showbusinessweekly.com: Misconceptions have tarnished the image of dinner theater. Some actors believe that if they accept a role at a dinner theater, they’ll have to work for low wages, be forced to wait tables, and perform in an amateurish production. Contrary to all the myths, many dinner theaters pay a moderate salary, only in rare instances do performers double as waiters, and several venues in the country mount productions that have been on Broadway.
19 comments:
I agree with a lot of what this article says. While some dinner theaters can be unprofessional, it can be a great place to work. I worked at a theater recently that had a show in a convention show. Half of the performances were dinner or lunch shows. The patrons would come in early, eat a buffet dinner, have a few drinks, and then once the plates had been cleared the show would start. The actors were never asked to do anything other than act on stage. There was one occasion in which crew members were asked to volunteer to wait on guests at a special event prior to opening night, but they were compensated for it with a free dinner. As long as dinner theaters maintain a professional atmosphere, there's no reason why they would be a bad place to work. I enjoyed my experience working in a dinner theater, as it was yet another form of theater I was able to learn from.
The theatre that I grew up learning and working at (the now-demolished Country Dinner Playhouse in Denver) was a buffet dinner and Equity regional house. They had perfected a system through the 40-odd years of operation where the performers in the show never worked the restaurant - actors who were not cast in the production could, however, have steady employment as the waiters who served drinks, then went up on stage as the opening act (performing a medley of songs from the upcoming shows and giving the pre-show announcement) before serving dessert, coffee/tea and the final bill at intermission. The thing that really worked in this arrangement was that (a) there was a separation between the production and the meal, (b) the serving job was not overly strenuous and allowed for a break in the middle of getting to perform, and (c) having dessert and coffee during the second act kept the audience alert! While I can't speak to the accommodations for out-of-towners or really to the pay situation (non-Equity child actor), CDP did what it could to provide quality dinner and theatre and not let the two overlap for the sake of the audience members and performers.
I am so glad this article has been published! I love dinner theatre and I wish it wasn't looked down upon like it is. It's such a fun way to spend an evening! And it's so great to know that they often treat their performers well. It sounds like actors are fed and housed well when performing in dinner theatre, and it is a great way to make ends meet before really getting into the industry. It's great that they are trying to expand dinner theatre, and hopefully people will see its validity as a great place to work instead of a place that is beneath them,
Never having seen any dinner theater or been exposed to it in anyway, I did have a lot of misconceptions that this article cleared up for me. I was under the impression that dinner theater was like the classy version of a tray table meal in front of The Price Is Right. I'm glad to have read this article, as those misconceptions are way off base and a little embarrassing, but it would also seem they are prevalent. I would love to see a show to really see what it's all about and I would be curious to see if dinner theater can really make a new name for itself. I was entirely unaware that there were dinner theater associations.
One of the first professional shows I ever went to was a dinner theatre in Boston, and I was totally wowed by the concept. To me, dinner theatre just means packaging your night together in a really clean way-go to this restaurant that has pretty decent food, watch a show in the same seat you're in while you unwind from the day. Perfect, in my book.
I am pleasantly surprised to hear how well the actors are treated in situations such as these. I'm not quite sure where the revenue comes from (given that restaurants can be pretty fickle) for the actors to be housed, fed and given a company car, but I'm certainly not going to argue. While these may be more popular in the mid-west, and of a somewhat different styling, I'd be happy to see more theatre companies that encourage a more total cultural package on a customer's night out to a show. In my eyes, seeing a show tells you a lot about a city, and being able to package that with a restaurant, a gallery, or live music reinforces the culture that you've chosen to immerse yourself in. Even if this isn't within the same building, businesses should try and help one another out, and promote the arts at the same time.
I grew up 10 minutes away from Westchester Broadway Theatre, and only saw one show there; I just always went into NY to see what I thought were "better" shows in the city. However, after seeing a production of "Funny Girl" it's absolutely true that dinner theatre can have just as much talent and production value as a show on Broadway.
