 2:00pm
No performance Saturday, October 31
Rating: Family-friendly — all ages welcome

Runtime: approximately 110 minutes · Pay What You Can: Friday performances are name-your-own-price; unsold tickets release two hours before showtime.

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

🧟 About the Show
When the undead show up, survival takes more than luck — it takes teamwork, courage, and a little bit of humor. Zombie Night: The Musical is a spooky-fun, music-filled night of mayhem with big characters, big laughs, and plenty of Halloween-season energy.

🎭 Who’s Performing
The Bluegrass Players (community theatre)

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403


Book now

Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Denver, Colorado | www.pioneerdrama.com

Adult Actors, Comedy, Show, The Bluegrass Players

Have a Nice Doomsday (October 30 – November 8)

Presented by The Bluegrass Players
Directed by Erika Howard

Performances:
Friday, October 30 — 8:00pm
Sunday, November 1 — 4:00pm
Friday & Saturday, November 6-7 — 8:00pm
Sunday, November 8 — 2:00pm


Book now

Runtime: approximately 2 hours · Pay What You Can: Friday performances are name-your-own-price; unsold tickets release two hours before showtime.

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

Have a Nice Doomsday is an end-of-the-world comedy about what happens when friends gather for Thanksgiving on what could be the last day on Earth. An asteroid a quarter the size of the moon is speeding toward the planet, but Joann Monroe is determined to serve the perfect holiday dinner anyway. As her husband Neil tracks the news and every guest arrives on schedule, the afternoon explodes into a flurry of emotions, attacks, and retaliations: a botched engagement, a phone call to an ex-girlfriend, a marriage on the rocks, and an impromptu wedding performed by a young man from The Eternal Light Society. You’ll laugh out loud when a looming global cataclysm brings out people’s worst, and also their best.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403

Produced by special arrangement with Heartland Plays, Inc., 88 Howard Beer Rd., Clancy, MT 59634 | www.heartlandplays.com

Adult Actors, Drama, Show, The Bluegrass Players

The Cherry Orchard (November 13 – 21)

Presented by The Bluegrass Players
Ages 16-Adult
Directed by Katherine Davis
November 13 – 21

Performances:
November 13-15 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm, Sun 4:00pm)
November 20-21 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm)

Runtime: approximately 2 hours · Pay What You Can: Friday performances are name-your-own-price; unsold tickets release two hours before showtime.

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard is a funny, heartfelt classic about a family returning to their beloved estate—only to face a hard truth: the property (and its famous cherry orchard) is drowning in debt and headed for auction. As friends, family, and longtime servants gather, they wrestle with what to do next—hold tightly to the past, or accept change and step into an uncertain future.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403

Tickets: Book now

Family-Friendly, Musical, Show, Spotlight Acting School, Teen Actors

Beetlejuice JR. (November 13 – 22)

Presented by Spotlight Acting School
Ages 14-18
Book by Scott Brown and Anthony King
Music and Lyrics by Eddie Perfect
Based on the film by Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson
November 13 – 22

Performances:
🔵 Blue Cast: November 13-15 (Fri & Sat 6:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)
🟣 Purple Cast: November 20-22 (Fri & Sat 6:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)

Rating: Ages 8+ · Runtime: approximately 60 minutes · Pay What You Can: Friday performances are name-your-own-price; unsold tickets release two hours before showtime.

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

Based on the hit movie and Broadway musical, Beetlejuice JR. follows Lydia Deetz, a smart, quirky teen who feels like no one understands her. When her family moves into a new house, Lydia discovers it’s haunted by a recently-deceased couple — and they’re desperate to get the living out! Enter Beetlejuice, a mischievous ghost with a plan to cause chaos and bring the afterlife to the living world. It’s a fast, funny, spooky show packed with big characters, big laughs, and lots of chances for performers to shine.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403

Tickets: Book now

Beetlejuice JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Adult Actors, Comedy, Family-Friendly, Show, The Bluegrass Players

Old Time Christmas Radio Show (November 28 – 29)

Presented by The Bluegrass Players
Directed by Joy Lady
November 28 – 29

Performances:
Saturday, November 28 — 7:00pm
Sunday, November 29 — 2:00pm

Rating: Family-friendly — all ages welcome

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

🎄 About the Show
Step back in time to the 1940s and experience the magic of a live Christmas radio show! The Bluegrass Players present this nostalgic tribute to the iconic WWII-era variety shows that filled homes with holiday cheer. This heartwarming production combines classic skits, live sound effects, and festive music to create an authentic old-time radio experience that will transport audiences to the golden era of entertainment.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403

Tickets: Coming soon

Family-Friendly, Show, Spotlight on Faith

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (December 4 – 13)

Presented by Spotlight on Faith
By Barbara Robinson
Directed by Chad Hembree and Spotlight on Faith Team (Jazzlyn Threlkeld, John Bailey, John Paul Ramsay)
December 4 – 13

Performances:
Friday, December 4 — 7:00pm
Sunday, December 6 — 2:00pm
Friday, December 11 — 7:00pm
Saturday, December 12 — 7:00pm
Sunday, December 13 — 2:00pm

Book now

Rating: All ages · Runtime: approximately 1 hour · Pay What You Can: Friday performances are name-your-own-price. Free is an option

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

(We are skipping December 5 because all Spotlight on Faith participants are encouraged to join us in the Berea Christmas Parade.)

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, and talk dirty, and they have hijacked every Christmas pageant they have ever been in. But this year, they take over the church pageant altogether, and the result is the craziest, most heartfelt Christmas pageant the town has ever seen. A funny and touching story about what Christmas is really about.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403

Admission: Pay What You Can Fridays — free is an option

Produced through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals, New York, NY | www.ConcordTheatricals.com

Adult Actors, Dinner, Drama, Family-Friendly, Show, The Bluegrass Players

Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Dinner Show (Dec 17 – 20)

The Bluegrass Players present
Written & Directed by Chad Hembree
December 17, 18, 19 & 20

Performances: Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 6:30pm, Sunday, Dec 20 at 1:30pm

Runtime: approximately 3 hours, including dinner

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space is in the front row. If you have special needs, just let us know when you arrive.

Rating: Family-friendly — all ages welcome

Tickets: Coming soon

Dinner menu: Coming soon

🎄 About the Show
Dickens’ beloved tale of Ebenezer Scrooge comes to life in this all-new family-friendly dinner show, written and directed by Chad Hembree. With live musical moments, heart, and holiday spirit, Scrooge’s journey from miser to joyful soul is reimagined for the whole family.

Location: The Spotlight Playhouse — 214 Richmond Rd, Berea, KY 40403