Kevin Lane Dearinger
Kevin Lane Dearinger is a retired Broadway performer and English teacher. Publications include The Bard in the Bluegrass, Marie Prescott, Clyde Fitch and the American Theatre, Eleanor Robson Belmont, several plays and poetry collections, and two memoirs, Bad Sex in Kentucky and On Stage with Bette Davis. He has lectured on Kentucky’s theatre history for the Bluegrass Trust, the Lexington History Museum, UK Special Collections, and the Lexington Opera House.
Featured Book
At the Lexington Opera House: A Scrapbook 1887-2026
At the Lexington Opera House: A Scrapbook 1887-2026 is a celebration of the Lexington Opera House as it approaches the 140th anniversary of its first performance. Deeply researched, fully footnoted and indexed, but written to appeal to any lover of Kentucky history and American theatre: musical comedy, the influence of Ibsen, burlesque, American Shakespeare, race relations, cultural history, and the remarkable rescue mission that saved the Opera House fifty years ago.
Meet Kevin Lane Dearinger and get a copy of their book at the 2026 Kentucky Book Festival, Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.