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Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Arts & Entertainment

South Park Murder Mystery: A Prohibition Scandal

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See beautiful historic homes and solve a chilling mystery in South Park on October 1!

Historic South Park Inc. is proud to bring you a live-action murder mystery told across five beautiful historic South Park homes. Interact with actors at each location and gather clues that will lead you to solving the mystery of a Prohibition-era murder.

Guess the murderer correctly to win a prize! Guided tour groups leave every 30 minutes from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Advance tickets are required, 21+ only. Cost of a ticket includes the tour and a free beverage from Wholly Grounds.
For more details or to purchase Eventbrite tickets, visit: https://sites.google.com/view/southparkmurdermystery
Purchase tickets directly at www.eventbrite.com/e/a-prohibition-scandal-tickets-398647845437

Convention Center to Launch Halloween Movie Series

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The Dayton Convention Center will launch is 1st Annual Halloween Movie Series. Movies will begin Saturday, October 1st and run through Saturday, October 22nd in the Theater of the Convention Center. There will be several movies at various times to appeal to the entire community.

“We are delighted to add to the line-up of fall festivities, here in Dayton. We hope to see old friends and new faces this October and we present our inaugural Halloween Movie Series,” shared Kelli Donahoe, General Manager of the DCC. “By offering multiple dates and movies for all ages, we are looking to provide an alternate option to your typical movie experience.”

“In addition to our concession offerings, Warped Wing will be on-site offering a complimentary tasting of their local craft brew during the evening movies, as a way to enhance your visit,” added Donahoe. “There will also be trivia and prizes at the start of each movie. So don’t be late!”

The Dayton Convention Center

22 E. Fifth Street
Dayton, OH 45402

937.535.5300

Tickets are on sale now @ Tickets & Deals (daytonconventioncenter.com)

Adults = $10.00, Children 12 & Under = $5.00

Over 600 seats in the theatre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local Arts Leader Announces Retirement from Dance Company

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Ro Nita Hawes-Saunders, CEO of the internationally acclaimed Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), announced her intention to terminate her tenure, effective December 31, 2022.  Ro Nita concludes an eighteen-year career at DCDC. 

After being selected to provide leadership and stewardship of the company because of her knowledge and experience as a civic-minded, community-centered entrepreneur, Ro Nita was asked in 2005 by the DCDC Board of Directors to address issues that threatened the viability and sustainability of the company including the economic recession and lack of visibility of the company.

According to Ro Nita, “organizational change and reform, fiscal discipline, and strategic planning and networking became the requirements of the situation then, and these strategies continued to be useful and helpful in enabling the company to navigate the more recent challenge represented by the COVID pandemic and its aftermath.”  Ro Nita credits the creativity and resilience of the DCDC family, including the tireless donors, outstanding staff, exquisite dancers and dedicated Board of Directors for the company’s recovery and renewal. The company has evolved from an excellent dance company into a performing arts institution.

DCDC Board Chair, Jacqueline Gamblin and CEO of JYG Innovations said “I have admired Ro Nita’s leadership and unwavering commitment to continuing the DCDC legacy of artistic excellence and education. We appreciate her contributions and are extremely grateful for her cultivation of several key partnerships, sponsors and individual donors which are the lifeline of a non-profit. Her service has left a lasting impact and solid foundation for DCDC’s continued stability, success and growth.

Ro Nita believes that DCDC is a community trust and cultural treasure, whose reason for being is to recreate and celebrate the African American heritage and experience.  Through its artistic and educational initiatives, the company reaches annually approximately 40,000 people, 25,000 of whom are youth.  An example of Ro Nita’s belief that art may be used to heal, inform, and connect our global community was experienced in the presentation of DCDC’s Young, Gifted and Black: A Transformative Experience, which brought performances of new work and residency activities by choreographers of color to students and the community of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

Ro Nita has stated that she shares “Jeraldyne Blunden’s commitment to education, social change and cultural transformation.” She initiated new strategic educational partnerships with area Universities including the University of Dayton, Central State University and Wright State University. These partnerships resulted in initiatives that have benefited area high school and college students and the program growth of the dance company.

