Broadway Beneath the Stars

by

Arts

On warm summer nights, theater lovers gather on the rustic grounds of a converted farm just outside of Danville. At 7 p.m., a bell salvaged from the old Danville firehouse calls them to dinner, where they enjoy a home-cooked meal complete with farm-fresh vegetables and homemade desserts. When dinner is over, they settle into their seats in an open-air amphitheater beneath a star-studded sky for an evening of laughter and Broadway-style entertainment.

Pioneer Playhouse, Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theater, began as one man’s dream. Since that inaugural season in 1950, it has become a mainstay of the performing arts in Kentucky. This year, the Playhouse celebrates its 75th season of entertaining audiences who come from near and far, returning year after year.

Born in Danville in 1923, Eben C. Henson set his sights on becoming an actor while he still was a young boy. After serving in World War II, he pursued a career on Broadway. When circumstances prevented him from realizing his dream in New York City, he came back to his hometown and brought his aspirations with him.

Upon returning to Danville, Henson—who became known as “the Colonel” after being commissioned a Kentucky Colonel—launched a plan to bring Broadway to the Bluegrass. He founded a summer-stock theater program, a model that was popular in the 1940s and ’50s, where the actors, stage crew and tech crew lived onsite and produced plays during the summer months. With little money to fund his vision, Henson found a locale he could use for free—an unused theater inside the old Darnell Hospital.

“Pioneer Playhouse started in a mental institution,” the Colonel’s son and current Playhouse artistic director Robby Henson said with the hint of a grin hovering at the corners of his lips. “Then, Dad moved the troupe to our current location, and the actors performed in a cow pasture while he built the theater complex out of materials he scrounged from all over. He was ahead of his time when it came to finding and recycling materials.”

The grounds bear testimony to this claim—from the cobbled walkways laid with reclaimed bricks from a demolished building to the 200-year-old beams that originally supported a local livery stable. Even the iconic box office building was salvaged from the set of Raintree County, a 1957 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift that Col. Henson was instrumental in bringing to Danville.

After the Colonel’s death in 2004, his wife, Charlotte, and daughter Holly stepped to the helm to keep the dream alive. With Holly Henson’s untimely passing in 2012, siblings Robby and Heather filled the gap.

“I was raised around the Playhouse but never planned to work here,” said Heather Henson, a celebrated author and Pioneer Playhouse’s managing director. “I returned to Kentucky from New York to raise my children and focus on writing. But when Holly needed help toward the end of her struggle with cancer, naturally I got involved. And now, the Playhouse is a huge part of my life.”

Robby also left Kentucky to pursue his own interests in theater and film in Los Angeles, though he returned to Danville frequently to direct plays. “I think Dad would be happy to know that his vision of a theater under the stars is still very much alive, even after 75 years,” he said.

•  •  •

For decades, the driving force of Pioneer Playhouse was Charlotte, the matriarch of the Henson family. Often working long hours in the background, she dedicated her energies to ensuring that her husband’s legacy continued to thrive, working as a chef, producer and president of the board. She pitched in to do whatever else needed to be done, from costuming to cleanup. Charlotte still was an active participant in the business when she passed away earlier this year at 93.

“She was a real Southern lady,” said Gary Barkman, who showed up at the Playhouse at age 13 from nearby Harrodsburg. After the police returned Barkman to his home several times, Charlotte and Eben arranged for Gary to stay on. Though he never wanted to act, he was fascinated with the technical aspect of the theater and worked for the Playhouse as a set, sound and light designer; an electrician; and then as technical director for more than 30 years. “Charlotte and Eben accepted me into their family,” Gary said. “The Hensons are still my family.”

Maintaining the family legacy of Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theater is not restricted to the Hensons. Many actors and crew return to Danville year after year. Some even make Kentucky their permanent home.

“I auditioned for Robby in 2014 in New York City, where I was living at the time,” said Erika Lee Sengstack, Centre College performing arts coordinator and artistic director of Scarlet Cup Theater. “The Playhouse is unlike any other theater. It’s a totally unique environment where people work and play with immeasurable commitment. Bonds form quickly and strongly. I’ve built connections at the Playhouse that will last a lifetime, and for that I am immensely grateful.”

Many patrons feel a sense of ownership and dedication to the theater. Former Lexington residents Dennis and Sandra Smith have not missed a single play in 20 years.

“Even though we’re now in Indiana, we still come back for every play,” Sandra said. “There’s a nostalgic feeling when we arrive at the Playhouse— like we’ve stepped back in time. It is such a gift to the community that Heather and Robby have carried on their father’s dream.”

