[AllThatJazzHands]

If you did (or a friend/colleague/whatev), what was your experience like? There's one (actually two) pretty much down the street from me....and I was curious.

[Salome]

ive done 5 show for dinner theatre. its pretty much the same as any other theatre..although sweeney todd was na odd one for dinner theatre lol

[AllThatJazzHands]

I know it's probably different wherever you go, but how was the audience? Were they pretty much respectful/attentive? Also, do most dinner theatres pay the actors?

And yeah, Sweeney is a strange choice! They didn't serve pie did they?

[Robinflamingo]

I did two solid years of dinner theatre, and every one of the experiences was different.

I remember being so close to the audience in Little Mary Sunshine that a drunk grabbed my ankles.

I remember doing Godspell in the round and having the audiences' whole mood and attention level change dramatically from my entrance in the beginning of the second act to the crucifixion.

Doing the Fantasticks always worked really well as did I Do I Do, but Brigadoon was an iffy one, especially with only about ten cast members. Can you say quick change?

We never had more than a piano/synth, drums and bass, so Quique would have hated all of them

And yes, I got paid per performance. It usually covered gas and our bar bill...

[Quique]

[Salome]

I prefer small orchestras in general. it gives a nice intimacy to shows.

and audiences in the place i worked were always respectful.

remember though..they eay BEFORE the show never during like in Soapdish. LOL

[Quique]

[AllThatJazzHands]

Thanks Robin! I just wanted to hear people's experiences. The one near me is supposedly the oldest in the country! There's another one where people can buy desserts, drinks, etc. and enjoy them throughout the show. The second one does more shows I'd be interested in, but I don't think they pay.

But thanks for your responses!

[Robinflamingo]

[Salome]

see the dinnert heatre i worked with they serve drinks before the show and at intermission and for an hour aftert he show. the bar is closed during perofrmance.

[Robinflamingo]

Of course it's closed once the show resumes, but that doesn't prevent buyin a whole carafe of wine on intermission and grabbing my ankle!!

[shadowdancer]

Well at some dinner theatres, the actors also serve as waitstaff, so if that would be a deal breaker I would find that out. I would say overall, it just depends on the theatre itself. An equity dinner theatre that is say a larger dinner theatre (big stage, sets , lights, orchestra) it is just like anyother performance venue except the people eat first. and most dinner theatres (prof. ones atleast) will only sell certain amounts of liquor. if you are at a place where the drunk guy can grab your leg, maybe not the best place to work if you dont l \ike drunk guys grabbing your legs. I think dinner theatre is on a person by person theatre by theatre basis

[CYTluver]

A dinner theater for me is no different than a regular preformance. The audience is really respectful or just as respectful as a regular non dinner production.

[ilovebway]

My community theatre usually does one or two dinner theatre performances for every show. It's really fun and the audience always seems to enjoy it and have a good time.

[Bianca.]

I have done several amazing shows with a dinner theatre here... and it is SO much fun. My group does a lot of improv and really we just had a BLAST all night.

Another group in the area is more actual theatre, and they're really cool too.
Jmann383 actually works with them a lot, so if you still need input, he'd be good to shoot a PM to.

[Robinflamingo]

In the Detroit area, dinner theatres have fallen out of fashion, but when they WERE the big thing, they were done in regular restaurants or in the banquet rooms of halls. This made for interesting staging, tech, and dressing areas. Some of the ones you all are mentioning sound like a meal somewhere, then a show in a real theatre.

[Quique]

My sis once saw "My Fair Lady" in a dinner theatre somewhere. She loved iiiiit.

[disneybeauty]

I did a 6-week run of Jekyll and Hyde at a local dinner theatre. It didn't totally suck. Yes, the actors served as waitstaff, but we made good money. If a cast member did not want to serve dinners, they just got paid less. We served dinner before the show, as well as cocktails. At intermission, we served coffee and dessert, and the cocktail servers made one last pass. I made some great tips.
Overall, it was a good experience. I enjoyed being able to talk with the patrons right after the show, plus they loved getting to meet the cast before the show, and then spend time thru dinner figuring out who was playing which part.

[MaryMag]

Dinner theaters, like any other theater, range from piss poor to brilliant. A lot of people just use the term "dinner theater" disdainfully because it seems to be the intelligent, fashionable, pretentious thing to do.

Do your research on the company and see if they're worth working for.

[Beagle On Stage]

[mezzo_soprano]