Notable venues in the United States
NarroWay Productions
NarroWay Productions [3] is a non-profit Christian Dinner Theatre, founded by Yvonne Clark and Rebecca Martin in September 1996, located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The theater started out in the "King's Arena" amphitheater. After 8 years of performing at the King's Arena amphitheater, their lease had ended and they were forced to switch locations. In 2005 an old gambling warehouse, on Carowinds Blvd, went for sale. after some negotiation, the owner of the warehouse agreed to sell the property to NarroWay Productions under value. Since then they have written 5+ new shows, they created 3 shops across the parking lot, including a cafe, which has since been closed, a gift shop, and an ice cream shop. They have even hosted a golf tournament.
Barksdale Theatre
Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1953 by David and Nancy Kilgore at the Hanover Tavern, was the first formal dinner theater in the United States.[4][5][6] 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.[7]
Drury Lane Theatres
Tony DeSantis opened the Martinique Restaurant in Evergreen Park, Illinois 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 theater, Drury Lane Evergreen Park in 1958. It was the first of six dinner theaters he started and a local entertainment fixture for 45 years before closing in 2003.[9] Drury Lane North began operations in 1976 and was sold to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, becoming the Marriott Theatre.[8] Drury Lane Oak Brook Terrace opened in 1984. The facility uses local performers and shows are limited to musicals.[8]
Meadowbrook Theatre Restaurant
Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was the location of the Meadowbrook Theatre Restaurant, which opened in 1960 with 700+ seats of table service. It closed after 13 years, in part due to nearby competition from Broadway and Actors' Equity Association (Equity) requirements that the facility follow the rules that applied to Broadway theatres, including pay scales and other restrictions.[2]
Candlelight Theatre Restaurant
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 theater student in 1959 who conceived and implemented the entertainment concept at the Presidential Arms Hotel during summer breaks. The venture was successful but it 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. The Candlelight introduced several innovations, including the hydraulic stage, lighting equipment located in the mezzanine, and stage wagons on wheels.[10]
Barn Dinner Theatres
Howard Douglass Wolfe, an entrepreneur from Roanoke, Virginia, created the Barn Dinner Theatre franchise and has been called the "Father of Dinner Theater".[11] He began the franchise in 1961 with Conley Jones. The chain included 27 theaters in New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia.[12] Each franchise featured Wolfe's architectural barn designs, farm-themed decorations that included a plow and other tools, and a stage elevator that Wolfe called the "Magic Stage". At the end of an act or scene, the stage would disappear into the ceiling, then reappear set 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.[13] At the break-up of the franchise, the production facilities were moved to Nashville. In its early days, the performance's cast also served as the waiters and waitresses. Actors were selected and cast in New York and resided in living quarters above the theater for the duration of the productions. Mickey Rooney and many other well-known performers 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.[14]
Chaffin's Barn
Chaffin's Barn in Nashville, Tennessee, opened in 1967, as Nashville's first professional theater.[15] Known as a place where many actors landed their first paid professional "gigs", The Barn was forced to close in October 2020, after 50 years of business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17]
Alhambra Dinner Theatre
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. The Alhambra is the oldest dinner theater still open.[18][19] The facility uses a thrust stage to provide all 400 seats with an unobstructed view.
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area were founded in 1968.
Chanhassen claims to be the largest professional dinner theater in the U.S. The Main Stage seats 577, the Fireside Theatre contains 230 seats for non-dining patrons, and the Playhouse Theatre has tables for 126.[20] The Main Stage production cast are members of Actors Equity.
Herb Bloomberg, who designed and built the expanded Old Log Theatre near Lake Minnetonka, subsequently constructed and operated the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. The Old Log Theatre has an attached dining room. Revenue from food sales is necessary for financial success, but is not a dinner theater.[21]
Carousel Dinner Theatre
The Carousel Dinner Theatre opened in 1973 and moved to Akron, Ohio in 1988 to what had been a Las Vegas-style nightclub. With 1200 seats, it was the largest dinner theater in the United States until it closed in 2009. Some believe the theater was a victim of the late 2000s US economic crisis,[22] however it was more likely the change in ownership and poor decisions on their part that triggered events leading to the theatre closing.
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana, opened in 1973 and was one of a chain of dinner theatres founded by J. Scott Talbott. It has a 450-seat house and features Broadway shows and concerts preceded by a buffet dinner. It is a professional Equity theatre.[23]
Riddlesbrood Touring Theater
The Riddlesbrood Touring Theater Company stages dinner theater, murder mystery shows, and comedy shows. Based in Stratford, New Jersey, some of their shows have been performed entirely in made-up languages and have incorporated ideas from the New Thought movement.[24]
Westchester Broadway Theatre
Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford, NY. The theatre continuously presents Broadway Musical Revivals and many special events and concerts including tribute bands, comedy shows, rock bands, dance shows, magic shows, and more. It is the longest running year-round professional theatre in the State of New York.[25] The Theatre originally opened as An Evening Dinner Theatre on July 9, 1974. In 1991, the theatre moved to a larger performance space with state-of-the-art technology, hydraulic lifts, increased seating capacity, and many other features. The theatre was also given the new name, "Westchester Broadway Theatre".[26]
The Derby Dinner Playhouse
The Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana opened in 1974, and has operated continuously. 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.[27]
NarroWay Productions
NarroWay Productions [3] is a non-profit Christian Dinner Theatre, founded by Yvonne Clark and Rebecca Martin in September 1996, located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The theater started out in the "King's Arena" amphitheater. After 8 years of performing at the King's Arena amphitheater, their lease had ended and they were forced to switch locations. In 2005 an old gambling warehouse, on Carowinds Blvd, went for sale. after some negotiation, the owner of the warehouse agreed to sell the property to NarroWay Productions under value. Since then they have written 5+ new shows, they created 3 shops across the parking lot, including a cafe, which has since been closed, a gift shop, and an ice cream shop. They have even hosted a golf tournament.
