LifeAlaska · May 27, 2026
kenai made a national list
The Kenai Performers were picked as one of six U.S. theaters for a national new play program premiering this July in Soldotna.
Daily Alaska staff · May 27, 2026
The Kenai Performers, a community theater group on the Kenai Peninsula, have been selected as one of six theaters nationwide to produce a winning script through the American Association of Community Theaters NewPlayFest. The company will stage the worldwide premiere of Mystery at the Black Dog Tavern, a whodunit set in 1840s Virginia written by playwright Christopher Hencke and directed by Phil Morin.
The selection means audiences in Soldotna will see the play before it is performed anywhere else in the world, a distinction organizers call a genuine honor in community theater.
In early July, Hencke and a national dramaturg will travel to the Kenai Peninsula for a three day workshop with the local cast ahead of opening night.
The premiere opens July 31 and runs two weekends, July 31 through August 2 and August 7 through 9, in Soldotna.
For Kenai, Soldotna and the rest of the Kenai Peninsula, the selection puts a small town stage in front of a national audience.
In this story
Questions people ask
What Alaska theater made a national new play list?
The Kenai Performers were chosen as one of six theaters nationwide by the American Association of Community Theaters NewPlayFest.
What play are they premiering and when?
Mystery at the Black Dog Tavern opens July 31 in Soldotna and runs two weekends through August 9.
Who wrote and directed the play?
Christopher Hencke wrote it and Phil Morin is directing it. Hencke and a national dramaturg will hold a three day workshop with the cast in early July.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- The Kenai Performers are one of six theaters nationwide selected through the American Association of Community Theaters NewPlayFest. · peninsulaclarion.com
- Mystery at the Black Dog Tavern, written by Christopher Hencke, will have its worldwide premiere in Soldotna. · peninsulaclarion.com
- The premiere opens July 31 and runs two weekends, July 31 through August 2 and August 7 through 9. · peninsulaclarion.com
Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing. How we use AI →