•  •  •

For many years, Col. Henson traveled to New York City to audition and hire a large company of interns, less-experienced actors and a tech crew—a typical practice of summer stock theaters. A normal season would see a company of 30 or so people, all living and working side by side on the Playhouse grounds. Actors were not awarded roles until they arrived in Danville, which meant some actors might not be cast at all, though they certainly found plenty of work to help ensure the success of the season.

“It takes a tremendous amount of work to run the theater,” Heather. said “Everyone pitches in to keep the place running.”

 “When the Colonel hired me as an actor, I didn’t expect to be doing backstage work,” actress Patricia Hammond agreed. “But I’m grateful for the experience because I’ve learned so much about theater production by doing it from the bottom up.”

This summer, Hammond will return to the Playhouse stage for her 26th season and to celebrate the 75th anniversary.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced changes to the regular routines.

“Now, we pre-cast,” Robby explained. “Heather and I select the season’s plays, and—though I might travel occasionally—we conduct most auditions electronically. Actors know their roles before they arrive, and instead of staying all summer, they come only for the plays they’re involved in.”

That change reduced the size of the company roughly by half, which makes housing and feeding them far more efficient.

The plays performed at the Playhouse also have changed over the years.

“In the beginning, Dad tried different styles,” Robby said. “Some were serious—even suspenseful. But eventually, we found our niche. Our patrons come back year after year to enjoy relaxing, family-friendly entertainment amid fireflies and crickets.”

“Each season, we produce three plays, and we work hard to select those we know will appeal to our audience,” Heather said. “Humor goes over well, so we always feature a farce. This year’s farce is The 39 Steps, which Robby is directing. We’ll end the season with Fireflies, a feel-good romantic comedy starring Patricia Hammond. Between those two, we’ll premiere an original play, That Book Woman, in our Kentucky Voices program.”

The Kentucky Voices program produces plays of local interest written by Kentuckians. The Playhouse began the initiative more than 15 years ago, commissioning original plays on an aspect of Kentucky history, but this year’s play will be the first since the pandemic.

Local author Angela Correll, whose bestselling novels Grounded, Guarded and Granted have been adapted to the stage, said, “Pioneer Playhouse brought my characters to life for folks who might never pick up my books.”

All three of her plays were performed for sold-out audiences at the Playhouse.

Correll is a regular visitor to Pioneer Playhouse, having attended every season except one since 1997. She also enjoys a strong family connection with the Hensons. “I have known Heather since seventh grade,” Correll said. “Our families go back to 1915, when her great-grandmother shot and killed my great-uncle over a barking dog on Second Street in Danville.”

One hot July evening, Correll’s great-uncle, Robert Crouch, went next door to complain about Hattie Henson’s barking dog. An argument took place, and in the dispute, Crouch followed Henson to her door, where she shot him. Upon hearing the guilty verdict, Henson “collapsed and was unconscious until restoratives were administered by a physician,” according to an article in the Jan. 6, 1916, Kentucky Advocate. “She wept bitterly and begged Providence to lighten her burden. The mental anguish of the prisoner touched the finer emotions of the morbid crowd, who still realizing that the majesty of the law must be upheld, was stirred to compassion.”

Henson was sentenced to three years in the penitentiary.

•  •  •

Though Pioneer Playhouse primarily is known for the summer play season, the Hensons also oversee year-round outreach activities in the community. This summer, they will offer a Young Voices program, where students from challenged home backgrounds will attend theater workshops and then see a show for free.

Heather is the author of several award-winning books for young readers, including That Book Woman, which has been adapted for the stage and will be performed this summer. The story celebrates the Pack Horse Librarians of Eastern Kentucky in the 1930s. “This play will have kids from the community in it,” Heather said. “It will be fun. We haven’t had kids on stage in a while.”

Heather’s next book for young audiences will be released from Simon & Schuster in 2025.

Robby, who teaches film classes at the University of Kentucky, also is an author. His latest novel, Loud Water, was released in August 2023. He runs the Voices Inside program, teaching performance and writing skills to inmates at Northpoint Training Center. For 14 years, Voices Inside has brought theater to underserved audiences behind bars. The program seeks to raise self-esteem and communication skills and to fight against recidivism when participants are released.

•  •  •

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Pioneer Playhouse will host an alumni weekend in Danville June 14-15. Actors and crew from the past 75 seasons have been invited to a weekend of nostalgia and sharing memories of their time at the Playhouse. The festivities will culminate on June 15 at a gala celebration event with dinner, drinks, dancing and live entertainment. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the gala, which also will serve as a fundraiser. Proceeds from ticket sales will help to ensure that Pioneer Playhouse continues for another 75 years.

As for future plans: “We believe in making theater accessible for everyone, so we’ll continue as before,” Robby said. “We do improvements to the complex every year, but we’re careful not to change the character of the Playhouse.”

 “No Henson ever retires,” Heather added with a smile. “We just keep on going.”