Category: Arts and Culture
News and features covering theater, music, visual arts, performances, local artists, cultural events, and creative life in Berea and surrounding communities.
🎭 Spotlight Acting School Opens Registration for “New York, New York” Summer Creative Arts Camp
BEREA, Ky. — Families in Berea looking for a summer option that blends creativity, structure, and performance have a new date to circle on the calendar. Registration is officially open for Spotlight Acting School’s Creative Arts Camp, a weeklong program for rising first through ninth graders hosted at The Spotlight Playhouse on Richmond Road. The…
🎺 High School Honor Band Festival Brings Student Musicians and Families to Richmond This Weekend
RICHMOND, Ky. — If you notice a little more traffic and more families around Richmond between now and Saturday, it is likely tied to Eastern Kentucky University’s High School Honor Band Festival, running Thursday, Feb. 19 through Saturday, Feb. 21. EKU bills this as the 33rd annual edition of the festival, which brings together high…
🎺 EKU Wind Ensemble and Concert Band Play March 3 at EKU Center for the Arts
RICHMOND, Ky. — Eastern Kentucky University’s Wind Ensemble and Concert Band will take the stage Tuesday, March 3, with a 7:30 p.m. concert at the EKU Center for the Arts in Richmond. The university lists the performance as free and open to all ages. For Berea listeners, this is the kind of low-effort weeknight concert…
🎭 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…
🎶 EKU Choirs Set March 2 NYC Preview Concert in Richmond, With World Premiere Work
RICHMOND, Ky. — Eastern Kentucky University’s Choirs will share a public preview of their upcoming New York City program on Monday, March 2, with a 7:30 p.m. concert at Gifford Theatre in Richmond. The university lists the event as free admission, making it an easy weeknight option for Berea-area listeners who want to hear the…
🎶 Black Music Ensemble Spring Concert Set for March 20 at Berea College
BEREA, Ky. — Berea College’s Black Music Ensemble will present its Spring Concert on Friday, March 20, at 7:00 p.m. in Gray Auditorium (Presser Hall). The Music Department lists the concert as free and open to the public. If you have not been before, this is typically one of the spring performances that feels more…
🤠 “Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch” Returns Feb. 22, Feb. 27–28, and March 1 After Ice Storm Cancellations
BEREA, Ky. — If you planned to catch Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch and the recent ice storm wiped out your night out, The Spotlight Playhouse is bringing it back. The theater has rescheduled the performances that were lost to the weather, and the production is now set to run on Feb. 22, Feb. 27,…
🎭 Annie KIDS Auditions Set Feb. 28 at Spotlight Acting School for Ages 4 to 11
BEREA, Ky. — Spotlight Acting School will hold auditions for Annie KIDS on Saturday, Feb. 28, with a 10:30 a.m. start time at 214 Richmond Road in Berea. The school’s audition notice says families do not need to pre-register. Students can enroll even if they do not audition, as the auditions are mainly for children…
🎹 Guest Piano Recital: Gregory Sioles Comes to Berea College on March 10
BEREA, Ky. — Berea College’s Music Department has a free guest piano recital on the calendar for Tuesday, March 10, featuring pianist Gregory Sioles at 7:00 p.m. The performance is scheduled for Gray Auditorium in Presser Hall. For Berea residents, these guest recitals are one of the simplest ways to hear a high-level performer without…
🤠 William Lee Martin Brings “Comedy All In” to One Eyed Jacks in Berea on Feb. 21
BEREA, Ky. — One Eyed Jacks Social Club is hosting comedian William Lee Martin on Saturday, Feb. 21, with his “Comedy All In” tour listed for a night of storytelling and laughs from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Both the venue and Berea Tourism describe the stop as an “up close and personal” show. For comedy…
🖼️ “Dirt Pearls” Exhibit Reception Brings Portraits of Women Farmers and Live Music From Jewelweed to the Kentucky Guild on Feb. 21
BEREA, Ky. — An exhibit reception at the Kentucky Guild of Artists & Craftsmen on Saturday, Feb. 21, will pair documentary-style portrait work with a live performance, giving Berea residents a chance to spend an early evening downtown with art, conversation, and music in the same room. The event is billed as an introduction to…
🎭 “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…
🦁 Disney’s “The Lion King KIDS” Brings Young Performers to the Spotlight Stage Feb. 20–March 1, With a Two-Cast Schedule
BEREA, Ky. — The Spotlight Acting School is opening its spring season with Disney’s “The Lion King KIDS,” a youth production built for young performers and family audiences, running Feb. 20 to March 1 at The Spotlight Playhouse. The show features students ages 4 to 11, with a “Blue Cast” and a “Purple Cast” so…
🎬 Berea College Convocation Feb. 19 Features Documentary Screening “The Wisdom of Happiness”
BEREA, Ky. — Berea College’s Spring 2026 convocation series continues Thursday, Feb. 19, with an 8:00 p.m. Stephenson Memorial Concert event billed as a documentary screening of The Wisdom of Happiness in Phelps Stokes Auditorium. The convocation schedule lists the event simply as a screening, which is a little different from the live performance many…
🎤 ‘The Choir of Man’ Plays the EKU Center Feb. 25 — A Midweek Show That Is Basically in Our Backyard
BEREA, Ky. — On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the international hit The Choir of Man comes to the EKU Center for the Arts for a 7:00 p.m. performance, bringing a high-energy pub atmosphere to the stage for a midweek night out. 🎶 What Kind of Show It Is The EKU Center describes The Choir of Man…
🍲 Berea Arts Council ‘Chili Night Out’ Is More Than Dinner and a Concert — It Is a Fundraiser That Keeps Arts Access Open
BEREA, Ky. — The Berea Arts Council (BAC) is inviting the community to Churchill’s on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for Chili Night Out, a benefit dinner and concert featuring live music by Mud Pi and a chili dinner catered by Honeysuckle (with vegan options available). 🎟️ Tickets & Details 💡 Where…
📚 Black History Month at Hutchins Library: Displays and Events Highlight Dr. Carter G. Woodson Legacy
BEREA, Ky. — Hutchins Library is marking Black History Month with month-long displays and related events in collaboration with Special Collections and Archives, inviting the public to explore materials that connect Berea’s local story to national Black history. A central thread this month is the legacy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Berea College alumnus…
🎻 Louisville Orchestra Brings Its “In Harmony” Tour to Berea on Feb. 25 With Two Free Performances
BEREA, Ky. — Berea gets a two-part Louisville Orchestra visit on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with an intimate afternoon performance downtown and a full orchestra concert that evening. First, a string quintet from the orchestra will perform at the Berea Arts Council at 2:30 p.m. Later the same day, the full Louisville Orchestra will present a…
🎶 Folk Roots Ensemble “Ballad Night” Returns Feb. 13 — A Living Piece of Berea’s Musical Identity
BEREA, Ky. — Berea’s cultural DNA has always included the unamplified kind of music—the kind passed hand-to-hand, voice-to-voice, where the story matters as much as the sound. That tradition gets a spotlight on Friday, Feb. 13, when the Berea College Folk Roots Ensemble hosts Ballad Night at 7:30 p.m. in the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center.…
🎭 Spotlight Playhouse Preview: Three Shows, Three Weekends — Your February–March Plan Starts Here
BEREA, Ky. — If you’re looking for a simple “what are we doing this weekend?” answer, The Spotlight Playhouse has a strong late-winter run lined up: a Valentine’s-weekend murder mystery dinner, a youth “Lion King” double-cast run, and a teen-led Shakespeare comedy. Here’s the full preview—with a little more about what each show actually is.…