About 10 miles south of Keystone, on the northern edge of Custer State Park, there’s a magical place that for 70 years has been a nighttime gathering place for summer visitors, Black Hills locals and aspiring young actors.
Black Hills Playhouse, in the long tradition of summer stock theater, has been putting on musicals, dramas and comedies with a cast made up of University of South Dakota theater majors and professional actors who seek the cool, pine-covered summer backdrop.
The Black Hills Playhouse celebrates its 70th season this summer. Its founder, Dr. Warren M. “Doc” Lee of the University of South Dakota, moved the company into an abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps camp. Over the years, despite fires, fundraising challenges and political attempts to take over the site, Black Hills Playhouse has evolved into perhaps South Dakota’s best-known and most-loved live theater venue.
Each summer, Black Hills Playhouse puts on half a dozen shows. This year’s slate includes “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “She Loves Me,” “Shrek the Musical” and “Moonlight & Magnolias.”
For more information, visit blackhillsplayhouse.com