There’s an interesting drama playing out at the Black Hills Playhouse this year. Located in the heart of Custer State Park, the summer theater has been around since the 1950s. But the Playhouse appears to be in danger of losing its lease from the state of South Dakota.

State Game, Fish & Parks Department officials say they’re not evicting the long-running summer theater from the Playhouse campus, but they want a solid business plan to boost ticket sales, increase fund raising and provide more money to help pay for major infrastructure improvements.

The Playhouse’s 10-year lease expires at the end of this summer. GFP has offered a one-year extension, but the agency won’t go another 10 years unless a better business plan is in place. Some have suggested that the Black Hills Playhouse should move to Rockerville or someplace closer to Rapid City – where presumably the Playhouse could sell more tickets.

I agree that the Black Hills Playhouse can be a long drive, but I personally would hate to see it leave the park. This summer theater – its cast includes university theater majors and professional actors who love the Custer State Park setting — offers such an incredible experience.

On a cool summer night, the smell of pine trees and woodstoves mix together on the theater grounds. Inside, it’s an intimate setting. There’s no such thing as a bad seat. In fact, I once came dangerously close to embarrassing myself during a performance of “The Glass Menagerie.”

I was sitting in the front row off to the side – at the bottom of the stairway where many of the scenes took place. The actress who played the hero’s disabled sister was very convincing. So convincing that when she fell down the stairs, landing right at my feet, I thought she really had fallen. As I reached down to help her up, one of the actors onstage shouted, “Laura!” – in character. I suddenly realized that her stumble was scripted. I eased myself back into my seat.

This summer, by the way, the lineup includes “Brighton Beach Memories,” “The Sugar Bean Sisters,” “Suds,” “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Sweet Metigoshe.”

I hope this isn’t the last year for the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park.