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| re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? | |
| Posted by: jconnors 10:21 pm EDT 09/01/19 | |
| In reply to: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? - WaymanWong 06:46 pm EDT 09/01/19 | |
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| When I lived in Indianapolis years ago, there was a very popular one that had been around for decades, Beef and Boards. Full-service bar and buffet dinner before the show. True in other Midwestern cities as well I think. | |
| Link | Beef and Boards Dinner Theater |
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| re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? | |
| Posted by: Circlevet 11:43 am EDT 09/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? - jconnors 10:21 pm EDT 09/01/19 | |
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| My first Equity show was Man of La Mancha at Beef & Boards. At that time there were two locations, the one in Indianapolis and one in Simpsonville. KY which was half way between Louisville and Lexington. La Mancha is usually done in one act. However, our production was done in 3 acts in order to accommodate more drink orders and check distribution. The brief second act was basically the muleteers having their way Aldonza and curtain. | |
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| re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? | |
| Posted by: tandelor 08:45 am EDT 09/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? - jconnors 10:21 pm EDT 09/01/19 | |
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| I worked at the Indianapolis Beef and Boards on a couple of shows in the early 80's. I moved to St. Petersburg in '85 and this are was Crowned Capitol of dinner theaters for many years. In fact many tours would start here. There were wonderful productions I saw through the 90's in many venues, but most were gone by the turn of the century. A very few have survived, but most of my friends in "th business" who perform in them are struggling. Think of all those great lines from The Golden Girls: Miss Ruth Buzzie in Evita! Mr. Jamie Farr in Death of a Salesman! | |
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| re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? | |
| Posted by: dbdbdb 01:38 pm EDT 09/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? - tandelor 08:45 am EDT 09/02/19 | |
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| Some of the dinner theatres of my long-ago youth presented some riotously miscast star packages. One night in Columbus, Ohio, in 1978, I saw Sandy Dennis as the WASPiest of Gittel Moscas in Two for the Seesaw. It was a thrill to see her, but what were they thinking? I'm surprised no one has mentioned Food of Love Productions, currently operating in New York. The current production, A Midsummer Night's Dream, paired with a several -course tasting menu, is a great deal of fun. |
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| Link | Food of Love Productions |
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| A statistic on dinner theaters. | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 09:00 am EDT 09/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Food for thought: Are there many dinner theaters left? - tandelor 08:45 am EDT 09/02/19 | |
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| The National Dinner Theatre Association had 16 members as of 2019. In 2007, membership totaled 24 theaters. Of course, there are probably dinner theaters which are not members of the DTA. | |
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| U.S. dinner theaters: And this is the state of the art | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 03:48 pm EDT 09/02/19 | |
| In reply to: A statistic on dinner theaters. - tmdonahue 09:00 am EDT 09/02/19 | |
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| Thanks. The National Dinner Theatre Association lists its members, state by state. (N.Y.'s Westchester isn't in NDTA.) The restaurant business is tough enough; can't imagine how hard it is to keep a theater running as well. |
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| Link | Members of National Dinner Theatre Association: From Arkansas to Wyoming |
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| re: U.S. dinner theaters: And this is the state of the art | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 07:23 pm EDT 09/02/19 | |
| In reply to: U.S. dinner theaters: And this is the state of the art - WaymanWong 03:48 pm EDT 09/02/19 | |
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| It certainly seems like dinner theatre would be a combination of two really tough businesses, but I think one way that some of these places worked was that he cast of the show was also expected to staff the restaurant prior to the performance. The cast would be your wait staff and bussers and would serve and clear dinner before heading backstage to do Act I. Then, at intermission, would reappear to serve and clear dessert, before heading backstage again to finish the show. So the ownership were getting a cast and restaurant staff for one price and the cast earns extra money from tips. It's an exhausting evening for the performers, but I can see how it could make the business end of the dinner theatre business work. |
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