The 2008-2009 Center Stage season, presented by Lake Cumberland Performing Arts in partnership with The Center for Rural Development, has something to please everyone with a wonderfully entertaining lineup. As always, patrons can purchase an entire season, as well as individual tickets to any production.

Pre-show events will be scheduled for each performance.
Please check the calendar for more details.

NEW! Online ticket sales now available!
Service fee will apply

For more information, call The Center Box Office at 606-677-6000 or email at boxoffice@centertech.com.

Tickets may be purchased by stopping by or calling The Center Box Office at 677-6000

2008-2009 SEASON SCHEDULE

The Spencers Friday, 9/12/08 $25 adults/$15 children and students

The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion is a magical concert for your eyes…and what The Spencers create is theatre in the truest sense of the word! They have redefined the art of illusion and are shattering the stereotype of the traditional magician and assistant. Theatre of Illusion is a spectacular production filled with never-before-seen illusions – original magical creations designed exclusively for the Spencers. By combining original theatrical elements (music, movement, storytelling, scenery, dramatic lighting, and more) with state-of-the-art illusions and audience interaction, the Spencers create much more than a magic show. This is one show you won’t want to miss! (The Spencers)

An Evening of Kentucky Music Friday, 10/24/08 $20 adults/$10 children and students

An Evening of Kentucky Music (Jay Flippin/Gordon Towell Jazz Group, Juggernaut Jug Band, & Eddie Pennington, thumb style guitarist) will provide the audience with an opportunity to enjoy three Kentucky bands performing three different styles of Kentucky based music. This performance will feature some of Kentucky’s leading musicians who will entertain you with jazz, jug band, and thumb-style guitar. Jay Flippin works regularly with several jazz and commercial groups, and averages more than 150 performances a year. In February, 2006, Jay was chosen Kentucky Artist of the Year by the Governor’s Council for the Arts. Jay Flippin on the piano, Gordon Towell on the saxophone and their band will present a program comprised from a repertoire of standards, jazz standards, and original songs. The Juggernaut Jug Band started some thirty years ago when a group of friends became fascinated by jug band music. The group is dedicated to preserving the music and the spirit of the original Louisville Jug bands of the early 1900s. The Juggernaut Jug Band keeps the music and humor of the original jug bands alive and the audience is invited to have as much fun as the band. Their exuberant music is the result of skillful arrangements and unique vocal harmonies. Eddie Pennington is considered by his peers to be the greatest living thumb-style guitarist. The thumb-picking style of playing originated in Western Kentucky, Pennington’s home, and was popularized by singer-songwriter-guitarist Merle Travis. Pennington’s performances are marked by his humorous southern mannerisms and his ability to get the audience tapping their toes to the sounds of a four-piece orchestra originating from a single guitar. In 2005, he received the Governor’s Award and the Arts Folk Heritage Award. He will be joined on stage by his son, Alonzo Pennington. (Jay Flippin & Gordon Towell, The Juggernaut Jug Band, Eddie Pennington)

The Nutcracker Ballet Saturday, 12/6/08 $35 adults/$25 children and students

The Nutcracker Ballet, produced and performed by Kentucky Ballet Theatre returns for the holiday season. People of all ages wait in anticipation all year to see and hear the story once again of the familiar characters such as young Clara, the charming Nutcracker Prince, the magical Sugar Plum Fairy, and the fierce Mouse King. The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 and Kentucky Ballet Theatre will thrill you as they bring to life this classic ballet with Tchaikovsky’s stirring musical score, the magical set and scenery, and beautiful costumes. Make your holiday complete and enjoy this cherished tradition as a family or with friends. (Kentucky Ballet Theatre)

Holiday on Broadway Saturday, 12/13/08 $30 adults/$20 children and students

Holiday on Broadway features celebrated Broadway stars Raymond Saar, Diane Ketchie, Valerie Perri, and Scott Harlan and promises an evening of unforgettable music to celebrate this festive season. This exciting new show combines inspirational Broadway songs and music of the season as well as a hilarious Saturday Night Live style twist on your favorite holiday tunes. This talented group will celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Three Kings Day and Kwanza with traditional seasonal music from around the world. Whether you are an experienced theatergoer or a first timer, these Broadway stars will lift your spirits and warm your heart. (ETC Entertainment)

Puttin’ On The Hitz! Friday, 2/6/09 $25 adults/$15 children and students

Puttin’ On The Hitz! The Best of Irvin Berlin is a musical journey featuring the best of the 1200+ songs written in the lifetime of Irving Berlin, spanning more than 100 years. Go steppin’ out with the dynamic cast of eight singer/dancers plus a quartet of the finest jazz musicians as they put on their top hat, white tie and tails underneath the stars of a Manhattan skyline. With scintillating choreography, spectacular scenery and sophisticated costumes, there’s no business like show business! Irving Berlin wrote some of the greatest and most treasured songs of the twentieth century including “Easter Parade,”and “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” His “White Christmas” is one of the most recorded songs in music history and his “God Bless America” is a beloved unofficial U.S. national anthem. Jerome Kern quotes: “Irvine Berlin has no place in American music - he IS American music.” (Alkahest Artists and Attractions)

Riders in the Sky Friday, 3/13/09 $25 adults/ $15 children and students

Riders in the Sky stand “hats & shoulders” above the rest of the purveyors of C & W – “Comedy & Western!” They are the ONLY exclusively Western artist to have won a Grammy, and Riders have won two. For thirty years Riders in the Sky have been keepers of the flame passed on by the Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, reviving and revitalizing the genre. And while remaining true to the integrity of Western music, they have themselves become modern-day icons by branding the genre with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit, and all along encouraging buckaroos and buckarettes to live life “The Cowboy Way!” Enjoy this classic cowboy quartet with family and friends. (New Frontier Touring)

Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra Saturday, 4/25/09 $20 adults/$10 children and students

Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2000 by music director and conductor Mr. Jeffrey A. Reed. Under the direction of Maestro Reed, known for his unorthodox method of combining a wide variety of music on the same program, the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra will present an evening of classical and bluegrass music. The classical music will include portions of “Appalachian Spring,” and the bluegrass part of the concert will feature two-time Grammy winner Curtis Burch. The Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra’s goal at each concert is to “wow” the audience, and this spectacular performance is sure to do just that. (Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra)

To Kill a Mockingbird Thursday, 5/14/09 $25 adults/$15 children and students

To Kill a Mockingbird is produced and performed by Montana Repertory Theatre. Winner of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is unquestionably an American classic. This novel, now celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its publication, was brought to the screen in an Academy Award-winning adaptation by Horton Foote in 1962 and was later adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel. Though over 35 years old, this stage adaptation continues to compel and delight viewers worldwide with its warmth, wit, and wisdom. Audiences find themselves transported to a sleepy Southern town in the 1930s and discover that the issues of that time – prejudice, racism, and human values – are issues of all time. Watch this classic tale unfold as its colorful characters develop and bring you a compelling performance of To Kill a Mockingbird. Rena Shagan Associates/Montana Repertory Theatre)