Why are there so many dinner theatres in Pennsylvania?

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As I begun my research process, it became obvious that live dinner theatres were a niche market and, for the states that had such an organization,  there would only be one or two. Digging deeper, many of these venues turned out to be in Pennsylvania. Initially, I’d only found 5, but then I found this article:

http://www.whereandwhen.com/Articles/PA+Dinner+Theaters/

The list provided here included all the organizations I’d already found and the ones I had not found yet were still found to be active after some searching. With my curiosity building, I did a little more research and even found a couple of more companies to end up with an impressive list of 10 dinner theatres in Pennsylvania:

  • Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (Lancaster, PA)*
  • The Station Dinner Theatre (Erie, PA)
  • Allenberry Playhouse (Boiling Springs, PA)*
  • Rainbow Dinner Theatre (Paradise, PA)*
  • Pines Dinner Theatre (Allentown, PA)
  • The Music Box Dinner Playhouse (Kingston, PA)
  • Gettysburg Civil War Era Dinner Theatre (Fairfield, PA)
  • The Riverside Inn & Dinner Theatre (Cambridge Springs, PA)
  • Timbers Restaurant and Dinner Theatre (Mount Gretna, PA)
  • Mystery Theatre (Philadelphia, PA)

This begged the question why- why were there so many organizations filling the same niche in one place?

Going through the website of each of these companies, I began to find some pretty significant differences. Dutch Apple and Mystery Theatre are both very high end place with tickets costing around $50 per person. The Riverside Inn & Dinner Theatre is also on the higher end cost wise, and their venue and events are much for formal. However, The Music Box Dinner Playhouse is much more affordable offering a variety of rates including show-only tickets for under $20. The Station Dinner Theatre and Timbers Restaurant and Dinner Theatre are not much more expensive.

It can thus be concluded that each of these companies, being in different parts of the state and at different price points with different ambiance and artistic offerings, fills a particular creative need. Additionally, there is quite a bit of funding available for the arts in Pennsylvania compared with many other states.  Additionally, there is a lot of cultural and socioeconmic diversity Pennsylvania. Though somewhat random, Pennsylvania having so many dinner theatre options is appropriate.

 

The Murder Mystery Company (2015)

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This clip is a promotional video for the Murder Mystery Company and also offers a detailed explanation of their term “grimprov.” This focuses on the teaching elements of their presentation and offers great examples of their work.

Murder Mystery Company is one of the largest companies in dinner theatre. They offer a variety of event packages and are available all over the country. They even have an 888 number. They offer weekly public shows in addition to private events. Since they are a network, their model is based on partnerships with preexisting restaurants (mostly Old Spaghetti Factories). The company also uses their performances for team building and corporate events, using the interactive potential of dinner theatre in a practical way. The accomplish this through a unique “fair play” tactic, keeping the event random and the audience on their toes. “Grimpov” is based in the idea of fair play, in which the actors switch up the story and the clues based on audience response. This approach is what allows for all of the education and professional development happens.

You can learn more about the organization on their website: https://www.grimprov.com/index.html

The Closure of Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre

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Here are a couple of recent articles about some challenges facing Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre in Goodfield, IL. The theatre had been around for 40 years before a denied insurance claim sent them packing. The loss felt by the community can be seen in the comments. Fortunately, all is not lost as a later article points to a new life for the company in Washington.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150930/NEWS/150939967

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20151022/NEWS/151029760

The organization’s statement on the closure can be found on their website:

http://www.mtco.com/~barn2/

 

What is Dinner Theatre?

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“Dinner and a show” is a traditional evening out and there have been many groups throughout the history of performance offering this experience. Currently, there are still many organizations based on this concept and their practices are of both academic and professional interest to me. These venues tend to be more informal settings, suitable for families and casual attire. Dinner theatre is hence one of the most accessible and approachable performing arts, and is thus a great space to study the accessibility of the arts. There is a wide array of companies all over the United States, but consistently they each offer a casual environment though the ticket prices and meal costs vary between the groups, attracting different kinds of audiences and environments. The unique approachability of dinner theatre also generates some professional interest as far as considering the variety of organizations I could be involved in and learning how to promote such an experience.

