Everything about Dinner Theatre totally explained
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. Professional actors and technicians work in dinner theater to gain resume experience, along with amateurs who are there as an
avocation.
Audience
Audience participation may be a factor in dinner theater, in which the diners may be encouraged to
sing or
dance with some of the
actors. In some cases, diners may be included in a minor way in the
plot by exchanging
small talk or otherwise interacting with the actors. In todays professional dinner theatre world there's rarely the kind of audience participation mentioned above. Also the interacting with actors is only a part of the Mystery Dinner Theatre genre. It has little or no place in the theatrical productions done by the vast bulk of the members of the National Dinner Theatre Association.
History
Dinner theaters are located all over the
United States. The 1970s were the heyday of dinner theaters which provided popular regional entertainment for local audiences. Particularly popular were the dinner theaters who used former movie names to star in the productions.
Van Johnson,
Betty Grable,
Dorothy Lamour,
Cyd Charisse,
Don Ameche,
Lana Turner,
Roddy McDowall,
Tab Hunter,
Jane Russell,
Dana Andrews,
Dorothy Collins,
JoAnne Worley,
Shelley Berman,
Imogene Coca 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, as did actor
Earl Holliman in
Texas. The boom seemed to end in the mid 1980s, with many of them closing and most no longer able to afford celebrities, even faded ones, to star in their productions.
Howard Douglass Wolfe
Howard Douglass Wolfe is credited with being the "Father of Dinner Theatre". An entrepreneur from
Virginia, Wolfe created a Barn Dinner Theatre franchise beginning in the 1960s that included 27 theaters in
New York, Virginia,
North Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas,
Louisiana, and
Georgia. The franchise featured his own architectural barn designs, his patented "magic stage" that descended from the ceiling, and thematic decor replete with antique farming implements. Wolfe, who died in 1989, is buried at Roselawn Cemetery in
Marion, Virginia, and a large memorial there cites "Father of Dinner Theatre" among his accomplishments.
Barn Dinner Theater: the magic stage and early production
The Barn Dinner Theater
in
Greensboro, NC was founded in 1962 and is the oldest and longest-running dinner theater in America. It and the
Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre in
Nashville are two of the last remaining from a franchise chain that used to be 27 Barns from New York to Texas. The Magic Stage is an invention patented by Howard Wolfe in the 60s. The stage disappears into the ceiling in 20 seconds and reappears fully set for the next scene. Chaffin's Barn is one of the two theatres left in the United States with the Magic Stage.
During the franchise phase of The Barn, all the productions were staged at the studio in New York, and then sent out to the individual theaters. At the break-up of the franchise, the production facilities were moved to the present location in Nashville and have remained there since.
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 City and resided in living quarters above the theater for the duration of the productions.
Robert De Niro reported acted at The Barn in Greensboro, NC for a while. Management reported that De Niro was also fired from The Barn one night, right in the middle of a show.
Mickey Rooney and many other well-known performers have also done gigs at The Barn.
National Dinner Theatre Association
Currently there's an association dedicated to ensuring the continuation of dinner theater. This association is run by by dinner theater owners and executives around the United States. (http://www.ndta.com)
List of dinner theaters that belong to NDTA:
- Arizona Broadway Theatre Peoria, AZ (http://azbroadwaytheatre.com/)
- The Armory Janesville,WI (http://www.janesvillearmory.com/)
- Barn Dinner Theater Greensboro, NC (http://www.barndinner.com/)
- Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre Fort Myers, FL (http://www.broadwaypalm.com/)
- Broadway Palm West Mesa, AZ (http://www.broadwaypalmwest.com/)
- Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater Claremont, CA (http://www.candlelightpavilion.com/)
- Chaffin's Barn Nashville, TN (http://www.dinnertheatre.com/)
- Circa 21 Dinner Playhouse Rock Island, IL (http://circa21.com/)
- Conklin's Barn II Dinner Theatre Goodfield, IL (http://www.barn2.com/)
- Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre Wichita, KS (http://www.crownuptown.com/)
- Derby Dinner Playhouse Clarksville, IN (http://www.derbydinner.com/)
- Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre Lancaster, PA (http://www.dutchapple.com/)
- Fireside Theatre Fort Atkinson, WI (http://www.firesidetheatre.com/)
- Garbeau's Dinner Theater Rancho Cordova, CA (http://www.garbeaus.com/)
- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse Hampton, NJ (http://hhplayhouse.com/)
- Jackson Hole Playhouse Jackson Hole, WY (http://www.jhplayhouse.com/)
- Murry's Dinner Playhouse Little Rock, AR (http://www.murrysdinnerplayhouse.com/)
- Pines Dinner Theatre Slatington, PA (http://www.pinesdinnertheatre.com/)
- Rainbow Dinner Theatre Paradise, PA (http://rainbowdinnertheatre.com/)
- The Riverside Inn Dinner Theatre Cambridge Springs, PA (http://www.theriversideinn.com/)
- Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Shows Orlando, FL (http://www.sleuths.com/)
- Tommy Gun's Garage Chicago, IL (http://tommygunsgarage.com/)
- Welk Resort Theater Escondido, CA (http://www.welktheatre.com/)
Dinner Theater Revival
The dinner theatre scene is currently enjoying a revival in New York City. Chauncey O'Neil, who began staging his own shows in his loft apartment on the north side of Williamsburg in 1999, is credited with this revival. The first shows were so low budget that O'Neil couldn't afford a waitstaff and served the audience alone while performing a one man show. He credits the Barn Dinner Theater in NC (see above) as an influence and hopes that one day he can have a Loft Theatre Chain across the East Coast.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dinner Theatre'.
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