During Ro Nita’s tenure, DCDC has received a number of distinguished awards, including the contemporary dance world’s highest honor (New York Dance and Performance Award aka “The Bessie”) in 2016.  DCDC also received the 2016 Workplace Diversity Award from the Dayton branch of the National Conference for Community and Justice.  In May of 2018, DCDC received the prestigious Ohio Arts Council top artistic award, the Irma Lazarus Award.  DCDC has also toured internationally–Chile, China, France, Poland, and in 2018 the U.S. State Department invited DCDC to tour Kazakhstan and Russia.   

Ro Nita leaves DCDC after having created a legacy of leadership and service of her own, which includes her selection by the Dayton Business Journal in 2019 and in 2021, as one of the fifty most influential women in our area and her being honored in 2020 with the inaugural DBJ Jane Haley Award for determination, perseverance, and achievement.  Ro Nita was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Dayton in May of 2019 for her many contributions to the vitality and quality of the community, her continuing commitment to education, and her advocacy for female and minority business ownership.

Ro Nita’s belief in the vision and mission of the company—her respect for the company’s history and the founder’s legacy, her advocacy for individual change and organizational transformation, her faith and confidence in the potential and destiny of the company and the talented and dancers will remain hallmarks of DCDC.

The board of directors, will begin the daunting task of filling her position, in order for DCDC to continue its excellence that it represents in the arts world-wide.  Vice chair of DCDC’s board and University of Dayton provost Dr. Paul Benson said, “Ro Nita has been an outstanding leader for DCDC in absolutely every dimension of her responsibilities. Her agile leadership and ambitious strategic vision for DCDC were powerful catalysts for developing the close working partnership that UD has had with DCDC for the past 12 years.” Benson noted that the Board will establish a search committee and launch a search soon for Ro Nita’s successor. “DCDC’s continued artistic excellence, rich grounding in African-American culture and artistic expression, and dramatically expanded national and regional support should make this a highly desirable leadership role.”

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

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15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world

Dayton Independent Film Festival is This Weekend

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The Dayton Independent Film Festival (DIFF) celebrates regional filmmaking and stories from Midwestern filmmakers who offer their DIFFerent and unique vision. This weekend they host their 3rd annual Film Festival at The Neon Movies.  The festival will showcase films from established professionals, emerging filmmakers, and students.  Celebrating impactful stories from narrative, documentary or animation— everyone has a story to tell, DIFF cannot wait to showcase these films and filmmakers.

Melanie Reindl, Director of Programming festival explains that this started out a class a the Univeresity of Dayton and has now grown into a 3 day festival that runs Fri, Sept 23- Sun, Sept 25th.

Opening night on Friday starts with a welcoming ceremony for all our filmmakers on the Neon patio  followed by a local shorts 7pm screening,  from documentary to drama—that celebrates stories and filmmakers from Dayton that includes:

SHATTERED: A City Under Pressure
Directed by UD Documentary Class

What was once a booming city of innovation and creation has seen its once former glory eroded by time and circumstance. Called home by bright minds such as the Wright Brothers, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and John H. Patterson, Dayton, OH was a homing beacon for creative minds with a drive to better themselves and their community.

Paul Laurence Dunbar: An American Poet
Directed by Kane Alan Stratton

Dayton, Ohio 1903. A world renowned poet delivers the incomparable verse, “I know why the caged bird sings.”

Stowaway
Directed by Benjamin Hollinger

Sam, a financially struggling car thief, and his partner Mia find a toddler in the back seat of the car they just stole. Now Sam must decide between protecting the toddler or giving up the car that could save his family from financial crisis.

SIA
Directed by Ashlei Shyne

”Sia” is a poetic short film that follows Nola & Sia, a Black queer female couple whose vibrant life together is upended when a global pandemic threatens to tear apart their entire world.