Dinner theatre spans from the larger attractions to formal date ideas to a comfortable local spot. Tickets for most of these companies are typically less expensive than more formal spaces, but some can be pretty pricey. Many of these venues also have a theme, like Medieval Times or the Shakespeare Tavern. Some, however, are actually just non-specific theatres designed for dining. There are also variances between the companies based on their location and size. Dutch Apple in Lancaster, PA is actually a surprisingly large venue with rather pricey tickets. However, a lot of these organizations are smaller and very tied to their communities such as Lake George and The Station. Then there is Medieval Times- a large dinner theatre chain with a proprietary show and locations all over the country. Each company on this spectrum operates uniquely but still harkens back to the fundamental idea of dinner and a show.

In addition to live performance, there are also some movie theatres that offer dining such as Northern Lights in Salem, OR. This is a completely different side of dinner theatre. Going into Becker’s definition of art world, however, it is unclear whether or not these spaces should be included in the field guide. An art world, according to Becker, is primarily defined by the people involved. And since the artists involved in live dinner theatre are divergent from those involved in the movie houses, it is possible and seemingly preferable to separate these two. However, Becker states that “artists in various media-oriented worlds may try to achieve similar kinds of things in their work and may share ideas and perspectives on how to accomplish them” (Becker, 1982, 161). Theatre and film are both performative arts and thus have similar artistic challenges and goals. As such, these different crafts are part of the discussion on dinner theatre.

Another major resource in understanding dinner theatre is the National Dinner Theatre Association, or NDTA. Not all of the theatres listed above art members. The organization also does not include movie theatres. NDTA’s website (http://www.ndta.us/) offers insight on what exactly membership entails, which may in turn explain why some of these organizations are not members. The mix of members and non-members also points to how pleasantly expansive and varied the world of American dinner theatre is.

Dinner Theatre as a Fundraiser for Thrive Alabama

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http://whnt.com/2015/10/26/murder-mystery-dinner-theatre/

The performing arts have been used in a variety of ways throughout their history, especially in the context of social issues. In this article, we have a specific example from Thrive Alabama, who will host a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre event on November 7th to raise money for their cause- AIDS care and prevention. Choosing dinner theatre is an interesting commentary on the accessibility of the art form. While it is obviously elite enough to attract donors, it is also approachable enough to not contradict the organization’s mission and not alienate those they serve. This balance, as demonstrated by the wide range of dinner theatres throughout the US, is easily found in theatre and even more evident in the world of dinner theatre. The play they’ve chosen to produce is also appropriately set in the south.

It is unclear from this article and the Thrive Alabama website whether or not this is in partnership with a particular theatre company, but they do credit the catering and mention two performances.

AMC Dine-In Theatres

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In addition to live performance, there are also movie theatres that offer dining. This is a completely different side of dinner theatre. Going into Becker’s definition of art world, however, it is unclear whether or not these spaces should be included in the field guide. An art world, according to Becker, is primarily defined by the people involved. And since the artists involved in live dinner theatre are divergent from those involved in the movie houses, it is possible and seemingly preferable to separate these two. However, Becker states that “artists in various media-oriented worlds may try to achieve similar kinds of things in their work and may share ideas and perspectives on how to accomplish them” (Becker, 1982, 161). Theatre and film are both performative arts and thus have similar artistic challenges and goals. As such, these different crafts are part of the discussion on dinner theatre.

Investigating these dine-in theaters, one of the first things to appear were AMC’s “Fork and Screen” locations. AMC is a well-known company with movie theaters all across the United States. They have recently begun opening some dine-in locations with “extra comfy seating” and a full restaurant-quality menu. Here is a brief video about these venues:

There are locations all throughout the US, though mostly in upscale areas. The marketing for these theaters, as shown in the video, is very focused on luxury and convenience. Of course, this is much more expensive than the typical movie-going experience (which is already out of reach for many). This essentially means that adding a dining component has the opposite affect for the movies as it does the live theatre. Live dinner theatres are typically consider fairly colloquial spaces, as eating in the theatre breaks many social rules. But since everyone is used to snacks and sodas at the movies to begin with, being able to have a full meal is more of an upgrade than going against the grain.

You can learn more about these spaces here.