PHS History
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Our History
Since we first opened our doors in 1960, Playhouse South has been known by many names, and have produced our highly acclaimed productions in a variety of locations.
Kettering Community Theatre was founded by Jocelyn Feeman and its first home was in the basement of the Bar Jan Bowling Lanes on Kettering Boulevard. The first production was "Picnic," directed by Ken Hardin. Five shows were presented in the bowling alley before the group relocated to a small building at the corner of Devon Avenue and Wilmington Pike in 1962. When the owner of that building sold it to be turned into a filling station, Dille's Barn at 5700 Wilmington Avenue was obtained for the 1963 season. However, the $150 rental fee proved to be too steep, and within a year a fourth location was found, the loft quarters of the Ireland Barn on Hempstead Road.
In 1967, the owner of the Ireland Barn sold the property. Our theatre group, now called K-O (Kettering-Oakwood) Community Theatre, set up temporary quarters in the Barnes Junior High School auditorium. A year later, a sixth move followed to a small, 65-seat building in Indian Rifle Park, where K-O stayed from 1968 to 1985. When the city of Kettering announced that they would be tearing down the building to put in a road, the group moved to Centerville, where for two seasons we performed in the undercroft of St. Lonard's Center Retirement Community.
In 1987, we found a home in the Washington Township Hall on Main Street. With this move, our group's name was changed to Playhouse South, which more closely reflected our goal of bringing quality live theatre performances to Dayton's south suburbs. Many seasons follwed at that location before the move in the summer of 1997 to Miamisburg at the Historic Baum Opera House. After nine successful seasons at the Baum, in July 2006 we moved to our present home in Kettering - the Clark Haines Theatre in the Kettering Board of Education Building - the former home of Kettering Theatre Under The Stars.
The Playhouse South organization is entirely volunteer, from actors to board members to front office personnel. Operating funds are obtained from box office receipts and patron donations. Over the years, we have enjoyed steady growth, bigger audiences, more volunteers and a larger subscriber base.
Kettering Community Theatre was founded by Jocelyn Feeman and its first home was in the basement of the Bar Jan Bowling Lanes on Kettering Boulevard. The first production was "Picnic," directed by Ken Hardin. Five shows were presented in the bowling alley before the group relocated to a small building at the corner of Devon Avenue and Wilmington Pike in 1962. When the owner of that building sold it to be turned into a filling station, Dille's Barn at 5700 Wilmington Avenue was obtained for the 1963 season. However, the $150 rental fee proved to be too steep, and within a year a fourth location was found, the loft quarters of the Ireland Barn on Hempstead Road.
In 1967, the owner of the Ireland Barn sold the property. Our theatre group, now called K-O (Kettering-Oakwood) Community Theatre, set up temporary quarters in the Barnes Junior High School auditorium. A year later, a sixth move followed to a small, 65-seat building in Indian Rifle Park, where K-O stayed from 1968 to 1985. When the city of Kettering announced that they would be tearing down the building to put in a road, the group moved to Centerville, where for two seasons we performed in the undercroft of St. Lonard's Center Retirement Community.
In 1987, we found a home in the Washington Township Hall on Main Street. With this move, our group's name was changed to Playhouse South, which more closely reflected our goal of bringing quality live theatre performances to Dayton's south suburbs. Many seasons follwed at that location before the move in the summer of 1997 to Miamisburg at the Historic Baum Opera House. After nine successful seasons at the Baum, in July 2006 we moved to our present home in Kettering - the Clark Haines Theatre in the Kettering Board of Education Building - the former home of Kettering Theatre Under The Stars.
The Playhouse South organization is entirely volunteer, from actors to board members to front office personnel. Operating funds are obtained from box office receipts and patron donations. Over the years, we have enjoyed steady growth, bigger audiences, more volunteers and a larger subscriber base.