dinner theater

Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play. Sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to the meal, in the style of a night club, or the play may be a major production with dinner less important, or in some cases, optional. Within the hierarchy of theatre, dinner theatre is below Fringe theatre and Summer stock theatre but above Community Theatre and Educational Productions. Dinner theatre requires the management of three distinct entities: a live theatre, a restaurant, and usually, a bar.^[1]

History

The Madrigal dinner in the Middle Ages might be considered the earliest Dinner Theater. The earliest dinner theatres served dinner in one room, and staged the play in another. Those are now known as theatre restaurants, a dinner theatre subclassification.^[2]

Barksdale Theatre

The Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1953 by David & Nancy Kilgore at the historic Hanover Tavern was the first formal dinner theater in the United States.^[3][4][5] After the theatre was established, an adjoining room in the theatre was changed to accommodate a buffet dinner for groups attending the performance, eventually becoming available to all patrons. However, "Barksdale prefers to be known as a theatre that happens to have a restaurant, and dinner is optional," their brochure states.^[6] They are a professional, non-profit theatre.^[7]

Meadowbrook

Cedar Grove, New Jersey, located half an hour from Manhattan, was the location of the second dinner theatre, the Meadowbrook Theatre Restaurant, which opened in 1960. It lasted only 13 years, in part due to 700+ seats of table service, nearby competition from Broadway, and Actors' Equity Association requirements that the facility follow the rules that applied to Broadway Theatres, including pay scales and other restrictions.^[2]

Drury Lane Theatres

Tony DeSantis opened the Martinique Restaurant in Evergreen Park and began producing plays in 1949 in a tent adjacent to the restaurant to attract customers.^[8] The enterprise was successful, prompting him to build his first theatre, Drury Lane Evergreen Park in 1958. It was the first of six dinner theatres he started and a local entertainment landmark for 45 years before closing in 2003.^[9] Drury Lane North began operations in 1976, but was soon sold to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort and became the Marriott Theatre.^[8] Drury Lane Oak Brook Terrace opened in 1984, and benefited from what DeSantis had learned over the years. The facility uses local performers to keep costs down; the theatre is surrounded by bars, restaurants and banquet rooms; shows are limited to musicals; and there is no charge for parking.^[8]

Candlelight

The first facility where dinner and the show were together in one room was the Candlelight Theatre Restaurant in Washington, D.C.. Bill Pullinsi was a theatre student in 1959 who conceived and implemented the entertainment concept at the Presidential Arms Hotel during summer breaks at Catholic University. The venture was successful, but Pullinsi was unable to convert to a year-round operation, due to the hotel's convention business. Pullinsi returned to his Chicago home and opened the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, first in a building owned by his grandfather, then in a new facility with seating for 550, constructed with the help of his family. The Candlelight introduced several innovations, including the hydraulic stage, lighting equipment located in the mezzanine, and stage wagons on wheels.^[10]

Barn Dinner Theatre

Howard Douglass Wolfe was an entrepreneur from Virginia who created the Barn Dinner Theatre franchise. Beginning in 1961,^[11] the chain included 27 theaters in New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia. Each franchise featured his architectural barn designs, farm-themed decorations that included a plow and other tools, and Wolfe's elevator, which he patented as the "Magic Stage". At the end of an act or scene, the stage would disappear into the ceiling, then reappear ready for the next scene. The whole process took less than a minute. During the franchise phase of The Barn, all the productions were staged at a studio in New York City, then sent out to the individual theaters.^[12] At the break-up of the franchise, the production facilities were moved to their present location in Nashville. Back in its early days, the performance's cast not only acted on stage, they were the waiters and waitresses. Actors were selected and cast in New York and resided in living quarters above the theatre for the duration of the productions. Robert De Niro reportedly acted at The Barn in Greensboro until he was fired in the middle of a show. Mickey Rooney and many other well-known performers have also acted in roles at The Barn. The Barn in Greensboro, North Carolina, was founded in 1964 and is the oldest continuously running dinner theater in America and the last of the original Barn Dinner Theatres^[13], though a Barn franchise opened in Nashville in 1967 (now called Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre) ^[14] is also still in operation.

