The Botanic Garden and My Old Kentucky Plays

My first exposure to the theatrical stage was probably at The Capitol Theater in my hometown of Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky. The theater was being used to show movies; we called it, "The Picture Show." A color card from Dairy Queen entitled us to a full Saturday of matinees and we watched the movies over and over. This is where my family took us to see all the popular movies, and all the old ones that were new to us. It was an ominous auditorium with darkly lit little broken faces on the walls, a massive stained-glass chandelier that hung over our heads, and medieval Spanish castle pillars and doorways that flanked the proscenium. After seeing the animated movie musical Sleeping Beauty there, I was convinced that Walt Disney had designed the interior of our Frankfort Capitol Theater. That stage and auditorium stood as a reminder of a time that had passed. A time of old Kentucky.