Comedy

West T. Hill Community Theatre's annual Play Reading Week, running Monday through Thursday, features a wide variety of fare. Excerpts from comedies, dramas, a holiday musical comedy, and kid-oriented offerings will be read during the week. "Play Reading Week is a tool we use to have a better handle on the pulse of what the public is looking for us to produce on our stage," says managing director Karen L. Logue. "And it's to give folks a non-stage, non-threatening venue to read comfortably.

West T. Hill Community Theatre’s annual Play Reading week will be March 6-9. The four-day event is an opportunity for the community to read excerpts of the plays the theater’s personnel are considering for the 2011-2012 season. The readings will be held in West’s Wing on North Third Street. The Sunday session begins at 2:30 p.m.; the weekday sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. West T. Hill Community Theatre Managing Director Karen L. Logue said there isn’t a common thread quilting together the plays that will be read this year.

A Night of Comedy will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Danville Convention Center. Lee Cruse, a Channel 18 personality, and Scott Wilson of 98.1 the Bull radio will be the guest comedians. Tickets will be sold at the door or call the convention center at (859) 936-0020. They are $10 each.

Back by popular demand is a standup comedy show at Pioneer Playhouse, set for Friday and Saturday. Holly Henson, who says she'll be doing more hosting and less comedy this year, said attendance at last year's standup comedy gig was good. So she decided to bring back the special event this year. The feature act of the show is Dominic Dierkes, who Henson hooked up with through a long-time Louisville comedy agent. "He believes he'll be the next biggest thing, the next big star," she says.

Dear Editor: The editorial Wednesday concerning Sen. Hillary Clinton and her remarks about Bush brings me to ask just who or which party is the comedy act? The Republican Party certainly can't be made out to be the honest and moral party they parade to be.The Bush White House has misled and decieved America more times than one can count. Karl Rove, whom Bush describes as the architect of his re-election, is now under fire for possibly revealing a CIA agent's identity. Bush still won't answer questions about the Downing Street memo, which United States and British officials describe as authentic.

HARRODSBURG - There's a fine line to walk when directing a show with which a lot of people could be familiar. Familiarity might be a problem - but then, if you like the script, why not just have fun? That seems to be director Steve Sleeper's attitude toward "You Can't Take It With You," arguably one of the old chestnuts of theater, and Ragged Edge Community Theater's season-opener. "I like this play because it is so much fun to watch and yet has a message that is worth taking serious," says Sleeper.

An event that last year began as a dinner show has evolved into a performance happening this year. Tickled Pink, presented by the Ephraim McDowell Health Care Foundation, is a breast cancer awareness event, according to Carrie Truitt, grant and development analyst for the foundation. “We are just trying to generate awareness for breast cancer,” Truitt said, “and that ... early detection is the best prevention.” Truitt said last year's event was presented by the marketing department.

Pioneer Playhouse will present five comedies during the 2005 summer season, which runs June 9 through Aug. 20. Shows are performed nightly Tuesday through Saturday. Dinner is served each evening at 7:30 p.m. Live music is provided during the dinner hour, and the show begins promptly at 8:30 p.m. Plays are held inside in case of rain. Each of the five plays will run for two full weeks. America's "Most Amazing Outdoor Dinner Theatre" is situated right here in the heart of the Bluegrass.

Steve Meadows wanted a comedy with lots of roles. He teaches a lot of students at Danville High School, after all. Open the playbook to "The Good Doctor," a play set in late 19th-century Russia, and find a piece that fits the bill. "I was looking for a comedy that would allow opportunities for many actors to shine, as I currently have a lot of comic talent in the building," says Meadows. "The individual nature of each of the scenes allows me to have numerous primary characters as well as rich comic writing from Neil Simon, one of the great American comedy writers.

David Hilder has had a packed schedule since his last stint at Pioneer Playhouse, with last summer's "You Can't Take It With You. " He's been doing a lot of writing, he says, and he was assistant director for the Tony Award-nominated "Frozen. " "That project was the bulk of 2004 for me," says Hilder. And he is enjoying the production he currently is directing at Pioneer Playhouse, "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. " "It has comedy, both high and low," explains Hilder, who is based out of New York.