A memorial at Roselawn Cemetery in Marion, Virginia cites "Father of Dinner Theater" among Wolfe's accomplishments.^{[citation needed]}

Alhambra

The Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida was opened in 1967 by Leon Simon. It was purchased in 1985 by Tod Booth, who left Chicago's Drury Lane Theatres.^[15] The Alhambra is the second oldest dinner theatre still open in the United States and the oldest in Florida.^[16] The facility uses a thrust stage to provide all 400 seats with an unobstructed view.

Chanhassen

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota were founded in 1968. Herb Bloomberg, who designed and built the expanded Old Log Theater near Lake Minnetonka subsequently constructed and operated Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. Interestingly, the Old Log Theater has an attached dining room and revenue from food sales is necessary for financial success, but they are not a dinner theatre.^[17] The Chanhassen claims to be the largest professional dinner theatre in the U.S.; the main theater seats 577, the Fireside Theater contains 230 seats for non-dining patrons, and the Playhouse Theater has tables for 126.^[18]

Carousel Dinner Theatre

The Carousel Dinner Theatre, with 800 seats, was the largest dinner theatre in the United States until it closed on January 4, 2009. It was first opened in 1973, then moved to downtown Akron, Ohio in 1988 to what had been a nightclub with the style and glitz of Las Vegas. The theatre was a victim of the late 2000s economic crisis that tightened credit after years of bad investments by major financial institutions.^[19]

Popularity

The 1970s were the heyday of dinner theaters, which provided popular regional entertainment for local audiences. Alhambra Dinner Theatre owner Tod Booth noted that in 1976, there were 147 professional dinner theaters in operation.^[20] Particularly popular were the dinner theaters who used former movie names to star in the productions. Van Johnson, Lana Turner, Roddy McDowall, Jane Russell, Dorothy Collins, JoAnne Worley, Shelley Berman and Ann Miller are just of few of the stars of the golden era of Hollywood who found success in the field. Also popular were stars and character actors from well remembered television series from earlier years such as Ann B. Davis, Nancy Kulp, and Frank Sutton.

Burt Reynolds owned a dinner theater in Jupiter, Florida from 1979 to 1997^[21], as did actor Earl Holliman, who owned the Fiesta Dinner Playhouse in San Antonio, Texas.^[22]

The Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana opened in 1974 and was still open in 2009, operating continuously for 35 years. They utilized a "magic stage" similar to those used by the Barn Dinner Theatre. An orchestra, if utilized, plays in the "attic", out of sight.^[23]

Shrinkage

The boom seemed to end in the mid-1980s, with many of them closing and most no longer able to afford or attract celebrities, even faded ones, to star in their productions. Aging stars started receiving offers for television and commercial work and they stopped doing dinner theatre. Alhambra Dinner Theatre owner Tod Booth commented, "They could make more in a day doing a commercial than they could make during the entire run of dinner theater show, and they didn't have to travel. Plus, a lot of the stars just started dying off. It was a fine gig for a while."^[20] Booth went on to say that in 1999, you could count the number of surviving professional dinner theatres on two hands.^[20] There was a stigma attached to dinner theatre and audiences got tired of fluff shows such as The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Arsenic and Old Lace. According to Booth, "A lot of that was crap".^[15] In response to criticism and the change in available talent, many theatres started using up and coming but relatively unknown actors and began to offer new Broadway shows. They promoted the shows, rather than the stars.

Resurgence

After 2000, there seemed to be a resurgence, with a number of new dinner theatres opening. Chicago's original Drury Lane Water Tower Place was founded in 1976, but closed in 1983. A new, $7 million version opened on May 18, 2004.^[8] The Desert Star Theater in Murray, Utah opened a dinner theatre in 2004,^[24] and the Gathering Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville opened in early 2009.^[1] Still, it's a tough business that requires at least half a million residents within 50 miles to provide the customers needed to turn a profit. At the end of 2006, the National Dinner Theatre Association only 32 members,^[11] up from 9 in 1999.

