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. 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 is 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. Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, VA, founded in 1953 at the historic Hanover Tavern was the first dinner theater in the nation. 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 one of the oldest and longest-running dinner theaters 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 is an association dedicated to ensuring the continuation of dinner theatre. This association is run by dinner theatre owners and executives around the United States. N.D.T.A.

List of dinner theatres that belong to NDTA:

• Arizona Broadway Theatre Peoria, AZ (http://azbroadwaytheatre.com/)
• The Armory Janesville,WI (http://www.janesvillearmory.com/)
• Barn Dinner Theatre 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 Theatre 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 Theatre 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 Theatre 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 could not 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.