Watch the sun go down over the New River Gorge, then settle onto a wooden bench while the stage lights come up in the forest. Theatre West Virginia has been putting on outdoor summer shows at Cliffside Amphitheatre, 4700 Grandview Road in Beaver, since 1961, right inside the national park at Grandview. The season runs mid-June to mid-July: in 2026 it opened June 19 and closed July 18, with curtain at 8:15 PM and tickets $15 to $25. The 2027 season hasn't been announced yet.
Grandview has no park entrance fee, so your ticket is the only cost. Bringing a crowd? Groups of ten or more paid $15 a head in 2026 by calling 304-992-9085, Lootpress reported when tickets went on sale in April.
Status as of September 22, 2026: The 2026 summer season is over and the 2027 season hasn't been announced. Check the
Theatre West Virginia's site before you go.
What's on at Cliffside: the 2026 season
The 2026 season paired a mountain classic with a green ogre, two shows in repertory on alternating nights, as West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported. Watch for the 2027 titles before you build a trip around one.
Theatre West Virginia's 2026 summer season at Cliffside Amphitheatre, show by show | Show | 2026 run | Notes |
|---|
| Honey in the Rock | Opened June 19, 2026, in repertory to July 18 | 65th-anniversary production; billed as "America's oldest Civil War drama." Opening weekend (West Virginia Day) tickets were $18.63 |
| Shrek the Musical | In repertory through July 18, 2026 | Played on alternating nights with Honey in the Rock |
| Hatfields and McCoys | Not staged in 2026 | Set to return once a "cabin campaign" raises money to replace the set's family cabins, built in 1996 |
You may spot older prices around the web, like West Virginia Tourism's listing of $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and AAA members, $9 under 12 and $7 for AAA children, so go by the company's own ticket page when 2027 sales open. With Shrek on the bill, 2026 was a great family season, and the guide to visiting with kids fills in the rest of a family trip.
Getting to Cliffside, and what to bring
Cliffside shares Grandview's entrance road. From Beckley, the Park Service sends you east on I-64 five miles to Exit 129 B, then six miles north on Route 9. Parking is right beside the amphitheatre, and it's worth arriving 30 to 60 minutes before curtain, because the Main Overlook is steps away: about 1,400 feet above the river, with seven miles of the New in view on a clear evening. The accessible viewing platform sits at the end of a roughly 500-yard walkway of "large, uneven stones," per the park's accessibility page, so give yourself extra time with a wheelchair or stroller. The Grandview guide covers the other overlooks and trails, and there are more rim views in the best overlooks roundup.
It's theatre under the open sky, so dress for it. Ponchos, raincoats and even trash bags are fine; umbrellas and tarps aren't. And bring a stadium cushion: a repeat visitor on TripAdvisor loved the shows and the concessions but called the older benches narrow and shallow, and reviewers like an aisle or walkway row for a little extra room. If the weather looks iffy, call the box office before you drive.
Curtain comes down late, so why not stay close? Compare rooms and cabins near Grandview and Beckley on the map beside this page.
The rest of the year: A Christmas Carol and classes
The company comes indoors for the holidays with "A Christmas Carol" in Beckley each December. In 2024 it played the Raleigh Playhouse with Michael Martin as Scrooge, a role he'd played for more than 30 years, WOAY reported. Watch for 2026 dates this fall. The company's academy also ran eight-week classes at 422 Neville Street in Beckley in spring 2026, at $150 a class. More December happenings are on the events calendar.
Sixty-five years of Honey in the Rock
It started in 1955 as the West Virginia Historical Drama Association. Its first show, Kermit Hunter's "Honey in the Rock," with music by Jack Kilpatrick, opened at Cliffside on June 27, 1961, back when Grandview was still a state park. Billy Edd Wheeler's "Hatfields and McCoys" joined it on June 20, 1970.
The curtain nearly came down for good. The organization dissolved in 2013 for financial reasons, then bounced back in 2014 with 17 July performances of "Hatfields and McCoys," according to the company's history. In 2026 "Honey in the Rock" marked its 65th anniversary on the same stage above the gorge.
