History & Description

Balagula began in 2003 as an artists' cooperative with an objective to create professional quality (non-union) theatre as a place in Lexington, KY for actors to grow their skills and for audiences to enjoy inspiring, intelligent and innovative theatre. Since then, Balagula has become an integral part of the community and a viable artistic resource for actors and educators. Incorporated as a non-profit in 2007, Balagula has produced 64 plays, worked with over 100 artists and has been seen by 12,000 audience members throughout Kentucky. Balagula has remained a community theatre that pays stipends to all participating artists.

Balagula performs in a non-traditional theatre venue of Natasha’s Bistro, a 4,000 sq ft downtown Lexington restaurant with a modular stage and adequate lighting and sound equipment. The flexibility of the space allows quick conversion into a 100-seat black box theatre. During production, Balagula has exclusive use of the facility.

The unique space offers opportunities to develop innovative approaches to the use of theatre space. We have transcended the stigma of theatre in a restaurant as light entertainment by staging a wide range of dramatic work intended for traditional venues. Familiarity of our venue as an arts and entertainment restaurant with year round programming helps to better integrate our theatre into the life of the community. The Balagula Theatre has a dedicated office (400 sq ft), rehearsal space (12,000 sq ft) and conducts rehearsals in the performance space during the restaurant’s off-hours. Performances are often paired with exhibits featuring local Kentucky artists.