The brightest lights this year are not on Broadway. They are right here at home.
Let’s get something straight. You do not need a flight to New York or a parking garage bill that costs more than dinner to experience great theater. Sometimes the best performances happen a few miles from your house, inside auditoriums where the applause feels louder because someone in the cast might bag your groceries or sit next to your kid in math class.
South Central Kentucky is stacked this year. High schools. Community theaters. College stages. Elementary performers stealing scenes before they even have driver’s permits.
Here is what is worth circling on the calendar. Take the night out. Silence the phone. Let the curtain rise.
Steel Magnolias
Ramsey Theatre Company at SKyPAC | February 21–22
Few plays capture friendship like this Southern classic. Sharp humor meets emotional depth as six women remind us that strength often looks like laughter inside a beauty salon. Intimate, heartfelt, and a perfect way to ease into the theater season.
Perfect Arrangement
Western Kentucky University Theatre & Dance | Feb. 27 – March 3
Set during the paranoia of the Red Scare, this clever comedy follows two government workers hiding secrets in plain sight. It is fast, funny, and a reminder that fear has always been terrible at minding its own business. Recommended for mature audiences who like their laughs with a little bite.
Vanities
The Public Theatre of Kentucky | March 6 – 15
Three Texas girls grow up, drift apart, and discover that adulthood looks nothing like the pep rallies promised. It is nostalgic without being syrupy and honest enough to make you text an old friend afterward.
Chicago
Ramsey Theatre Company at SKyPAC | March 19
All that jazz arrives in Bowling Green for one night. Expect precision choreography, iconic music, and the kind of theatrical confidence that reminds you why this show has never really left the spotlight.
Newsies
Franklin-Simpson High School | March 20 – 22
Teenagers singing about labor rights should not feel this electric, yet here we are. Expect big choreography, bigger vocals, and the contagious energy that makes this musical a crowd favorite.
Into the Woods
Greenwood High School | March 20 – 22
Barren County High School | April 17 – 19
Fairy tales intertwine, wishes unravel, and everyone learns that actions echo longer than expected. Stephen Sondheim knew how to sneak life lessons into soaring melodies.
The Miracle Worker
Fountain Square Players | March 26 – 29
The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan still hits with emotional force. It is about perseverance, trust, and the stubborn belief that breakthroughs are always possible.
Once Upon a Mattress
South Warren High School | March 26 – 29
A princess refuses to be delicate and chaos follows. Bright, clever, and exactly the kind of musical that sends audiences home lighter than they arrived.
Disney’s Frozen Kids
Warren East High School | March 27 – 28
You know what the Princesses are up to and your kids are going to love this show!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Foundation Christian Academy | March 27 – 29
Golden tickets still tempt the bold. The lesson remains timeless. Character always matters more than candy.
James and the Giant Peach JR.
BG OnStage at SKyPAC | April 2
A young boy, a magical peach, and a wildly imaginative journey across the ocean. Family-friendly theater that quietly creates the next generation of arts lovers.
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
WKU Theatre & Dance | April 10 – 12
Now picture that whimsical world scaled up with collegiate production design and creative ambition. Expect visual surprises and a stage that refuses to sit still.
Legally Blonde
Bowling Green High School | April 17 – 19
Elle Woods walks into Harvard Law without shrinking herself to fit expectations. Optimistic, funny, and sneakily empowering. And keep an eye out for Paulette.
Disney’s Descendants
Warren Central High School | April 24 – 26
The children of villains step forward to write their own futures. Energetic, modern, and packed with personality.
Frozen
Glasgow High School | April 24 – 26
At its core, this story is about love that refuses to quit. Expect vocals that raise goosebumps. A Perfect night out for the family.
Carousel in Concert
Rodgers and Hammerstein endure because their music still feels immediate. Sweeping and timeless.
Mamma Mia!
Allen County-Scottsville High School | May 2 – 3
ABBA never really left. Sunshine energy, family secrets, and songs you will hum all the way home.
Puffs
Public Theatre of Kentucky | May 15 – 17
A wizard-school comedy told from the perspective of the overlooked students. Self-aware and built for laughs.
Hadestown
Ramsey Theatre Company at SKyPAC | May 28
Myth meets modern folk in one of the most celebrated musicals of the past decade. Atmospheric, emotional, and musically unforgettable. If you see one touring-caliber show this season, this is a strong candidate.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Ramsey Theatre Company at SKyPAC | June 26 – 28
A sweeping story about belonging staged with the scale it deserves. Expect a full-bodied production and the kind of sound that fills every corner of the theater.
How The Other Half Loves
Public Theatre of Kentucky | Sept. 4 – 13
A British farce powered by timing, misunderstandings, and dinner parties that unravel spectacularly.
The Melting Pot
Fountain Square Players | Sept. 24 – 27
A thoughtful drama exploring identity and the complicated hope of becoming American. Theater that invites conversation afterward.
The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays
Fountain Square Players | Nov. 12 – 15
Actors, secrets, and a murder mystery with enough twists to keep audiences deliciously suspicious.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Public Theatre of Kentucky | Dec. 11 – 13
A wildly unprepared group of kids storms a holiday tradition and accidentally rediscovers its heart. Funny, messy, and exactly what December calls for.
GO TO A SHOW THIS YEAR! Go to multiple!
Local theater is where confidence is discovered. Where future engineers run lighting boards. Where shy students find their voice somewhere between rehearsal and opening night.
You could scroll another night away.
Or you could sit beside your neighbors as something unfolds live, imperfect, and completely human.
Buy the ticket. Applaud loudly.
Because long before performers chase Broadway, they learn how to hold a room right here at home.