| Kentucky Repertory Theatre at Horse Cave | |
|---|---|
| Address | 107 E. Main St. |
| City | Horse Cave, Kentucky |
| Country | USA |
| Capacity | 346 |
| Type | Repertory |
| Opened | June 10, 1977 |
| Years active | 1977-present |
| Previous names | Horse Cave Theatre |
| http://www.kentuckyrep.org/index.html | |
Kentucky Repertory Theatre (formerly known as Horse Cave Theatre) is a theater company located in Horse Cave, Kentucky, United States. The company is located in two former commercial buildings in the city's downtown area.
The theatre recently hired a new executive director, Christopher Carter Sanderson, founding director of New York City's Gorilla Theatre. Sanderson plans to bring new shows to the theatre every month, including new works, dance, and concerts, as well as classics such as Shakespeare and light comedies. Sanderson's signature pieces in the past have been A Midsummer Night's Dream in Washington Square Park, and MacBeth in Ft. Tryon Park. Sanderson expects to take some shows back and forth between Horse Cave and New York.
KRT was formed as Horse Cave Theatre in 1976, and was a novelty for its time: a professional theater company located in a small rural town, producing a series of plays in a repertory cycle. The theater's proximity to the Mammoth Cave National Park tourist area was hoped to help attract theatergoers, and that has been proven to be the case over the years, though the theater enjoys substantial support from the town's residents as well, as well as those in neighboring Cave City, Glasgow, Munfordville and other surrounding cities.
The primary season for KRT was originally in the summer, when tourism business in the area is at its peak. In recent times, the company has shifted its season to a period between autumn and Christmas, while continuing to present a single production in the summer to attract tourists. During the rest of the year, KRT puts on educational productions for area students. Over the years, KRT productions have run the gamut of theater, from George Bernard Shaw to Neil Simon, with one play by William Shakespeare being featured nearly every season. The company has also encouraged works by Kentucky playwrights, including at least one such work in its repertory nearly every season. Sallie Bingham, a descendant of the Bingham family of Louisville (former owners of The Courier-Journal and numerous other media properties), has had three of her plays produced by KRT.
The theater is housed in two renovated buildings, and seats 346 people. An entrance building, built to resemble a tobacco barn typically found in southern Kentucky, was added at the opening. In 1998, the company purchased a residential building for office space, and a nearby warehouse for scenery and prop construction. The main theater buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Warren Hammack was KRT's first artistic director, serving the company for 25 years. He was succeeded by director, Robert Brock. Brock recently began a teaching position at Lindsey Wilson College, and has been succeeded by Sanderson.