Death by — newspapers? 

Published 8:03 am Friday, June 2, 2017

As Pioneer Playhouse gears up for its season-opener, “Death by Darkness,” summer stock actors Matt Howie, Jonathan Priddy and Giuliana Carr put their tech skills to work. “Basically what they are doing is transforming the stage into the star chamber of Mammoth Cave,” says Heather Henson, managing director of the Playhouse. “And they are using a lot of newspaper to do it — it’s like fun with papier-mache. And using a lot of glue, too …” Henson says she guesses the crew has used thousands of newspapers to construct the chamber, and adds it’s amazing how well the actors work together and support each other.

“Death by Darkness” is a Kentucky Voices play written by local playwright Liz Orndorff, first produced at the Playhouse back in 2008 and brought back by popular demand. The play even inspired Henson, who is a children’s book author, to write, “Lift Your Light a Little Higher,” the story of Stephen Bishop — a slave who was bought and sold with Mammoth Cave and one of the most renowned guides in the 1800s.

To read more about the play — which opens Friday, June 9, and runs through Saturday, June 24 — check back in the weekend edition. For tickets to the show, visit pioneerplayhouse.com or call (859) 236-2747.