Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
With all of the community theaters in town we thought we would spotlight their upcoming seasons. This will give you plenty of time to fill your calendars and purchase season tickets. This week I am happy to spotlight Brookville Community Theatre and Troy Civic Theatre.
Brookville Community Theatre located at 770 Arlington Rd Brookville, OH 45309 is at the end of their 38th Season. The Neil Simon comedy Plaza Suite, Directed by James Nelson will be performed September 7-17. Brookville will tie up their season with Stuck At Home, directed by Bonnie Bertelson. You can see this comedy November 9-19, 2023. Tickets for all shows at Brookville Community Theatre can be purchased here: https://thebct.org/
Troy Civic Theatre, which has been producing shows at The Barn in the park since 1965 will open their 2023-2024 Season with I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick and is to be directed by Erin Gibbons. Performances run September 15-24.
November 10-19, you can see Lysistrata by Aristophanes, directed by Derek Dunavent. In the midst of an ongoing war between Athens and Sparta, the Athenian Lysistrata calls together an assembly of women from throughout Greece to present her plan for peace. Continuing into 2024, Troy will produce Moon Over the Brewery by Bruce Graham which will be directed by Steve Dietrich. Performances: March 1-10, 2024
Wrapping up their season, Derek Dunavent will direct Godspell by John-Michael Tebelak, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Based on the Gospel of Matthew, Godspell features an eclectic group of people who team up with Jesus to teach his lessons in a new day and time. Performances of this fan favorite musical will be May 3-12, 2024. You can get tickets for the season at https://troycivictheatre.com.
Thank you to all of the Theatres for helping me with information to put this series together. There are many great options for everyone in 2023-2024. I hope you visit some of these theaters and are amazed by the wonder that is Community Theatre.
Continuing our local theatre season spotlight, this week we are featuring Yellow Brick Theater and INNOVAtheatre.
Yellow Brick Theater founded by Dionne Meyer and Jessi Stark. Their mission is to strengthen the vibrant youth culture of the Greater Dayton area by providing children and their families with theater education, performance experiences, and opportunities for artistic self expression. We accomplish this through teaching classes, workshops, and producing family- friendly performances.
Yellow Brick will produce Mean Girls: High School Edition. Performances will be October 20 & 21. Tickets and more information can be found here.
Just a little outside of the 937, and often featuring Daytonians you’ll find INNOVAtheatre Performances take place at the beautiful Sorg Opera House 63 S Main St, Middletown, OH 45044. INNOVA is a Community Theatre that was founded upon inclusivity and diversity has the following productions to offer us for their 2023-2024 Season.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, Directed by: Richard Lee Waldeck, Vocal and Orchestral Direction by: Lorri Topping & George Drewyor, and Choreography by: Isadore Karrick performances are August 25 – September 3.
Love to do the time warp? Get ready, the cult classic, Rocky Horror Show Directed by: Richard Lee Waldeck and Musical Direction by: Hayden Floro will run October 20- 29, 2023.
In 2024 INNOVA will bring the musical American Idiot. Green Day’s powerhouse album is brought to life in this electric-rock musical of youthful disillusion. Performances will be April 19- 28.
Tickets can be purchased here: 
With all of the local theaters in town we thought we would spotlight their upcoming seasons. This will give you plenty of time to fill your calendars and purchase season tickets. Our third installment will spotlight X*ACT and Actor’s Theatre Fairborn.
Located at 45 East Second Street in Xenia, X*ACT will produce A World of Entertainment for their 2023-2024 season. The have selected a diverse lineup which opens with Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe, written by Eric Coble and directed by Dee Berdine. Production dates are October 20-22, and 27-29, 2023. In December (1-10, 2023) Melodee Bass will direct Svetlana’s First Christmas, written by Dwayne Yancy & A Holiday Surprise is promised.
The new year will bring No Exit, written by Jean Paul Sartre to the X*ACT stage directed by Mike Taint, production dates are March 1-10, 2024. Following No Exit will be the classic Lysistrata, by Aristophanes and directed by T. C. Kimmet. Lysistrata will run April 5-14, 2024.