Especially in areas like the "fly-over" areas mentioned in the article, having a dinner theatre might be the best of even only way for people to be involved in or watch a performance. It also might make the idea of watching a performance seem less expensive and less extravagant. Tickets to a dinner theatre are absolutely less expensive than the majority of current Broadway tickets, which can be hundred of dollars. Having dinner and then seeing a show in the same place might be more appealing to those who might hesitate to just purchase tickets for a performance.
I'm surprised that at one of the theaters they clear food before the production. I understand eating your food and watching the show at the same place, but I guess my understanding is that they happen at the same time...
In my opinion dinner theater sounds like a great idea. Harkening back to the days when there'd be a musical act and drinking and singing between every act. Celebrate the fun in entertainment.
Some shows in New York, similar to the Sleep No More style, are combining theater and dinner theater. The interactive actors in the audience, with an open bar and a kitchen create an immersive experience with dinner on the side. One I saw struggled to define the line between the actors interacting and becoming part of the audience. I suppose these dinner theaters create a strong boundary, for better or worse.
This article was very eye opening to me. Like Abigail, I have never seen a piece of dinner theatre and assumed that it was the lowest level of theatre available for purchase. I thought it was equal to that of a "Knights of the Round Table" attraction that you can find in Orlando. I was very surprised to hear that it is actually extremely legitimate. And now that I think about it, there's nothing wrong with entertaining some hungry people in order to make your way in this world.
I personally have never been to a dinner theater, I've been to a singing ice cream parlor but that's about it! I've always wanted to go though. I've heard of a couple, one of them is Tony and Tina's Wedding, an interactive off- Broadway Wedding reception gone wrong style of show that has been actually been running for quite a while! The only other theater/ dinner venue I've been to was Medieval Times, jousting and with a meat and potatoes kind of meal. Of course maybe there is one person who is working at Medieval times would not want to be acting there, or one waiter at that singing ice cream shop who would rather be singing for Broadway, but I think that any experience is good experience, I'm sure there are better fitting examples of some fine-tuned dinner/ theater venues. I also found it interesting to read about how the experience of working at a dinner theater is different than working at a non- dinner theater, food and actual dinner customers come with a whole other slew of factors and elements that must be taken into consideration, not just for the actors, but for the entire planning/ organization of the evening. I am really interested in going to one- sounds like a lot of fun!
I mean, I've been to some shitty dinner theatres. The Lazy Susan in Washington, DC (where I saw a particularly uninspiring production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat in which Elvis got a boner) rings a bell as being particularly bad. I also know a lot of great people who work at not-so-great places where they have singing waiters and waitresses and the like. I'm sure some are great, and I'm sure great people work at most of the bad ones too. The bottom line is, if you're pressed for a job, sometimes you can't be picky. Sure, you'll want to leave ASAP, but you never know where a short hiatus into shitty theatre can take you. Most of my memorable moments have been had working in a places where everything is being done wrong!
This was a great article in that I have never have thought of dinner theater as a thing that is that great. When I think of dinner theater I think of a show that is not all that good with food that is not good at all either. I guess that there are a lot of really good ones out there to work at. It is interesting to hear it compared to Cruises ships in that it is not as good of a gig but the Cruise ship gig is amazing with a lot of them they only having 2 or 3 short shows a day and have no other things that they have to do for the rest of the cruise. This is in contrast to working ridicules hours and many different jobs. So I think that maybe the dinner theater thing is a great job to get once you are out of school.
As the article says, dinner theaters can provide a good source of income, good experience for a resume, and also many networking opportunities. The article also clarifies that many of the rumors and myths about dinner theatre are false, and that in many cases, dinner theatre leads to positive experiences. David Czarnecki (former president of the National Dinner Theatre Association) said, “Dinner theater is really the middle ground between regional theater, off-Broadway and Broadway." This training ground provided by dinner theatres can be very useful. As many other commenters have said, I've been to see numerous shows in a dinner theatre setting and while typically the shows aren't as stunning as a dedicated stage show would be, they have a whole different charm to them. Dinner theatre shows are quaint, and often fun… time to hang out with friends, and enjoy a great meal and a great show (hopefully) at the same time. So even though dinner theaters certainly aren't the most prestigious of places to work, they still hold an important place in the entertainment industry.
