HARRODSBURG — A new show titled “James Harrod: The Battle for Kentucky” goes up today at Old Fort Harrod State Park amphitheater.
The play was written by a Fort Harrod employee, Lisa Botner Goodrich, and the actor who is playing the title role, Allan Barlow, according to Ragged Edge Community Theatre artistic director Tagan Cox. RECT is producing the show.
“We are producting this show because it was important to the Ragged Edge and those at the fort to have a production that centered around Harrodsburg staged in the historical amphitheater,” Cox said. “While ‘The Legend of Daniel Boone’ was a great show, it did not tell the story of our town. Since Harrodsburg is the oldest settlement in Kentucky, we felt it was important that we have a play that told our story.”
“The Battle for Kentucky” isn’t the first time Fort Harrod and Ragged Edge have collaborated.
Since “Boone” closed in 2004, the two entities have teamed up a few times to present dramatic productions in the mostly-vacant amphitheater.
“We wanted to bring it back to life,” Cox said. “The Ragged Edge used the amphitheater to perform one of our Main Stage shows in our 2009-2010 season, and after that we began talking with David Coleman, the fort director, about creating a new show that would tell the story of Harrodsburg’s settlement.”
“James Harrod: The Battle for Kentucky” runs Friday and Saturday, July 20-21 and 27-28 at the Fort Harrod amphitheater. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, call (859) 734-3314.