In April Lysistrata, directed by T. C. Kimmet, and written by Arsitophanes is a comic account of a woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Production dates are April 5-14, 2024
Ending this season will be World Builders written by Johnna Adams and directed by Julie Hauwiller will be performed May 10- 19, 2024. “…a brilliant script with precise and punctuated dialogue that is as entirely believable as it is bizarre. A fascinating exploration of what it takes to truly love another person, WORLD BUILDERS is profoundly thoughtful, transformative storytelling at its finest.” —BroadwayWorld.com
Tickets and more information can be found here: xeniaact1.org
Jim Harworth has brought Actor’s Theatre Fairborn back to life. Located at 23 N Main Street, this vintage theatre has brought community theatre back to Fairborn and this upcoming shows promises to continue to bring quality entertainment to you. Jim stated that he is glad to be able to have audiences back after Covid, and is very thankful for the support of many local volunteers, like Craig Smith and former owner of the building Don Campbell. He also appreciates all of the support he’s had helping give back to the community. While there isn’t a set season for Actor’s theatre they do have a few shows coming up.
At the end of September the ghoulish comedy Moan Alone, by Mark Aloysous Kennerly, directed by Olivia Simpson will tell the tale of two couples (played by real life married couples) who go off for a Halloween getaway and get caught in a freak snowstorm. Due to unforeseen circumstances, they all slowly become zombies. Performance dates are September 29- October 7, 2023
In March of 2024 Craig Smith will direct the Neil Simon comedy Barefoot In The Park, this classic romantic comedy features Paul and Corie Bratter who are newlyweds in every sense of the word. He’s a straight-as-an-arrow lawyer and she’s a free spirit. After a six-day honeymoon, they get a surprise visit from Corie’s mother and decide to play matchmaker with their neighbor, Mr. Velasco. Everything that can go wrong does. Barefoot In The Park will run March 1- 10, 2024.
May brings the sentimental favorite On Golden Pond, by Ernest Thompson. Brian Sharp will introduce you to Ethel and Norman Thayer as they return to their summer home of 48 years. “…a rare and memorable theatrical experience…” —Variety. On Golden Pond will take the stage May 10-19, 2024.
Tickets can be obtained by going here: Actorstheatrefairborn.org
With all of the local theaters in town we thought we would spotlight their upcoming seasons. This will give you plenty of time to fill your calendars and purchase season tickets. Our second installment will spotlight The Dayton Theatre Guild and Dayton Playhouse.
The Dayton Theatre Guild, Located at 430 Wayne Ave, begins their season with August Wilson’s Radio Golf– Directed by Robert-Wayne Waldron- With humor and courage, August Wilson’s Radio Golf examines the steep price “progress” can exact upon the soul. Performance dates are Aug 25–Sept 10, 2023. They will follow Radio Golf with the thriller, Wednesday’s Child, By Mark St. Germain, Directed by K.L. Storer. When Becca is found dead, a homicide investigation digs into the lives of everyone who knew her. This dramatic play explores motherhood, passion, and the thin line between right and wrong. Production Dates are Nov 3–19, 2023
In January, Doug Lloyd will direct True West written By Sam Shepard. January 12-28, 2024. “A quintessentially American play about two brothers caught up in a cycle of hostility and violence, and desperate to gauge their manhood by the barometers of both myths, and of each other.” …Theatre critic Deborah Klugman.
Flight of the Lawnchair Man, Directed by David Shough. Book by Peter UllianMusic & Lyrics by Robert Lindsey-Nassif, based on a concept by Robert Lindsey-Nassif. Loosely based on a true story, The Guild’s production takes off Mar 22–Apr 7, 2024. Flight of the Lawschairman is a musical that reminds us that dreams can come true if you believe in yourself.
