Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, Hyde! (January 15 – 23)

Presented by The Bluegrass Players
Ages 16+
Written by David Chapelle
Directed by Joy Lady
January 15 – 23

Performances:
January 15-17 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm, Sun 4:00pm)
January 22-23 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm)

Runtime: approximately 2 hours (two acts, 15-minute intermission) · 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.

Forget everything you know about Jekyll and Hyde… this isn’t it! Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, Hyde! is a laugh-out-loud melodrama loosely (very, very loosely) inspired by the classic character. Any resemblance to the story you know is purely coincidental… and hilarious.

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

Tickets:
Book now

“Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, Hyde!” is presented through special arrangement with melodrama.net

The Murder Mystery at the Murder Mystery (January 29 – February 6)

The Bluegrass Players present
By Brian D. Taylor
Directed by John Bailey
January 29 – February 6

Performances: Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 4:00pm

Runtime: approximately 75 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.

Rating: Comedy/mystery — recommended for ages 14+

Tickets: Coming soon

🎭 About the Show
The players at The Murder Mystery Playhouse are rehearsing a new show — a not-so-good British murder mystery with cheesy dramatic music and questionable accents. But when the lights go out and a character dies onstage for real, nobody’s laughing.

The cast keeps replaying the scene, and every time they reach the end, someone else ends up with a fire poker in the chest. Is it a curse? A rival theatre company’s sabotage? Or something far more twisted? This hilarious play-within-a-play comedy keeps the audience guessing until the very last twist.

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

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

Cinderella: Youth Edition (January 29 – February 7)

Presented by Spotlight Acting School
Ages 9-14
Directed by Jazzlyn Threlkeld
Music Director: Letha Hembree
January 29 – February 7

Performances:
🔵 Blue Cast: January 29-31 (Fri & Sat 6:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)
🟣 Purple Cast: February 5-7 (Fri & Sat 6:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)

Rating: All ages · Runtime: one hour · 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.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Youth Edition brings the timeless enchantment of the classic fairy tale to the stage in a one-hour musical specially designed for young performers. The beloved story of a kind-hearted girl, a magical evening, and a glass slipper is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of originality, charm, and elegance. Filled with unforgettable songs like “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible,” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” it’s a magical introduction to musical theatre for the whole family.

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

Book now

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: Youth Edition is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

Tuned in for Murder Dinner Show (February 11 – 14)

The Bluegrass Players present
By Chad Hembree
February 11 – 14

Performances: Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 6:30pm, Sunday 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: 14+ — all welcome

Tickets: Coming soon

Dinner menu: Coming soon

📻 About the Show
Completely revamped for this season, Tuned in for Murder is a fan favorite 1980’s Themed Murder Mystery Dinner Show. Written by local playwright and director Chad Hembree, this zany mystery delights audiences with a host of crazy characters. You’re invited to the 50th Anniversary of WJRK, and the owner has big news to share if he can live that long.

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

Romeo and Juliet (February 19 – 27)

Presented by The Bluegrass Players
Ages 16+
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Chad Hembree
February 19 – 27

Performances:
February 19-21 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)
February 26-27 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm)

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.

Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy about two young lovers from feuding families whose fates are sealed by a world divided against them. A cast of unforgettable characters — from the fiery Tybalt to the wise Friar Laurence — drives this story of love, loyalty, and loss, performed by The Bluegrass Players in an intimate evening of classic theatre.

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

Tickets: Coming soon

Disney’s Aladdin KIDS (February 26 – March 7)

Presented by Spotlight Acting School
Ages: 4–11
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Music Adapted and Arranged and Additional Lyrics by Bryan Louiselle
Book by David Simpatico
Based on the 1992 Disney film, Aladdin

February 26 – March 7

Performances:
Blue Cast: February 26-28 (Fri & Sat 6:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)
Purple Cast: March 5-7 (Fri & Sat 6:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)

Rating: All ages · 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 iconic animated film, with an Academy Award-winning score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, Disney’s Aladdin KIDS is sure to send audiences soaring on a flying carpet ride filled with romance and adventure. When the street urchin, Aladdin, vies for the attention of the beautiful princess, Jasmine, he uses a genie’s magic power to become a prince in order to marry her. Iago, Jafar, the Genie, and more are here in Disney’s Aladdin KIDS, a musical adventure filled with magic, mayhem and the power of love.

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

Tickets: Coming soon

“Disney’s Aladdin 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

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR. (April 2 – 18)

Presented by Spotlight Acting School
Ages: 14–18
Book by David Greig
Music by Marc Shaiman
Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Based on the novel by Roald Dahl

April 2 – 18

Performances:
Blue Cast: April 2–4
Purple Cast: April 16–18

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR. is your golden ticket to a crowd-pleasing, outrageous ensemble musical with plenty of delicious roles. This 60-minute Broadway Junior adaptation follows Charlie Bucket, a kind boy from a struggling family, who finds a golden ticket and earns a tour of Willy Wonka’s mysterious, candy-filled factory — complete with chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels, and the great glass elevator, all revealed by Wonka’s army of curious Oompa Loompas. The show features the classic favorites “The Candy Man,” “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” “Oompa Loompa,” and “Pure Imagination.”

