John Kenley (February 20, 1906 – October 23, 2009) was an American theatrical producer who pioneered the use of television stars in summer stock productions.

[2] He played the vaudeville circuit throughout the 1920s, dancing, singing, and doing impersonations of Al Jolson, Maurice Chevalier, Ethel Barrymore, and Beatrice Lillie.

He estimated he read 1000 scripts during that period and discovered William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life and Lillian Hellman's first play, The Children's Hour.

[3] After the war, Kenley was unable to find stage work in New York and began producing summer stock in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

[9] Over the next fifty years, Kenley's summer stock productions became what Variety called the "largest network of theaters on the straw hat circuit".

[10] His Kenley Players company brought popular shows and celebrities to Ohio, in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Warren.

Jayne Mansfield played in Bus Stop, Bobby Rydell appeared in West Side Story, Merv Griffin was cast in Come Blow Your Horn, Rock Hudson in Camelot, Karla DeVito in Pirates of Penzance and Robby Benson in Evita.

[6] More traditional Broadway stars also appeared regularly, such as John Raitt in Man of La Mancha, Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam and Tommy Tune in Pippin.

"[2] Washington was at the time "without professional theater because, in response to segregationist seating policies, the Actors Equity union would not allow its members to perform there,"[2] and police showed up on opening night expecting a riot.

After a sold-out, trouble-free two-week engagement, Kenley was "feted in the local media, with civil-rights pundits lauding the nobility of his groundbreaking production.