The Pioneer Playhouse, founded 1950, is the oldest outdoor theater in the state of Kentucky. In 1962, it became the first theater in the nation to be accorded the legal status of State Theater (by act of Legislation).

The Pioneer Playhouse was built by Col. Eben C. Henson (who passed away in April 2004), who employed a variety of creative though unorthodox means to complete the project. He once bartered a fifth of whiskey for some hand-hewn 200-year-old rafter beams, and hired prisoners from the local county jail to help him lay the first foundations. He often joked that he was one of the first people to promote recycling, such as his annexation of an attractive building from an abandoned movie set to serve as the theater's ticket office.

The theater is now run by Col. Henson's widow, Charlotte. Her daughter Holly, a standup comedian based in Minneapolis, serves as artistic director. Son Robby, a Santa Monica-based writer/director (whose credits include Pharaoh's Army, The Badge, and The Visitation), directs at least one play at the theater every summer.

External link

• The Pioneer Playhouse official web site

Kentucky