Different types

Professional vs. Amateur

There is a basic distinction between professional and non-union theatres. The former are known as Equity theatres, where performers are members of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the union that represents professional stage actors and stage managers. Professional shows generally have a higher overhead because Actor’s Equity contracts typically require the theatre to pay for lodging, a minimum salary, insurance and pension payments as well as other work rules^[15] regarding auditions and hiring.^[25]

The reduction in professional dinner theaters from 147 in 1976 to 9 in 1999 was not because the facilities went out of business; those theatres changed to non-union to reduce expenses. However, professional actors have distinct advantages over amateurs. Pros can generally be counted on to know their lines, learn their moves quickly and incorporate changes from the director immediately. There is no learning curve.^[15] Also, professional actors don't rely on another job that can conflict with rehearsals and weekday matinees. It is usually easier to locate and cast older character actors from the Actors Equity pool of talent.^[25]

Commercial vs. Non-profit

Tony DeSantis had a lifetime of experience with restaurants and dinner theater. He claimed that you could make money with a restaurant, but it was the alcohol sales that were profitable; if you broke even when operating a theatre, you were successful.^[8] While many theatres operate as not-for-profit organizations in order to take advantage of grants and funding from government agencies or private foundations, most dinner theatres are commercial businesses due to the management and capital requirements of both theatre and restaurant operations. Commercial dinner theatres will have shows six or seven nights a week, as well as matinees. They will also have short breaks between shows, usually less than a week.^[10] A typical non-profit is the Starlight Dinner Theatre in Lansing, Michigan, where the dinner is catered, the shows are staged at a school cafetorium and the season includes only four productions with four performances per production (on Friday and Saturday nights).^[26] Most non-profits also use amateur actors or the leading role may be a professional with the rest of the cast composed of amateurs.

Variations

Tourist

Vacation destinations such as Las Vegas, Branson, Missouri and Los Angeles have seen the emergence of specialty dinner theatres, where the show stays the same for an extended run because the vast majority of their customers are tourists, not local residents. The most popular vacation destination in the United States, Orlando, Florida, had more than a dozen competing for a share of the $17.3 Billion that tourists spent in 1999. Through the 1990s, sixteen Dinner Theaters opened and closed there.^[27]

This genre includes Medieval Times, Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show^[28], Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, Capone's Dinner & Show^[29] or Tommy Gun's Garage^[30] Pirates Dinner Adventure^[31], Sea World's Makahiki Luau or Disney World's Spirit of Aloha Show,^[32] and Arabian Nights Dinner Show^[33].

Whodunit

Murder Mystery (MM) is interactive dinner theatre that has become a popular segment of its’ own. The production may be public, where anyone can attend for the price of admission, or private, where a company, social group or organization sponsors the event for its members. Murder Mystery Players, Inc., established in 1987, has franchises in 36 major cities that offer both public and private shows, many staged at Dave and Busters. Their professionals utilize period costumes and props based on the production's theme and claim over 35,000 performances nationwide.^[34] Many of these type MM's are organized by acting troupes that evolve to run a business. One good example of non-theater people producing a dinner show is Hulett and Wilson Productions Inc. The company that produces The Gourmet Detective^[35] in Southern California. This company opened in 1990 and performs in both Riverside and Orange Counties. Most interesting is that it is run by two producers with non-theater backgrounds, which for the murder mystery dinner show business creates an opportunity for writers, directors, musicians and actors of a more egalitarian nature; meaning, the best performers and creative people have their chance based on talent, rather than simply getting on stage because they're part of the troupe that founded the group in the first place.

While utilizing the “dinner and a show” concept, MM generally targets a smaller audience than typical dinner theatre, with public performances featuring professional actors while private showings may offer "roles" to the guests, who participate in the production as either characters or detectives. Some companies, such as Murder Ink Productions, offer the production at the customer's choice of location, such as a private residence, the banquet room at a restaurant, a hotel or a corporate facility.^[36]

Others

Wedding Comedy is similar to Murder Mystery because the staging requirements are minimal and the audience has interaction with the actors while they perform. Joey and Maria's Comedy Italian Wedding was written by Darlyne Franklin in 1992 and the franchise rights were sold in 2001.^[37] Other examples include Tony n' Tina's Wedding, Frankie & Gina's Comedy Wedding and a gay version, Joni and Gina's Wedding.

