The cast of Have a Nice Doomsday got a surprise this week. They learned that playwright Kevin McGovern is planning to drive from West Virginia to Berea to see their production at The Spotlight Playhouse.
I am excited about that, too. We have already presented the first performances of this comedy, and The Bluegrass Players are now heading into the final weekend. Knowing that the person who wrote the play wants to see what our cast has done with it adds another reason to look forward to these last performances.
Erika Howard directs the production at 214 Richmond Road in Berea. If you have been meaning to come, there are only three performances left, with the complete schedule and ticket information below.
A Playwright in the Audience
When we put on a play, most of our work happens with the writer somewhere far from Berea. We read the script, learn the characters, work through the scenes, and make decisions about how to tell the story for the people sitting in our theater.
The writer may never know what that particular production looked or sounded like. That’s simply how theater often works.
This time, though, our cast has learned that McGovern intends to make the trip from West Virginia. I like the idea of the person who created Joann, Neil, and their troubled Thanksgiving gathering getting to watch those characters come to life on our stage.
We have not announced which performance he plans to attend or any public event connected with his visit. The news itself is what has us excited.
I also think this is a good reminder of what community theater can offer a playwright. A script isn’t finished doing its work when it leaves the writer’s desk. Each company must turn those words into an actual performance, with actors making choices and an audience responding in real time.
Erika Howard and our cast have taken on that responsibility here in Berea. Now they have the prospect of sharing their interpretation with the man who wrote it.
Working With Heartland Plays
One of the relationships I have particularly enjoyed during this production is our work with Heartland Plays. The company represents McGovern’s script, and we are presenting Have a Nice Doomsday by special arrangement with Heartland Plays.
That publishing relationship may not be the first thing an audience member thinks about when buying a ticket. It matters to us, though. When a local company chooses a play, it is also choosing a writer’s work and entering into a relationship with the people who make that work available for performance.
We’ve been loving our experience with Heartland Plays, and McGovern’s planned trip makes that connection even more interesting.
Heartland Plays identifies McGovern as the author of Have a Nice Doomsday. In his published biography, he says he has worked in television production for more than 28 years and serves as an associate producer with West Virginia Public Television. He has also written more than a dozen screenplays and stage plays.
His biography includes previous productions of his work at community theater venues in West Virginia.
I appreciate seeing writers with that kind of background making their plays available to companies like ours. It gives our local actors the opportunity to work with different voices and stories, and it gives those stories another life on stage.
Thanksgiving Dinner, With an Asteroid on the Way
The premise of Have a Nice Doomsday is about as bad a Thanksgiving situation as I can imagine.
Friends have gathered for a holiday meal, but an asteroid is approaching Earth. This might be the last day anyone gets. Joann Monroe, however, is determined to serve the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, while her husband, Neil, keeps track of the news.
The guests aren’t making things easier. There is a botched engagement, a phone call to an ex-girlfriend, a marriage in trouble, and an impromptu wedding led by a young man from the Eternal Light Society.
That’s the comedy McGovern has handed us.
Instead of treating an approaching disaster as the only thing that matters, these characters still have their ordinary relationship troubles to deal with. Their world might be ending, but the Thanksgiving gathering keeps going.
To me, that’s what makes the premise funny. Holiday meals already come with expectations. People want the food to be right, the company to get along, and the day to turn out the way they pictured it.
Now imagine trying to manage all of that while following news of a possible global catastrophe.
It’s a good setup for a comedy, and I hope you’ll come see how The Bluegrass Players bring it to the stage.
Three More Chances to See the Show
We have three remaining performances of Have a Nice Doomsday at The Spotlight Playhouse, 214 Richmond Road, Berea, Kentucky.
Friday, November 6, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 7, at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m.
Please note that Sunday’s final performance is an afternoon show, not an 8:00 p.m. performance. The runtime is approximately two hours.
Friday is Pay What You Can. Unsold tickets are released two hours before showtime, and patrons may name their own price for those seats, subject to availability.
The theater also has wheelchair-accessible seating with companion space in the front row.
You can reserve tickets through our official TicketSource box office. I encourage you to check the listing and choose the performance that works best for you.
Our next Bluegrass Players production, The Cherry Orchard, follows November 13 through 21 at The Spotlight Playhouse, 214 Richmond Road, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m. and a Sunday, November 15, performance at 4:00 p.m.
Join Us for the Final Weekend
For now, I hope you’ll join us for one of these last three performances of Have a Nice Doomsday.
The cast has a Thanksgiving dinner to get through, an asteroid to worry about, and a playwright who plans to see what they’ve made of his story.
I have enjoyed watching this production come together under Erika Howard’s direction, and I am happy that our relationship with Heartland Plays has given us the opportunity to bring Kevin McGovern’s comedy to Berea.
I’d love to have our neighbors from Berea and across Madison County in the audience as we close out the run.
After all, if the world is going to end, we might as well get a good laugh out of it.
✍️ About the Author
Chad Hembree serves as the Executive Director of Spotlight Acting School and The Spotlight Playhouse. A resident of Berea, Kentucky, and a former member of the Berea Council, he has spent decades working in community theater, arts education, and local journalism. Since 1995, he has operated BereaOnline.com, focusing on local news, civic issues, and stories that highlight community collaboration and grassroots efforts across Madison County.
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📅 Upcoming Community & Theater Events
- November 13–21, 2026: The Cherry Orchard, presented by The Bluegrass Players at The Spotlight Playhouse, 214 Richmond Road, Berea. Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m.; Sunday, November 15, at 4 p.m. 🎭
- November 13–22, 2026: Beetlejuice JR., presented by Spotlight Acting School at The Spotlight Playhouse, 214 Richmond Road, Berea. Friday and Saturday performances at 6 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. 🎭
This article originally appeared on BereaOnline.com – your home for Madison County news, community events, and local updates.