Zoot Theatre Company is taking advantage of their new preforming home by introducing a summer outdoor series at The Dayton Art Institute! This casual, dinner theater concept makes use of the recently renovated Hale Cloister and guests can order tickets a boxed lunch or dinner and a bottle of wine from Leo Bistro.

A Box, Bottle, and Play will consist of three outdoor productions: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Dr. Faustus; and The Tempest. All three plays are written and adapted by noted local artist Brian McKnight. The Series opened June 19th with one of Shakespeare’s best known plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Famous for its comedy, Midsummer is the story of a pair of young lovers who plan to cast all aside and elope, but are interrupted when they are followed into the woods and become mixed up in a love triangle..er..quartet. The night goes comically awry when the four are caught in a quarrel between the fairy queen and king. A Midsummer Night’s Dream will run through Sunday, June 30.

The second show in the Series, Dr. Faustus is by Christopher Marlowe and is about a notable mind within academia, Doctor Faustus. As he pursues his studies so rigorously he becomes bored with the limits of theory, feeling that he has attained all the wisdom that is possible in the earthly realm. He continues his pursuit of power and knowledge elsewhere, ultimately making a pact with the devil. Dr. Faustus will open on Wednesday, July 10 and run through Sunday, July 21.

The Series will end with another Shakespearean classic, The Tempest. The show follows Prospero after he has been deposed from his dukedom by his own brother and cast to sea. After being deposed, he and his daughter Miranda live stranded for years on an island filled with spirits. When Prospero discovers that a ship carrying his brother and the King of Naples is near, he uses his skills as a powerful magician to crash their boat onto the island’s shores and orchestrates a plan to regain his rightful position. The Tempest will open on Wednesday, July 31 and will close on Sunday, August 11.

Audience members may choose from Leo Bistro’s two meal options; a smoked turkey, provolone, and sundried pesto Panini; or a roasted Portobello and brie Panini with apple arugula salad. All meals include kettle chips or a side salad and a chocolate chip cookie. Meals also include lemonade, iced tea, or water.
Show Times:

Wed, Sat & Sun 1pm,

Thurs & Fri 7pm

Tickets run $20 per show, subscriptions are available for all three shows for $51.00 per person. In addition, audience members are able to purchase a delicious boxed meal for an additional $10.00 per person and a bottle of wine for $15.00 per bottle. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale. A limited number of $10 “Tweet Seats” are available for Saturday & Sunday performances. For more information, call 937.223.4ART or visit www.zoottheatrecompany.org.

The Zoot Theatre Company was founded in 2006 as a professional puppet and mask company. Based in Dayton, OH, Zoot is the resident theatre company in the NCR Renaissance Auditorium at the Dayton Art Institute where it produces both its Summer Series and MainStage Season, consisting of professional puppet and mask shows. In addition, Zoot offers puppetry and mask workshops for children and adults typically at schools and community centers. Proud to be a Dayton Original, Zoot also maintains studio and rehearsalspace in downtown Dayton and partners with many local schools, colleges, and arts organizations. In the past, Zoot has worked with Alter High School, Oakwood High School, Central State University, The Muse Machine, The Dayton Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and designed and built original puppets for The Human Race Theatre Company’s production of Avenue Q in the Spring of 2013.