Closing this wonderful season will be Superior Donuts “A witty, seductive, live-wire and greatly entertaining dark comedy that you just don’t want to end and you just don’t want to miss!” -Chicago Tribune. Written by Tracey Letts (August, Osage County) Superior Donuts explores the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship between an unlikely pair. Directed by Jared Mola, will perform Jun 7–23, 2024.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://daytontheatreguild.thundertix.com/
Dayton Playhouse, located at the beautiful Five Rivers’ Wegerzyn Gardens, 1301 E Siebenthaler, Dayton, dances into their 2023-2024 season with the new musical, The Prom. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. Directed by Tim Rezash, This musical follows four Broadway actors lamenting their days of fame, as they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to high school prom. September 22, 2023- October 8, 2023
The ONE ACT Play That Goes Wrong, written by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer, is a farce that takes place on the opening night of an overly ambitious 1920s-style murder mystery. Directed by Ray Gambrell, who directed the 2022 FutureFest Winner Every Livin’ Soul, takes the stage November 10 – November 19, 2023.
Kathleene Clark, returns to direct Is There Life After High School, book by Jeffrey Kindley and music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia. In this memory musical, no cast member plays a single part, but instead, each represents an assortment of old grads looking back – mostly with affection – on their high school days. Come and remember The Kid Inside, January 12, 2024 – January 28, 2024.
Sense and Sensibility, adapted by Kate Hamill who said “I wrote Sense and Sensibility because I believe so deeply that the classics belong to everyone. When we ensure that narratives of all types can take center stage, we know that we can all be protagonists, no matter our gender or background or circumstance. We can be heroes — or heroines — of our own stories.” Directed by Jenni Cypher, Sense and Sensibility will run March 8, 2024-March 17, 2024
Dayton Playhouse will close their 2023-2024 Season with the musical Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Director Dawn Roth Smith, plans to include a children’s choir for this production. Go, go see it!
May 10, 2024-May 26, 2024.
Returning in 2024 FutureFest, a festival of new plays will be July 19-21, 2024.
Tickets for Dayton Playhouse can be acquired here: http://wordpress.thedaytonplayhouse.com/tickets/
With all of the local theaters in town, we thought we would spotlight their upcoming seasons. This will give you plenty of time to fill your calendars and purchase season tickets. This week we are throwing the spotlight on Beavercreek Community Theatre and TheatreLab Dayton.
We begin with Beavercreek Community Theatre located at The Lofino Senior Adult Enrichment and Cultural Arts Center 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, OH 45432.
For the 2023-2024 Season BCT has acquired two musicals and three plays. They will open with Bright Star, which was inspired by a true story, and features a score by Steve Martin (Yes, THAT Steve Martin, and Edie Brickell). It is a story of love and redemption. This production will be directed by Jeff Sams. Bright Star September 1-10, 2023.
The second show will be The Ginger-Bread Lady, by Neil Simon. This dramatic comedy garnered a Tony Award and a Drama Desk award for Maureen Stapleton as Evy Meara. Debra Kent will direct. October 27- November 5, 2023.
January 26 – February 4, 2024 will be Private Lives, written by Noel Coward and directed by Tim Rezash. This Comedy of errors tells the story of a divorced couple that end up honeymooning at the same hotel with their new spouses. “A brilliant comedy. A very funny play.” – Newsweek
In the spring, April 19-28, 2024 the play One Man, Two Guvners will take the stage. Directed by Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame member, Doug Lloyd, One Man, Two Guvners written by Richard Bean is a classic comedy of love, heroes, villains and confusion. “If you’re not having a good time at this show, you may be on the wrong medication.” —The Hollywood Reporter.
Closing their season BCT has chosen the musical The Hello Girls, Music, Lyrics, & Book: Peter C. Mills and Book: Cara Reichel. This musical tells the story of the first women soldiers in World War 1. Directed by Matt Owens this show will run June 21-30, 2024.
You can purchase season tickets for Beavercreek Community Theatre here: Bctheatre.org
TheatreLab Dayton, formerly Dare 2 Defy (D2D), has made quite the transformation over the last three years. They focus on showcasing the talented performers here in the Dayton area, and strive to create a safe space all while pushing the boundaries of what musical theatre can be. Their 2023-2024 season is called The Art of Making Art. Every single show in the season is either about making theatre in some way or the art of storytelling.
They will jump in with the musical The Producers, Book by Mel Brooks Thomas Meehan, Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks. Based on the 1968 Film, The Producers will be presented in the beautiful Victoria Theater September 15 and 16, 2023 and will be directed by TheatreLab’s Angie Thacker.