Analog Rainbow
Directed by Henry Czerwonka

A young woman plagued by her past gets a chance to revisit her earliest memories and discovers her childhood may not have been as carefree as she remembers.

Nonfiction Shorts
Saturday kicks off with nonfiction shorts from 1-3pm:

Safe Haven
Directed by Faith Marsh

Monica Kelsey turns her own past into a passion for saving abandoned babies.

A Near Constant and Escalating State of Panic
Directed by Jason Polevoi

A young father grapples with the pressures of modern parenthood during a 10-day COVID-19 quarantine.

The Year That Passed

Directed by Grace Simmons

The Year That Passed (2019) is an animation about loss, addiction and togetherness. Chronicling three successive, deeply traumatic events, this narrative explores grief as a recurrent process with its own unique setbacks and silver linings.

Memoria(l)

Directed by Ian Kelly

This beautifully animated documentary takes us back to Memorial Day, 1937, when Chicago police killed ten striking steelworkers. How do we remember this history?

Never Again Para Nadie


Directed by Anna Feder, Dan Frank, Justin Reifert

A peaceful demonstration in August, 2019 coordinated by a Jewish-led organization, Never Again Action, attempted to shut down a for-profit prison holding ICE detainees, only to be met with violence by correctional officers. In the smallest and poorest city in Rhode Island, citizens took a stand and learned how difficult it is to challenge the status quo.

Sons of Toledo


Directed by Monty Cole

After receiving the early morning news of his younger brother’s murder, a mourning barber pushes through the muddy waters of grief to find the courage to do the impossible – give his brother one last cut.

Fiction Shorts 1

Followed by Fiction Shorts from 4-6pm

Last Chance Moms

Directed by Mandy Fabian

Two best friends in their 40s, one pregnant and unexpectedly dumped by her man-child boyfriend, the other unable to get pregnant despite countless efforts, decide to raise a baby together.

Snow Globe & The Cat

Directed by Rick Page

‘Twas the Day after Christmas, when all through the house, ex-wife Lydia returns to get her revenge on Frank. Poor bastard.

Got Your Back

Directed by Mitch Hudson

In the 1960s, a group of high school buddies decide to climb their local water tower… Based on a true memoir, and produced in loving memory of Steve Cruea and Jim “Turd” Swanson.

Don’t Worry About It

Directed by Melissa Kong

After her father’s death, a young woman’s obsessive-compulsive disorder spirals out of control. She enters an intensive therapy program, where she must learn to deal with his death and OCD before it takes over her life.

A Balanced Breakfast

Directed by J.W. Cox

A neurotic, workaholic father sets out to find his favorite childhood cereal during an unexpected day off with his 13 year old daughter.

The Guitar Thief
Directed by Miguel Lepe Jr

Two mariachi players cope with rent increases, a changing neighborhood and a stolen guitar.

Fiction Shorts 2
And then another block of fiction shorts from 7-9pm:

Wild Card

Directed by Tipper Newton

Two strangers are brought together by a video dating service.

Gone Gray

Directed by Spaceship, Koura Linda

An under cover Special Agent finds herself in an interrogation room, facing off an interrogator determined to get her to give up. She will never let go of what she wants the most – and she will let no one stand in her way to get there.

One Foot In

Directed by Eric Schabla, Jack Whaley

A pair of eccentric graverobbers navigate the land and their tenuous kinship in search of the score of a lifetime.

Recuperación de los Caídos (Recovery of the Fallen)
Directed by Curtis James Matzke

A lone man wanders a barren landscape on a foreign planet, salvaging items off of bodies that have fallen to the surface. Recuperación de los Caídos was shot and produced in the Canary Islands under the advice and mentorship of director Werner Herzog.

We Are Nowhere

Directed by J. Cody Spellman

After aliens abduct her husband, Minnie receives a visit from a mysterious man in black.

Last and First Woman
Directed by Adnan Siddique

A passionate astronomy student disengages from her college curriculum upon the discovery of an illusive artifact.

