In general, the arts are beginning to recover from the recession and there has been steady growth in arts participation. The performing arts, including dinner theatre, are part of this upward trend. As demonstrated throughout this field guide, dinner theatre is also a popular art form and there are a variety of ways it is present in American culture. Between the increased support for the arts and the consistent stronghold dinner theatre has in the US, the future looks very optimistic for many of the companies that have survived. At the very least, the structure of dinner theatre will continue to be a popular source of entertainment and be used by a variety of organization for special events and fundraisers.

With the advancement of technology, entertainment experiences similar to the dine-in movie theatres will be more common place. As live performance begins to go virtual with streaming services and circulated recordings, I am interested to see how the combination of “dinner and a show” evolves. There a a myriad of possibilities, involving both live and recorded performances. Additionally, there are infinite possibilities regarding what new technologies may emerge. This is also only regarding public performance, not private at-home performances and film screenings.

In their article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Ivey and Tepper note a rise in amateur art-making with the development of new technologies. Dinner theatre has always been notoriously lax regarding artistic technique and structure, hence the wide array of groups staging productions in the context of dinner theatre. This combination makes dinner theatre ripe to flourish going forward and I have no doubt it will be a consistent part of the arts well into the future.

Lynk’s text Dinner Theatre: A Survey and Directory, published in 1993, is a wealth of information on the subject and provides a very in depth history. When reviewing the theatres listed in the directory, however, many of them unfortunately turned out to be closed. Lynk mentions the American Dinner Theatre Institute (ADTI), which subsequently had to fold after shortly after a legal battle with the Actors Equity Association (AEA) over payments.

You can read a 1986 decision on the matter from the Eighth Circuit court here.

Many theatres that were under this organization and many that were independent unfortunately followed suit and did not survive. Those under the National Dinner Theatre Association (NCTA) are still in existence.

A 1987 article in the LA Times sums up the hardships faced by dinner theatres at the time: http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-15/entertainment/ca-29078_1_dinner-theater-tickets

This article does, however, manage to paint an optimistic picture for theatre moving forward and as the 90’s progressed there was a resurgence in dinner theatre though the companies lost in these legal and financial complications did not recover. There are currently fewer dinner theatres than there were before the ADTI and economic collapses, but the ones that are here are thriving.

Lynk, W.M. (1993). Dinner theatre: A Survey and Directory. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

In a 1998 article for American Theatre, writer James Oseland states that “while it’s easy to be cynical about the genre, for countless Americans it is the only kind of theatre they know–or care to know.” While this is a somewhat pessimistic and arguably outdated quote, there is some merit to it. Many Americans who are not introduced to arts at a young age become hesitant to participate. One remedy, per Oseland’s quotes, is to find ways to make the arts more comfortable for the unartistic individual. This can be done with gimmicks, like adding a dinner component to enhance the theatre -going experience or gift certificates (which most dinner theatres offer). While dinner theatre is a specific subset of theatre, using dinner theatre to generate participation in theatre will spark interest in and awareness of the performing arts. Additionally, this is an easily commercialized model and these are some of the most successful theatre companies.

A more critical component of this article is the deep roots Oseland finds for dinner theatre in the cultural landscape of America. His discussion focuses on the Drury Lane Oakbrook Dinner Theatre in Illinois, the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre in Minnesota, and the Carousel Dinner Theatre in Ohio. These are three very different venues of different sizes and price points. Using these examples, he talks a lot about the evolution from dinner theatre and how it has been transitioning from a casual family event to an upscale evening out. Many dinner theatres who did not make these changes have, unfortunately, disappeared. In researching the topic of American Dinner Theatre, I was genuinely surprised at some of the price points and how impressive some of the venues were. It will be exciting to see if the art of dinner theatre continues to develop in this direction or if there will ever be a return to the days of casual family fun.

Regardless, dinner theatre’s importance to both the performing arts and to American culture cannot be overstated. Even in today’s more exclusive context, this classic combination is one of the easiest ways to attract an audience and get people to interested in theatre.  On a base level, it is also easier to convince people of the value of a ticket that includes a meal. Whether the company is a smaller venue playing on nostalgia and comfort or a larger venue offering something for special occasions, dinner theatre will continue to be the most appealing and most easily understood forms of performance.

Oseland, James. “Dinner Theatre, U.S.A.” American Theatre 15.4 (1998): 22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.