For Halloween they’ve selected the thriller Misery written by William Goldman and based on the novel by Stephen King, the story begins when a writer is “rescued” by one of his biggest fans, who soon has very strong opinions of his latest novel which leaves the writer writing for his life. This production will go up in October 2023.
[title of show] Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen, Book by Hunter Bell is quite literally about writing a new musical. TheatreLab is incredibly passionate about new and unproduced works and this show directly speaks to that cause. “Sly, sassy, inspired.” – Entertainment Weekly. This production will take place in January of 2024.
The musical Into the Woods, Book byJames Lapine, Music and Lyrics byStephen Sondheim is a classic tale, one that TheatreLab has produced before. TheatreLab’s Mackenzie King stated, “It felt right to bring it back this season because we plan to attack it in an entirely new way- really digging into our mission of creating familiar art in a way audiences haven’t seen before.” You will be able to catch this audience favorite in March of 2024.
Lastly, wrapping up their season will be the musical Once; Book by Enda Walsh, Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard Markéta Irglová. Based on the Motion Picture Written and Directed by John Carney. This show will beautifully bookend the TheatreLab Dayton’s season in May of 2024.
You can purchase season tickets for TheatreLab Dayton’s Season here: https://www.theatrelabdayton.org/season-memberships
If you are looking for entertainment, the Dayton Theatre scene has you covered.
Beavercreek Community Theatre will open Twelfth Night this weekend. It’s a funny, funky musical interpretation of a Shakespeare classic romantic comedy about mistaken identity and self discovery. Directed by Matt Owens, with Musical Direction by Charles Larkowski, this show will run through June 25th. 
Over at The Dayton Theatre Guild, the intense drama Hedda Gabbler, Directed by David Shough continues through Sunday, and is not to be missed. Returning from her honeymoon, Hedda finds herself already bored of her husband, and longing for the days when she was free to exercise her wild and independent whims. With the return of an old flame and a proposition from an amorous judge, she begins a dangerous game, amusing herself by manipulating and destroying everyone around her in an attempt to regain control of her life.
Brian Sharp brings the touching play, The Interview to the Westminster Dinner Theatre, which is sold out.
Over at The Dayton Playhouse the campy, not for the easily offended Evil Dead, The Musical directed by John Detty takes the stage Friday, June 16 and runs through Sunday June 25.
Five college students go to an abandoned cabin in the woods, and accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them all into demons. It’s all up to Ash (a housewares employee, turned demon-killing hero), and his trusty chainsaw to save the day. Blood flies. Limbs are dismembered. Demons tell bad jokes…and all to music. This show is rated R.
South of town you’ll find Cyrano de Burger Shack, directed by Jim Brown and Rob Breving at Springboro Community Theatre.
Cyrano is king of the local Burger Shack, but he can’t seem to win the love of his best friend, Roxanne. When Roxanne confesses her crush on the new burger-flipper, Christian, Cyrano decides that playing Cupid is better than sitting out of the game. An updated, modern-day version of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, this rollicking musical features hit contemporary pop songs that will have audiences cheering
Sunday In The Park With George at Middletown Lyric Theatre. Sunday in the Pa
rk with George, merges past and present into beautiful, poignant truths about life, love and the creation of art. The days leading up to the completion of his most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat is struggling to make meaningful art and maintaining a relationship with his lover, Dot. Seurat’s artistic ability thrives while his love diminishes. This weekends shows are sold out, but tickets remain for June 23 & 24.
The Human Race continues INDIGO, a world premiere musical making its debut run at The Loft Theatre from June 7-25. Beverly braces for chaos when her mother is diagnosed with dementia and moves in with her and her husband. But when her daughter, a non-speaking autistic teenager, crashes back into her life, Beverly must confront her past mistakes and work to repair the bonds of trust and family. INDIGO is a powerful and heartfelt musical about accepting the mistakes our parents make and challenging ourselves to repair our own.
This powerful and heartfelt musical about breaking through is quickly winning over the hearts of audiences. 