Special Presentation: Dayton High School Shorts
Sunday the festival concludes with a special free presentation of shorts from local Dayton High School students from noon – 1:30pm:

The lineup includes:

Catcalling by Leigha Strozier
Reflections of Myself by Makayla Curington
Deceiver by Skylar Tucker
Valentine’s Day by Caleb Earick
Mortem by Danaysha Woodard
Barber by Danaysha Woodard
Keys by Joshua Molina Guiterrez
Cat by Caleb Earick

Get tickets for the Dayton Independent Film Festival online or at the Neon’s  box office. The  2022 Winning films have been announcned:

Best Local Film: Analog Rainbow
Best Student Film: Stowaway
Best Fiction Film: Don’t Worry About It
Best Documentary Film: Memoria(l)
Best Innovative Technique: Sons of Toledo

 

Thursday is Pecha Kucha Night

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Come on and join us on the Levitt Pavilion lawn on September 22 (rain date is September 29).
We’re excited to be back! Luther Palmer returns as emcee with these speakers and topics:
Jamaal Durr – The Journey to the Why
Anya Galli Robertson – Building/Breaking/Teaching/Learning
Mary Evans — My Story of Redemption, Restoration and Resilience
Gina McFarlane-El – Trust Your Crazy Ideas
Lisa Powell and Chris Stewart – Bringing a Dead Fish to Life: Photography Before Photoshop
Nick Hrkman – Turn Your Opinion into Action
Lauren Gay – Human History Told Via Wine
The lineup is subject to change; speaker order will be announced day-of. Karen Gardner is no longer able to present on bookplates.
PK at Levitt is free and not ticketed, but cash donations will keep us going. PKs begin at 7:30 p.m. All are invited to bring picnic blankets, chairs, food, beverages, and alcohol (alcohol will also be for sale). Bring a friend!
Park on the street for free or in the Oregon District Garage (map) for $1.
Hooray to Tracey Obenour for the groovy poster design!
Established in 2009, PechaKucha Night Dayton is a quarterly idea-sharing party and networking event for adults.
PechaKucha is a fast-paced style of presenting using 20 slides discussed for 20 seconds each (20×20). PechaKucha’s presentation format allows speakers to share their passions in a succinct format, telling their stories in their own voices, with unique visuals leading the way. This creative outlet began as nighttime get-togethers in Tokyo in 2003 by two renowned architects. Since then, three million people have attended PechaKucha events worldwide. Dayton is one of over 1,200 official PK cities.

.PK Dayton is a volunteer-run event by local organizers Shayna, Mike, Ron, and Katy.

Wright State Theatre Opens the Season With Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP

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Wright State Theatre opens their 2022-23 Season with Agatha Christie’s iconic murder mystery, The Mousetrap. This classic “Whodunnit” runs in Wright State University’s Festival Playhouse from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2. Agatha Christie, the undisputed Queen of the Mystery Genre has crafted a suspense thriller with a surprise twist ending – so please keep the secret! The Mousetrap is the first stage production of Wright State University’s new School of Fine and Performing Arts. 

Kathryn Carter and Theo Karras

Kathryn Carter and Theo Karras

Perhaps best known for her novels, Christie wrote more than twenty plays, including three in the 1950s that made her the first female playwright to have three productions running simultaneously in London’s West End. The Mousetrap has gone on to become the longest running play in Theatre history, with 72 years (and counting) in that original production, which is still running in London. This production of The Mousetrap will be the first time Wright State has producing one of Christie’s plays since 1977. This sumptuous production is guaranteed to please avid lovers of mystery stories, from Clue to Knives Out to every television detective series you’ve seen.

