Rachel Allinder

If you happened to be at Huntington’s Foundry Theater on Thursday, then you no doubt enjoyed The Rustic Mechanicals – West Virginia Shakespeare Troupe’s performance of “Macbeth.” And if you’ll be  there on Saturday, you’ll be enjoying a special screening of “The Toxic Avenger.” And while creator Lloyd Kaufman is unable to attend in person, he will be joining the fun live for a post-screening zoom session with those in attendance. 

If you were there on October 17, you would have laughed out loud as The City of Huntington’s brave firefighters tried to best their junior rivals in the epic trivia battle of “Are Firefighters Smarter than 5th Graders?” And if you happened into the theater the next day, you would have had terrifying fun watching the original “Child’s Play.”

And then, if you were lucky enough to be in attendance at the Foundry just a few short weeks before that, you would have had the super special opportunity to hear from Chucky himself, Huntington native Brad Dourif, when he attended a meet-and-greet accompanying a screening of  the classic “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” 

No matter your cinematic, theatrical, or musical interests, the Foundry Theater is a wonderful place to be entertained in Huntington. And if you’re wondering who’s responsible for presenting that entertainment, look no further than Foundry co-founder Rachel Allinder, and her dedicated team. 

For the last four years, Rachel has overseen the Foundry’s operations as a live performance and entertainment venue. Located above Huntington City Hall in the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium, Rachel and the rest of the Foundry’s team strive to deliver home-grown content to entertain and engage Huntington’s diverse population. 

For all that she does to entertain, educate, and engage the residents of Huntington, and the greater Appalachian region – as well as for the dedicated team that she guides – we are happy to name Rachel Allinder as the certified Real West Virginian of the Week.

Have someone you’d like to nominate? Email us at news@therealwv.com.