What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 5pm - 10pm Thursday 5pm - 12am Friday 5pm - 2am Saturday 5pm - 2am Sunday 5pm - 9pm

The Bard Theatre

Name: The Bard Theatre
Address: 511 E Burnett Avenue, Louisville, KY, 40217, US
Telephone: +15025369008
Price range: $

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Louisville, KY
The Bard Theatre

Producer of the most live theatre in KY since 2010

Donate on Zelle pay! [email protected]

Donate on Venmo!

501c3 non-profit theatre devoted to producing new American theatre, as well as hosting dozens of theatre companies, touring comedians, and improvisation troupes.

04/26/2026

No more confusion! The new location of The Bard is here at 511 E Burnett Ave! 🥰🤩❤️

04/12/2026

SUBMIT FOR TEN-TUCKY 2026 NOW!
Submission DEADLINE MAY 29th, 2026

Something's stirring in the wings! After a long intermission, the Tentucky Festival is officially making its grand return. "Though it be but ten minutes, it is fierce." (Apologies to Bill.) We’ve missed our creative crew, but the stage is finally set to bring the community back together. Ready to make your mark? Play submissions are officially OPEN! ✍️✨

Here are the guidelines created by the one & only Doug Schutte, himself:
--Playwrights must either be a native of KY, or a current resident of KY (adjacent counties in Indiana and Ohio are accepted).
--Plays should not have received more than 1 professional production in the Louisville, KY area.
--Playwrights may submit up to 2 scripts...so send your best! (These can be in addition to any 2024 submission!)
--Plays should be properly formatted. We do not require you to be precise with the industry standard, but please take a moment to review the formatting info below to make sure you are following the standard to a great extent.
--Plays are expected to be between 8 and 12 minutes. Plays noticeably shorter or longer than that window will not be considered, regardless of merit.
***PLEASE NOTE: SUBMITTED PLAYS MUST
EITHER BE SUBMITTED IN PDF OR GOOGLE DOC FORMAT
HAVE A SEPARATE TITLE PAGE WITH PLAY TITLE AND PLAYWRIGHT'S NAME. (NO PAGE NUMBER)
A SECOND PAGE WITH CHARACTER LISTINGS (DESCRIPTIONS, IF YOU HAVE THEM), SCENIC DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTION HISTORY IF APPLICABLE. (NO PAGE NUMBER), AND A PLAYWRIGHT BIO OF BETWEEN 100 AND 200 WORDS.
HAVE PAGE NUMBERS FOR THE PLAY ITSELF
UTILIZE 12-PT FONT AND 1-INCH MARGINS
BE 8 PAGES OR MORE (NOT INCLUDING TITLE PAGE AND DESCRIPTION PAGE)
BE 13 PAGES OR FEWER (NOT INCLUDING TITLE PAGE AND DESCRIPTION PAGE)
All genres accepted; however, plays with inordinate amounts of technical requirements are rarely selected. Our focus is on the play--the story, the performance of it. If your 10-minute play has numerous scene changes, elaborate lighting needs, or a live band from Tupelo, we will probably think it is fascinating, but we won't be able to produce it.

Email submissions to [email protected] with the subject line "2026 [LAST NAME] Tentucky Submission"

03/21/2026

The time has finally come, folks! 🎭✨

The Inaugural Benefit for the Doug Schutte Memorial Fund is TONIGHT—the band is ready, the mood is set, and the online auction is officially OPEN.

We’ve got some truly incredible items up for grabs this year, including:

🍰 A Year of SissyCakes — twelve months of pure joy
🎭 The Audition Accelerator Package — voice lessons, audition coaching, and professional headshots
💃 Intro to Burlesque Sessions — A beginner's course in confidence, movement, and performance
🧹 4 Hours of Professional House Cleaning — the reset you didn’t know you needed
🎉 Private Party for 30 at The Bard — your own night on stage

…and more.

Every bid supports the Doug Schutte Memorial Fund, helping open this stage to artists and performances that might not otherwise have a home.

👉 Start bidding now: https://givebutter.com/c/schutte-fund-benefit-qomqgw/auction

Come celebrate, bid big, and help us keep Doug's dream alive ❤️

Doors open at 7, we'll see you there!

03/17/2026

The Bard Needs Your Memories! 🎭

Did you make something weird, wonderful, or completely unhinged at The Bard?

Musicals, improv, stand-up, sketch comedy, experimental theatre, burlesque, drag, a world premiere, a reading, a playwriting festival—or something that could only exist here—we want to hear about it!

As we reopen in a new space, we’re gathering stories that celebrate about how The Bard has supported artists in our community. We’d love to hear:
�• How The Bard gave you a space to create or perform�
• What that experience meant to you�
• How it helped bring your work to life

We’re also collecting photos from past productions—especially ones Doug may not have had the chance to capture.

Please send your stories, testimonials, and photos to: [email protected]

If you’re including photos, please add the name of the show and the year it was performed.

Help us honor the past as we build the future, and let’s celebrate the art that happened because this space existed! ❤️

03/12/2026

Happy birthday to the one and only Doug Schutte! Your infectious passion, wackiness, punny humor, big brain, and even bigger heart is missed every day. Do you have a favorite memory of Doug and The Bard? We'd love to hear it. Share a story or photo and let's spend a moment remembering the man that brought us all together!

"When someone has gone,
you can bring them back
for just a little while
by talking them into life"

-Donna Ashworth

12/30/2025

We closed out the old space with a New Year's Party, so it's only right to have some New Year's Shenanigans to bring us back! 🥳

We'll start the night with Improv 502 to get you laughing and six incredible dancers from Bette's Bette’s Burlesque to get you feeling fine. Then we'll ring in the new year with Groucho bringing us karaoke as only he can! It's going to be a night you won't want to miss! 🤩

12/28/2025

Still looking for something to do on New Year's Eve?

Come ring in the New Year at The New Bard! At 8:30, we'll be having an Improv and Burlesque show featuring Improv 502 and Bette's Burlesque! Tickets are only $13 online and $20 at the door. Doors will open a little before 8.

Then after the show, we'll be moving right into Groucho Karaoke starting at 11! Admission to karaoke is free, and doors will open by 10:30.

Help us kick off the New Year right!

12/11/2025

The first weekend of The King's of Christmas is in the books! You only have three more chances to see this Bard favorite! Come hang out with us this Thu, Fri, or Sat at 7:30 and see what all the fuss is about!

Tonight only, we're running a BOGO special! If you have a ticket for Thu 12/11, you can bring a friend with you for free!

12/06/2025

Have you seen this cast?!?
https://our.show/kings

12/05/2025

Tickets are available now! Dates: Dec 04 - Dec 13 2025

12/04/2025

Come home and share some bourbon & laughs with THE KINGS!
Opening night is tomorrow, 12/4 (Theatre opens at 6:30 & the show starts at 7:30.) Be among the first to hear about some incredible news & several exciting events on the horizon.
Please help us to make our first real opening night in almost THREE YEARS the best ever.
https://our.show/kings

Address

511 E Burnett Avenue
Louisville, KY
40217

Opening Hours

Wednesday	5pm - 10pm
Thursday	5pm - 12am
Friday	5pm - 2am
Saturday	5pm - 2am
Sunday	5pm - 9pm

Telephone

+15025369008

Website

https://www.onthestage.tickets/the-bards-town-theatre-inc

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