Director Jason Podplesky says, “We love being scared! There’s something about these murder mysteries that appeals to our sense of fear. They allow us to deal with these scary things from a safe aesthetic distance. The Mousetrap is really well done; it keeps you intrigued and keeps you on the edge of your seats until the very end. It’s the stuff of legends. There’s also humor in this; a British drawing room comedy sense about it. Comedy and suspense go together like chocolate and peanut butter, don’t they? It’s sort of the one way you can break that tension so you don’t have to have one continuous arc of tension all the way through the play. The Mousetrap sets the formula for all other murder mysteries. It all seems to be right. You get this room of really strange, eccentric characters that seem so disparate from one another. There’s always one with a crazy accent and there’s a dark gloomy one and a proper British one and they come from all parts of the world. And, for whatever reason, they get trapped on a boat, a train or, in this case a Manor house. And then through the play she reveals that, hey they’re not so distant strangers at all. And then there’s always that great scene at the end where the detective unravels all the clues in a beautiful climax. I defy anyone who’s not seen this before to come and pick out the murderer before Christie decides to reveal it to you.” Podplesky will step back into the mystery realm with the Human Race Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Deadline.

Ben Smallwood and Theo Karras

Directed by Cincinnati-based director and actor, Jason Podplesky, The Mousetrap has Scenic Design by guest artist Dick Block (Assoc. Head of Drama, Carnegie Mellon University), Lighting Design by Wright State Professor Matthew Benjamin, costumes by Senior Costume Design student Carrie Wieland, Sound Design by James Dunlap and Properties by John Lavarnway. It is Stage Managed by guest artist Kelly DeLisle. 

Buy tickets on line or  they  can be purchased at the Creative Arts Center box office between noon and 4pm Monday-Friday:

DPAA Presents A Night of Explosive Afro-Cuban Rhythms and Jazz Improv

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Dayton Performing Arts Alliance presents Havana Nights, featuring soprano Camille Zamora, Latin jazz ensemble THE MAMBO KINGS, with the Dayton Philharmonic as part of the SuperPops Series, Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 pm in the Mead Theater of the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center.

Maestro Neal Gittleman and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra welcome star soprano Camille Zamora and critically acclaimed jazz ensemble MAMBO KINGS to the Schuster Center stage for a sultry, passionate, and exciting evening of Latin music from Spain and the island of Cuba. Zamora is hailed as a leading interpreter of classical Spanish songs by NBC Latino. MAMBO KINGS has rapidly earned a national reputation for its explosive blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation. The program includes orchestral and vocal selections from the classical Spanish Zarzuela period combined with the exciting Afro-Cuban rhythms of the Mambo Kings.

Tickets start at $5 and are on sale now by phone at 937.228.3630, online at  daytonperformingarts.org/tickets, or in person at the Box Office in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center downtown Dayton.

For more information about the Havana Nights performances, set list, and a digital program, visit daytonperformingarts.org/havananights.

For more information about DPAA’s 2022-23 Ballet, Opera, and Philharmonic seasons, visit:daytonperformingarts.org

She Kills Monsters

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She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

It will slash and shapeshift its way into your heart.” – The New York Times

Free eats, pop-up arts performances, tech demos at new Launch Dayton Startup Week closing party

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Free eats, pop-up arts performances, tech demos at new Launch Dayton Startup Week closing party

Free festival celebrating Dayton artists, food business owners, and innovators happening this week!

Pop-up arts performances in the beautiful, historic Dayton Arcade Rotunda. Small plates from up-and-coming food businesses. Interactive tech demos from local startup companies.

And it’s FREE!

Join in the fun frrom 5-7pm on Thursday, September 15th for the art. food. tech. fest!,  a new closing party for Launch Dayton Startup Week, made possible through generous support from Culture Works.

Aerialists will spin through the air as you groove to a live jam band and find your new favorite small business to support. Eats are free until we run out! Continue your evening in Dayton by popping over to the free concert at the Levitt after the party, then make your way back to the Tank for Culture Works’ After the Levitt.