I hate that people -- actors, designers, technicians, directors, etc. -- look down on dinner theatre in this way, because the concept is fantastic and innovative. Rather than sticking with traditional theatrical experiences, producers are taking theatre to different places and venues, and attracting audiences by placing the work in different contexts. This should be the kind of work that is exciting and innovative, but is constantly looked down upon in the same category with cruise ship performances. But it's a cycle and I hope this article will help break it. Dinner theatre is looked down upon because older, more experienced people look down on it, not necessarily because of the quality of the work.
I hadn't ever thought much about dinner theatre until I read this article. I guess if I'm honest, I would have thought dinner theatre was not for me, but after reading about it, I would not dismiss the idea entirely. I can see how the study work with potential benefits would be appealing to a lot of people. If someone has always wanted a particular role, they can look all over the country in hopes to find an audition. Since it is usually a short term situation, they could fulfill a dream roll, be able to put it on their resume, make some money, have no long term commitment, make some new friends and have a lot of fun! I could handle that. A lot of talented people have done dinner theatre. I think when you love what you do, it doesn't always matter what the venue is. It's sometimes just about being able to do what you love and hopefully pay your bills along the way. Any experience we get is still experience. So, I liked this article because it made me more open to jobs that weren't necessarily on our radar.
I've gotten to be a part of dinner theater performances, both on and off stage, and reading this article reminded me of how much I enjoyed both sides of the experience. I feel like anytime a non-conventional form of theater is presented, there is just so much that can stem from it, and I would definitely love to one day work in dinner theater again. There is something about the idea of getting together to celebrate both food and art that really resonates with me, and I have a hard time understanding why it has such a bad reputation.
I think the idea of Dinner Theatre has often had a negative connotation. The idea that actors wait/bus tables seems to be there. I found it interesting that one of the owners stated that all serving was concluded before the show started. I also think that it is a great way for actors to gain experience and work in new spaces. (In my experience Dinner Theatres have generally been small) In addition to space the technical aspects would also be a different thing to deal with. It jut shows that designers/technicians/etc. need to be flexible to do theatre in whatever venue.
The concept of dinner theatre for me is such an interesting venue of performance. There are 3 different kinds of mergers occurring. The merger of artists and their collaborations to create art, the merger of an audience and artists and the exchanged of art and ideas, and ultimately the communion that happens one people break bread together so to speak. There is nothing more intimate than sitting down with someone and sharing a meal together, combining that with the vulnerability that comes with presenting art and the exposed nature of the craft.
As one who has been working for a dinner theatre in a few capacities for nearly 3 years now, it's fascinating to read other's perceptions of the environment.
I'm told the company I work for has gone downhill in the past 5-10 years after opening a largely unsuccessful second location and trying to keep both theatres running in the recession. However, the older location, which presents productions in the round, is well known for getting rights to regional premieres because licensors are excited to see "big" Broadway musicals presented in the round for a full house of 250 patrons. Currently they're doing a fantastic production of "The Color Purple".
Actors like working at dinner theatres for all the reasons listed in the article. If the audience shows up, and they understand how to tip, you regularly bring in $200 a night just from tips. Plus, you can often still hold on to a day job with the right schedule. Our company has quite a few "lifers" who are regularly cast in character roles, wait tables, and have steady 9-5s where they hold titles like "Director of Customer Relations". At the same time though, many young performers use the productions as stepping stones to bigger LORT theatres and even Broadway. It breaks down to something that resembles half unofficial 35yo+ acting company who've been there for 10+ years and half under 30yo fresh faces that rotate annually.
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