Electronic Field Trip to Horse Cave Theatre

Tucked away in a small town in southcentral Kentucky’s cave country is a remarkable regional theater company: the Kentucky Repertory Theatre in Horse Cave (known as Horse Cave Theatre until a 2004 name change), which has been bringing both stage classics and original dramas to audiences from throughout the region since 1977. This KET video field trip goes behind the scenes to explore what it takes to mount a theatrical production and to meet the people whose professionalism and dedication to both art and education make the theater a vibrant part of its community.

This 2001 KET production was shot during a 25th-anniversary restaging of George Bernard Shaw’s Candida, the play with which Horse Cave Theatre began its first season. The program includes excerpts from rehearsals of that production, as well as a backstage look at the operations of a regional theater. A detailed program rundown is included in our teacher’s section.

For information on purchasing this field trip or other KET electronic field trips on videotape or DVD, call (800) 945-9167 or e-mail .

Horse Cave Extra:
Liz’s Circus Story

The field trip to Horse Cave Theatre also includes scenes from rehearsals of Liz’s Circus Story, Kentuckian Liz Bussey Fentress’ one-woman autobiographical play based on her experiences as ringmistress of the Franzen Bros. Circus, which was originally staged in Horse Cave. In 2003, KET produced a rewritten version of the play for television. See the companion web site for behind-the-scenes interviews and photos, background information on the play and the playwright, and comparisons of stage and television production.