See + hear:

  • Live jam band lead by Isicle featuring Jared Bruns on drums, Matt Goodloe on guitar, Kainan Shank on bass, and Serin Oh on the mic.
  • Spoken word poetry from Leroy Bean
  • Live painting by Boy Blue
  • Aerial artists from Femme Fatale Dayton
  • Dance performances from Dayton Dance Initiative’s Quentin ApolloVaughn Sledge

Enjoy delicious small plates, including:

  • A bbq spread from Rich Taste Catering
  • Melt-in-your mouth rum cakes from The Scrumptious Dessert
  • Handheld cheesecakes from Cheezcake Lab
  • Pecan chicken + sweet potato waffles from Home Cooked Vibes
  • Smoked mushroom spinach dip bruschetta with mint pico from VeganItIz Eats
  • Mini French Quarter Seafood loaded potatoes from Simply Savory by Rachel

+ tech demos from:

  • Gem City Laser
  • Frame Push
  • Urban Mathoholics

Plus

The Contemporary Dayton (The Co) will open 5p.m. – 7p.m. for a sneak peak at their new exhibition featuring new solo exhibitions from the work of Teju Cole, photographer, curator, Gore Vidal Professor of the Practice of Creative Writing at Harvard, and former photography critic of The New York Times Magazine; Amy Powell, nationally published Dayton-based photographer; and James “Jamie” Nares, British and New York City-based filmmaker. The exhibitions will open the evening of Friday, September 16, 2022, with an Artist Talk by Teju Cole.

Small business owner yourself? Don’t forget to check out the conference itself, as well as the closing party! Launch Dayton Startup Week presented by Fifth Third Bank brings together nearly 1K entrepreneurs, small business owners, startup founders, and business resource providers. Be inspired by the stories of failure and success, and build your own business through hands-on workshops and classes. All for FREE! Check out the full lineup: https://launchdayton.com/events/dayton-startup-week/

About Launch Dayton Startup Week:
Launch Dayton Startup Week is the Dayton, Ohio entrepreneur community’s largest event, drawing roughly 1K attendees each September to celebrate, inspire and equip the Dayton region’s startup founders & business owners. This free conference brings together the region’s thinkers, dreamers, doers, makers, entrepreneurs and small business owners. All experiences are welcome — whether a seasoned entrepreneur or new to the community, there is space to jump in.

 

Comedian Todd Barry comes to Dayton – 1 night only!

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Renowned comedian Todd Barry comes to Dayton for 1 night only on Thursday, September 15th for a special engagement with special guest Mary Santora at The Brightside Music & Event Venue in Dayton Ohio (905 E 3rd St). This promises to be a very funny evening you won’t want to miss!

Todd Barry has released three one-hour stand-up specials including his latest one for Netflix, Spicy HoneyHe’s appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan and Late Night With Seth Meyers and his acting credits include The Wrestler, Road Trip, Flight of the Concords, Chappelle’s Show, Spin City, Sex and the City. You may have heard his voice on the animated series Bob’s Burgers, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.Todd is also the author of the critically-acclaimed 2017 travel memoir Thank You For Coming To Hattiesburg.

Bonus – A VIP option is available for this show. This event is done in partnership with Sonic Springs Booking.

HOW TO GO?

Thursday, September 15, 2022

The Brightside Music & Event Venue in Dayton Ohio (905 E 3rd St)

Doors 6:30pm / Show 7:30pm

Advance General Admission Tickets: $25 / GA Day of Show: $30

VIP Table of 4: $160 – includes early door open time at 6pm (for best parking options), reserved table, and table service. Tickets available  here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/393149680277

All ages are welcome

 

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?

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Growing up on Chicago’s South Side in the 1960s, Eddie Ryan is learning a lot — and not just from the Brothers at his all-boys Catholic high school. Eddie’s world is populated by peculiar adults, oddball classmates, and puzzling girls — the greatest mystery of all. He takes it all in through the prism of his Catholic upbringing.

Featuring a vast array of catchy songs, this musical comedy is about the coming of age of eight Catholic school children. Starting from the second grade throughout his high school years, we follow Eddie and his friends through the ups and down of being in a private Catholic school.