Riverboat Dinner Cruises combine Showboat with a meal. Obviously, they are limited to locations on a navigable body of water, such as the Showboat Branson Belle or the Goldenrod Showboat. There are numerous Murder Mystery Dinner Cruises.

Holiday

Madrigal dinners aka Madrigal Feasts are seasonal, typically held during the Christmas season. They are often staged by educational or religious entities for fundraising and include food, music & singing, poetry & humor, costumes and a play from the Middle Ages, ranging from medieval to the renaissance periods.^[38]

Other Dinner Theatres

• Amesbury Playhouse - New England's oldest continuously-running dinner theatre
• Arizona Broadway Theatre - major musical theater productions
• Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre - Year-round professional dinner theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana
• The Black Bear Jamboree - musical revue in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
• Brick Lane Music Hall - music hall style theatre with dinner in London
• Candlelight Dinner Playhouse - Professional dinner theater in Colorado
• Candlelight Music Dinner Theatre - first dinner theatre in Delaware
• Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater - "casually elegant" dinner theater for two decades
• Carey Dinner Theatre - a summer professional dinner theatre housed and operated out of William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS.
• Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre - professional theatre and gourmet buffet in Nashville, Tennessee since 1967
• Chesapeake Music Hall - musical revue in Annapolis, Maryland
• Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre - professional Broadway style shows in Wichita, Kansas
• Early Bird Dinner Theatre - entertainment for seniors in Clearwater, Florida
• Elizabeth Howard's Curtain Call Theater - Broadway-style dinner theater in Tustin, California
• Entertainment Function Centre Brisbane - versatile venue for any occasion featuring dinner-theatre
• Finnegan's Wake - seasonal Irish comedy dinner theater in Boston
• Fireside Dinner Theatre - professional theatre featuring New York talent and fine dining
• Gourmet Detective - Professionals in the food and murder business since 1990, performing in Orange County and Riverside, Ca
• Golden Apple - buffet dinner theatre with Broadway-style shows
• Greg Frewin Dinner Theatre - Las Vegas Illusion shows in a dinner theatre seating 700
• Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre - three course meal followed by musical comedy with audience participation
• Haunted Dinner Theater - Summer family buffet dinner theater with audience interaction, mystery, magic & special effects in Williamsburg, Virginia.
• JM Productions & Children's Corner - dinner and cabaret at The Fox and Hound Restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts.
• Kelowna Actors Studio - Community-based amateur family theatre
• The Mill at Sonning - dinner theatre staged in a restored 18th century flour mill on the Thames River
• Mixed Nuts Interactive Cabaret - dinner and comedy show plus music, celebrities and prizes
• Murry's Dinner Playhouse - great dinner and theatre in Little Rock, Arkansas
• New Theatre Restaurant - Broadway comedies and musicals featuring TV, film, and stage stars in Kansas City
• The Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant - An ample buffet, a great play and a fun cabaret
• Olde Towne Dinner Theatre - fine dining for 20 years in Worthing, South Dakota
• Opus Nostrum Dinner Theatre - productions staged in an old sewing factory in Headland, Alabama
• Rainbow Dinner Theatre - all comedy shows in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
• Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater - featuring the Good Company Players for over thirty years
• Role Players Ensemble Theatre - non-profit offering classic and contemporary dramas, comedies and musicals
• Rosie Rumpe's Regal Dumpe - guests revel and sing with wenches, minstrels and fools
• Saskatoon's Off Broadway Dinner Theatre - eat, drink and be merry
• The Starline Room Dinner Theatre at the Paris Cabaret - musical revues in Stoughton, Massachusetts
• Stars Theatre Restaurant - Broadway-style musicals in Bakersfield, California
• The Station Dinner Theatre - seating in an actual train car featuring Medieval feasts, Wild west, and Roaring 20’s musical comedies where the performers are also the servers
• Student Dinner Theater - entertainment for student groups featuring murder mysteries, game shows and interactive events
• Titanic Entertainments - dinner theatre aboard the RMS Titanic^[39]

Theatre portal

Foods portal

References

External links

• National Dinner Theater Association website