At the Lime Kiln Theater, the stage’s the thing

By Bryan Gentry

Published: September 4, 2008

The moment I start down the dirt road leading through a forest to a theater, the magic begins.

It hardly feels like I left a non-stop Friday at work just about an hour ago. I’m surrounded by trees, on my way to see a play.

Years ago, outdoor meetings — whether for church or for Shakespeare — were common. I’m going back to that time.

The time travel will be via the Lime Kiln Theater, a venue practically hidden behind a neighborhood at Lexington’s city limit. It offers theater through the trees, under the stars, and with the ruins of a 19th century lime kiln in the background.

The unique setting has drawn me in several times, first as a spectator, and once as an actor. When I heard that a group from my alma mater, Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, would be performing “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the kiln, I naturally wanted to go.

A farmer built the kiln in the late 1890s to provide lime to a paper company in neighboring Buena Vista, the kiln’s Web site says. The farmer’s business failed, and the kiln fell apart.

In the 1960s, an English professor at Virginia Military Institute owned the land and came up with the idea that it would make a good theater. He got local actors and Washington & Lee University students to perform Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

In the decades since, the Lime Kiln Theater has become a site for shows throughout the summer and fall. Shakespeare’s plays make regular appearances, as do plays centered on Appalachian folk culture.

There are also a number of concerts, with groups ranging from bluegrass icons, The Seldom Scene, to violin virtuoso Janice Martin.

On my first visit to the Lime Kiln two years ago, I watched Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” Actors entered and exited through caves. They performed on rock ledges, dirt floors and different levels of the old kiln. It was the most unique setting I had ever seen.

Seeing the actors enjoy the setting so much, I thought, “I’ve got to be in a play here sometime.”

Last year, I got my chance. Robert Stoddard, a theater professor at SVU (from which I had just graduated) asked me to step in for a small role in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.”

Seeing the site from backstage, with its nooks, crannies, trails and natural beauty, I became a bigger fan of Lime Kiln.

Stoddard is directing Lime Kiln’s current show, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” a musical based on Charles Shultz’s Peanuts characters. The theater grounds include the Lime Kiln Bowl, a smaller amphitheater with a stage next to the kiln, where Charlie Brown and the gang hang out.

So, then, do I for the evening.

At the end of the dirt road, I hand $10 to a woman at an outdoor ticket booth, get my ticket and park in a grassy field.

When the play starts at 7:30 p.m., the sun is still shining. But as the light-hearted play unfolds, the light dims and stage lights mounted to trees take over.

I was impressed by the small cast’s ability to make a big sound — without the help of an auditorium’s walls for amplification — with a great harmonic blend.

I also really enjoyed being outside while being entertained. A lone leaf drifted by during one scene. Plus, I loved the fresh air.

But the outdoors has its negative side. A person sitting near me slapped his cheek and said, “I got a mosquito.”

At the end of the 90-minute play, the Lime Kiln Theater turned out to be a great place to unwind after a long work week. It combines entertainment with outdoor beauty.

if you’re going
WHAT: ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”
WHEN: 7:30 tonight
WHERE: The Lime Kiln Theater
OTHER EVENTS: The fall schedule can be found at http://www.theateratlimekiln.com.
GETTING THERE: Take U.S. 60 west through Lexington. After passing under a bridge at Washington & Lee University, take a left onto Borden Road. The road will have an entrance to Lime Kiln two-tenths of a mile on the left.
INFO: Call (540)463-7088 or e-mail or visit http://www.theateratlimekiln.com.