The Kenai Performers are debuting a new show this weekend. The production, “Mystery at the Black Dog Tavern,” is being staged for the first time, making its world premiere in Soldotna as part of the American Association of Community Theater’s 2026 NewPlayFest.
Oil lamps and a roaring fire light the Black Dog Tavern. Travelers stop to rest for the night. Locals come for company and community. But tonight isn’t like any other night.
So begins the Kenai Performers’ production of “Mystery at the Black Dog Tavern,” which opens this weekend.
Seven years after a brash military man was killed at the tavern, his presence lingers. On this night, those gathered in the tavern await a knock on the door from his ghost.
The show was written by Christopher Hencke, a former federal attorney from Washington, D.C. who’s written more than a dozen plays and screenplays. In Soldotna, Phil Morin directed Hencke’s latest. The show is set in early 1800s New England, entirely within the titular tavern.
The show is new to the world – not just Soldotna. The American Association of Community Theater selected the troupe to host the world premiere.
The Kenai Performers are one of six organizations around the country debuting a new show through NewPlayFest, a national celebration of “the future of theater.” Producer Jodene McAuliffe said Monday the theater group applied in January 2024, committing to staging a never-before-seen show. In exchange, they’ve had an unusual opportunity to be part of bringing the show to life in collaboration with its playwright.
“We’re able to communicate back and forth and make some decisions about adjustments we could make to the play,” she said. “It’s been a very fun process.”
McAuliffe said the Kenai Performers will be recognized as the debuting company when other groups stage the show. The show’s attendees will be part of something new.
“That’s really a feather in the cap for our community,” she said.
Lara Lindeman plays the tavern’s proprietor, Louisa, who welcomes guests and keeps them in line. She also joins in recounting the grim events of the past to their out-of-town visitors.
Though the show centers on a murder and a mystery, Lindeman says it’s light and family friendly.
“It is funny,” she said. “People need to understand that it is a comedy and it’s okay to laugh. I don’t think they’ll have any problem with that.”
Logan Parks plays Johnny, a stableboy, and said the show celebrates community and storytelling. He said it’s a great opportunity for the Kenai Performers to bring exciting, original and new programming to town, and to make a character his own.
“You can’t YouTube the show,” he said. “You can’t go and see what other actors have done. It really brings a new creative outlook, I think, to building a character because you get to build something fresh and brand new.”
Robyn Chai also likes that the show is a new experience, for viewers as well as for the actors. Chai said it makes for a rare viewing experience where no one in the audience knows what will happen. She describes it only as a ghost story, “because you don’t want to give it away.”
As Charlotte, a lady travelling across the country who stops at the tavern by chance, Chai ends up driving the narrative through her inquisitive nature.
“It’s kind of fun because the characters come together, me and my cousin come into the play, and the whole tavern is telling us what the ghost is about,” she said.
The opening of a new show is a big deal, the show’s producers said. To mark the occasion, they’re serving a special “Hair of the Hellhound” beer from Kenai River Brewing at the concession stand. The company will also host a gala dinner with the playwright, visiting from the east coast, this Sunday.
“Mystery at the Black Dog Tavern” runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., July 31 through Aug. 9. Find more information or purchase tickets at kenaiperformers.org.
