The Pioneer Playhouse, located in Danville, Kentucky, is the oldest outdoor theater in the state of Kentucky.
The Pioneer Playhouse was built by Col. Eben C. Henson who established the outdoor theater in 1950. Notable alumni actors include John Travolta, Lee Majors, then known as Harvey Yeary, and Jim Varney. In 1962, Pioneer Playhouse became the first theater in the nation to be accorded the legal status of State Theater by act of Legislation.
Since Henson's death in 2004 the theater has been run by Henson's widow, Charlotte. Her daughter Holly served as artistic director until her death in 2012. Robby Henson, her son, directs at least one play at the theater every summer.
2014Whodunnit, Darling? by Charles Edward Pogue and Larry DrakeIs He Dead? by Mark Twain, adapted by David IvesThe Wonder Team by Robby HensonWalking Across Egypt by Catherine Bush (adapted from the novel by Clyde Edgerton)A Visit from Scarface by V. Cate and Duke Ernsberger2013Deathtrap by Ira LevinTamed by Holly Hepp-Galvan, adapted from Taming of the ShrewThe Search for Tinker Doyle by Elizabeth OrndorffMoon Over Buffalo by Ken LudwigCockeyed by Samuel French2012Dracula Bites! by V. Cate and Duke ErnsbergerPicasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve MartinBottoms Up! by Gregg KreutzHigh Strangeness by Elizabeth OrndorffTuna Does Vegas by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard2011The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick BarlowTartuffe: The Southern Version adapted from MoliereThat Madcap Moon by Janet Henson DowDon't Cry for Me, Margaret Mitchell by V. Cate and Duke ErnsbergerKosher Lutherans by William Missouri Downs2010A Nice Family Gathering by Phil OlsonMiranda: The Catch of the Day (Adapted from Miranda, by Peter Blackmore)The Dillinger Dilemma (World Premiere by Elizabeth Orndorff)For Better by Eric Coble The production was directed by Katherine M. CarterRun for Your Wife by Ray Cooney The production was directed by Lawrence Lesher2009M is for Million by Jack SharkeyThe Infamous Ephraim by Holly HensonLend Me a Tenor by Ken LudwigGirl Crazy by Guy Bolton & John McGowanBe My Baby by Ken Ludwig2008Leading Ladies by Ken LudwigMornings at Seven by Paul Osborn.Death by Darkness by Elizabeth Orndorff. The production was directed by Lawrence Lesher.Love, Sex and the IRS by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore. The production was directed by Synge Maher.Cookin' with Gus by Jim Brochu. The production was directed by Lawrence Lesher.2007Babe, The Sheep Pig by David Wood. The production was directed by Robby Henson.The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. The production was directed by Lawrence Lesher.The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. The production was directed by Lawrence Lesher.A Jarful of Fireflies by Catherine Bush. The production was directed by Robby Henson.Greater Tuna by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, & Ed Howard2006My Sister Eileen by Joseph A. Fields & Jerome ChodorovRumors by Neil SimonShakespeare in Hollywood by Ken LudwigWait Until Dark by Frederick KnottSocial Security by Andrew Bergman2005On the Razzle by Tom StoppardSquabbles by Marshall KarpThe Man Who Came to Dinner by Moss Hart & George S. KaufmanThe Last of Jane Austen by Shirl HendryxDeath by Golf by Gregg Kreutz2004Cactus Flower by Abe BurrowsMr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood by Mark SaltzmanBiloxi Blues by Neil Simon2003Impossible Marriage by Beth HenleyProposals by Neil SimonSylvia by A.R. Gurney1995Tom JonesHarvey by Mary ChaseMy Fat Friend by Charles Laurence