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

Tickets: Coming soon

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Pirates of Penzance (May 14 – 22)

Presented by The Bluegrass Players
Ages: All ages — an intergenerational production
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Libretto by W. S. Gilbert

Directed by Megan McCauley
May 14 – 22

Performances:
May 14-16 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm, Sun 2:00pm)
May 21-22 (Fri & Sat 8:00pm)

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.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s beloved operetta follows young Frederic, mistakenly apprenticed to a band of soft-hearted pirates until his 21st birthday. Released at last, he falls for Mabel, daughter of Major-General Stanley — until a technicality reveals he was born on February 29, and his 21st birthday won’t arrive until he’s 84. A whirlwind of pirates, policemen, and general merriment ensues in one of the most beloved operettas ever written.

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

Tickets: Coming soon

Dinner Shows at The Spotlight Playhouse

Dinner theater is back in full swing at The Spotlight Playhouse. Here’s what’s coming:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (All-New) Dinner Show

October 2, 3, 10 & 11 — Fridays & Saturdays at 6:30pm, Sunday October 11 at 1:30pm. An all-new mystery dinner show written by Chad Hembree, presented by The Bluegrass Players.

Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Dinner Show

December 17, 18, 19 & 20 — Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 6:30pm, Sunday December 20 at 1:30pm. Written & directed by Chad Hembree, presented by The Bluegrass Players.

Tuned in for Murder

February 11 – 14 — Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 6:30pm, Sunday at 1:30pm. By Chad Hembree, presented by The Bluegrass Players.

Tickets: Coming soon — check the show pages above or call 859-756-0011.

The Spotlight Playhouse 2018/2019 Season

As we begin rehearsals for our last few shows of the 2017/2018 season we look forward to another season of great entertainment, all located in our new 13,000sq ft Playhouse in Berea.

The shows are listed in Chronological order, but exact dates could change at this point.

The season consists of over 32 shows for 46 weeks of entertainment with over 150 performances. Don’t let anyone say there is nothing to do in Berea.

Look at the calendar in the next few days to see performance dates.

  1. Murder Mystery Dinner Show – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Aug 2018)
  2. A Spectacular Season Preview – by the Spotlight Players
    (Aug 2018)
  3. Press Start – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 4-9
    (Sept 2018)
  4. Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 4-11
    (Sept 2018)
  5. Young Frankenstein – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Sept 2018)
  6. You Can’t Take It with You – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 11-18
    (Oct 2018)
  7. Honk Jr. – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 9-14
    (Oct 2018) 
  8. Dracula  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Oct 2018) 
  9. Brigadoon – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 11-18
    (Nov 2018)  
  10. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – by the Spotlight Players (Intergenerational)
    (Nov 2018) 
  11. Christmas Showcase – by the Spotlight Players (Intergenerational)
    (Dec 2018)
  12. An Old Time Christmas Live Radio Show – by the Spotlight Players
    (Dec 2018)
  13. Christmas Mystery Dinner Show – by The Bluegrass Players
    (Dec 2018)
  14. Disney’s My Son Pinocchio JR. – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 4-9
    (Jan 2019)
  15. End Days  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Jan 2019)
  16. Shrek Jr. – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 9-14
    (Feb 2019) 
  17. Space Pirates! – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 4-11
    (Feb 2019)  
  18. High School Musical – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 11-18
    (Mar 2019) 
  19. The Importance of Being Earnest  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Mar 2019)
  20. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – by the Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 11-18
    (Mar 2019)
  21. Festival of Short Plays
    (Mar 2019)
  22. Twelfth Night  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Mar 2019)
  23. Musicville – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 4-9
    (Apr 2019)
  24. The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe – by the Spotlight Players (Intergenerational)
    (Apr 2019)
  25. Spamalot  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (May 2019)
  26. Junie B. Jones The Musical JR. – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 4-11
    (May 2019) 
  27. Clue Dinner Show  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (May 2019)
  28. Singin’ in the Rain JR. – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 9-14
    (Jun 2019)
  29. A Midsummer Night’s Dream – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 11-18
    (Jun 2019)
  30. Oklahoma! – by the Spotlight Players (Intergenerational)
    (Jun 2019)
  31. A Broadway Revue – by Spotlight Acting School
    Ages 9-18
    (Jun 2019) 
  32. Moon Over Buffalo  – by the Bluegrass Players
    (Jul 2019)