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Black Hills Playhouse

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Mandan Lynn
Mandan Lynn
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
4
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Editor Pick

Black Hills Playhouse

  • August 26, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Mandan Lynn from Smithwick, South Dakota
Black Hills Playhouse

Tucked into the Hills in Custer State Park is the Black Hills Playhouse, a small professional theatre that produces five plays each summer. The Playhouse consistently produces fine work and employs professionals and newcomers alike. They work with directors who come straight from Broadway, actors who must get permission from the unions to act on the BHP stage, and designers who spend their winter months working on sets in New York and Los Angeles. Jenny Fehlner, who starred in Broadway’s Mama Mia, Jarod Emick, who won a Tony for his work on Broadway in Damn Yankees, and Ahna Packard, who works on the sets for television’s Star Trek and Monk, have all worked at the Playhouse, both before and after having “made it“.

Each season includes two musicals. In recent years, they have done Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, and Once Upon a Mattress. The other three plays are either comedies or dramas.

The Playhouse is a bit rustic -- the buildings once made up a CCC camp. The theatre and some of the other buildings have been renovated. The theatre, which seats about 400 people between the floor and the balcony, recently got new bathrooms and new seats.

When you drive onto the Playhouse grounds to see a play, you will be directed to park your car by some of the BHP employees, often college-aged students who aren’t acting in this evening’s production. After you get out of your car, you can spend some time at the snack bar, sipping on hot chocolate or iced tea, depending on the weather, and looking at the marquees from seasons past. If you’ve been to the Playhouse before, don’t be surprised if you see a familiar face -- many of the employees come back year after year.

Thirty minutes before the play begins, the usher will ring a bell and shout, “The house is open!” At this time, you can proceed to the door where you will be met by people ready to help you to your seat. Depending on the size of the company and how many people are busy with the show, some of these ushers might be actors in tonight’s performance! While you wait for the show to being, you can look through your program, which includes photos and brief biographies of all this year’s Playhouse employees, from the actors to the ticket clerks to the cook.

And then the play! I’ve never seen a bad production at the Playhouse. It’s amazing -- there are five plays each summer, and each play runs for two or three weeks, so the company has only that much time to get the next play ready! Imagine: two weeks to learn all those lines, the blocking, the songs, the dances. It’s impressive.

Make room in your Black Hills visit for a trip to the Black Hills Playhouse. Performances are at 8pm Tuesday-Saturday and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Check a schedule to see what's on.

From journal My Black Hills

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