Barksdale Theatre
Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, founded in 1953 by David and Nancy Kilgore at the Hanover Tavern, was the first formal dinner theater in the United States.[4][5][6] 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.[7]
Drury Lane Theatres
Tony DeSantis opened the Martinique Restaurant in Evergreen Park, Illinois 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 theater, Drury Lane Evergreen Park in 1958. It was the first of six dinner theaters he started and a local entertainment fixture for 45 years before closing in 2003.[9] Drury Lane North began operations in 1976 and was sold to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, becoming the Marriott Theatre.[8] Drury Lane Oak Brook Terrace opened in 1984. The facility uses local performers and shows are limited to musicals.[8]
Meadowbrook Theatre Restaurant
Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was the location of the Meadowbrook Theatre Restaurant, which opened in 1960 with 700+ seats of table service. It closed after 13 years, in part due to nearby competition from Broadway and Actors' Equity Association (Equity) requirements that the facility follow the rules that applied to Broadway theatres, including pay scales and other restrictions.[2]
Candlelight Theatre Restaurant
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 theater student in 1959 who conceived and implemented the entertainment concept at the Presidential Arms Hotel during summer breaks. The venture was successful but it 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. The Candlelight introduced several innovations, including the hydraulic stage, lighting equipment located in the mezzanine, and stage wagons on wheels.[10]
Barn Dinner Theatres
Howard Douglass Wolfe, an entrepreneur from Roanoke, Virginia, created the Barn Dinner Theatre franchise and has been called the "Father of Dinner Theater".[11] He began the franchise in 1961 with Conley Jones. The chain included 27 theaters in New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia.[12] Each franchise featured Wolfe's architectural barn designs, farm-themed decorations that included a plow and other tools, and a stage elevator that Wolfe called the "Magic Stage". At the end of an act or scene, the stage would disappear into the ceiling, then reappear set 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.[13] At the break-up of the franchise, the production facilities were moved to Nashville. In its early days, the performance's cast also served as the waiters and waitresses. Actors were selected and cast in New York and resided in living quarters above the theater for the duration of the productions. Mickey Rooney and many other well-known performers 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.[14]
Chaffin's Barn
Chaffin's Barn in Nashville, Tennessee, opened in 1967, as Nashville's first professional theater.[15] Known as a place where many actors landed their first paid professional "gigs", The Barn was forced to close in October 2020, after 50 years of business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17]
Alhambra Dinner Theatre
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. The Alhambra is the oldest dinner theater still open.[18][19] The facility uses a thrust stage to provide all 400 seats with an unobstructed view.
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area were founded in 1968.
Chanhassen claims to be the largest professional dinner theater in the U.S. The Main Stage seats 577, the Fireside Theatre contains 230 seats for non-dining patrons, and the Playhouse Theatre has tables for 126.[20] The Main Stage production cast are members of Actors Equity.
Herb Bloomberg, who designed and built the expanded Old Log Theatre near Lake Minnetonka, subsequently constructed and operated the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. The Old Log Theatre has an attached dining room. Revenue from food sales is necessary for financial success, but is not a dinner theater.[21]
Carousel Dinner Theatre
The Carousel Dinner Theatre opened in 1973 and moved to Akron, Ohio in 1988 to what had been a Las Vegas-style nightclub. With 1200 seats, it was the largest dinner theater in the United States until it closed in 2009. Some believe the theater was a victim of the late 2000s US economic crisis,[22] however it was more likely the change in ownership and poor decisions on their part that triggered events leading to the theatre closing.
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre
Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana, opened in 1973 and was one of a chain of dinner theatres founded by J. Scott Talbott. It has a 450-seat house and features Broadway shows and concerts preceded by a buffet dinner. It is a professional Equity theatre.[23]
Riddlesbrood Touring Theater
The Riddlesbrood Touring Theater Company stages dinner theater, murder mystery shows, and comedy shows. Based in Stratford, New Jersey, some of their shows have been performed entirely in made-up languages and have incorporated ideas from the New Thought movement.[24]
Westchester Broadway Theatre
Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford, NY. The theatre continuously presents Broadway Musical Revivals and many special events and concerts including tribute bands, comedy shows, rock bands, dance shows, magic shows, and more. It is the longest running year-round professional theatre in the State of New York.[25] The Theatre originally opened as An Evening Dinner Theatre on July 9, 1974. In 1991, the theatre moved to a larger performance space with state-of-the-art technology, hydraulic lifts, increased seating capacity, and many other features. The theatre was also given the new name, "Westchester Broadway Theatre".[26]
The Derby Dinner Playhouse
The Derby Dinner Playhouse in Clarksville, Indiana opened in 1974, and has operated continuously. 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.[27]
