Author: BereaOnline Staff
🎠Two Shakespeare Shows Are Coming to The Spotlight Playhouse: One for Teens and One for the Wider Community
BEREA, Ky. — Shakespeare is showing up twice on The Spotlight Playhouse schedule this season, and the two productions are aimed at distinct parts of the community. In March, Spotlight Acting School students take on the comedy The Taming of the Shrew with a two-cast format for teens. Looking ahead to June, the Bluegrass Players…
🎠“Grandpa Bill” in the Lobby: For the Hembrees, Shakespeare Is Literally Family Business
BEREA, Ky. — When The Spotlight Playhouse stages Shakespeare this spring and summer, it is not just because his work is a benchmark for actors. It is because inside this particular theater, Shakespeare is quite literally considered family. In the Spotlight lobby sits a bust of the Bard that staff and regulars affectionately call “Grandpa…
📜 From the Archives: When Nashville Called, and a Berea Teen Said “Not Yet”
Originally Published November 1995 | Updated Jan. 27, 2026 BEREA, Ky. — In the spring of 1992, a busload of Madison Southern High School students rolled into Nashville for the Music City Classic, hoping to bring home a trophy. They returned with awards, but one student returned with a life-altering choice. As Berea’s arts community…
Spotlight Playhouse Announces Auditions for Historic Dinner Show: “Mystery at Monarch Manor” – A World Premiere by Local Playwright Chad Hembree
The renowned Spotlight Playhouse is thrilled to announce auditions for its upcoming dinner show production, “Mystery at Monarch Manor”. This isn’t just any production; it’s a world premiere penned by local playwright Chad Hembree. As the curtains rise once again, this production holds a special place in the heart of the Spotlight community, marking a…