Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
Join us at Pink Moon Goods, Dayton’s cutest gift and home goods store, for an evening of art and music featuring never before seen drawings from the sketchbook of Ashley Speelman and tunes from DJ RIPOOG (picnic music for your outer space lagoon retreat.”
Always a fun night in the shop for hanging with friends, making new friends, chilling to some music and enjoying new art.
Complimentary snacks and beverages.
This fall the village of Yellow Springs, OH will launch its first official film festival slated for October 6-8, 2023. Films and events will run at The Little Art Theatre, The Foundry at Antioch College and Crome Architecture
The first Special Event announcement is the audio immersive film experience, 32 Sounds (World Premiere, Sundance 2022). Audiences will be outfitted with headphones to explore what Rolling Stone calls, “The greatest documentary you’ve ever heard”. Oscar Award nominated director Sam Green will be attending both screenings to speak about the project and answer audience questions after.
The initial slate of additional documentary features will include, The Cave of Adullam (Tribeca ’23), Rather (Tribeca ’23), Citizen Sleuth (SXSW ’23), We Are Fugazi From Washington DC (’23), and Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd (’23).
The Shorts program will feature work from Steven Bognar, Rick Gomez / Steve Zahn, Charlotte Ercoli, Adam Meeks, Stephen Michael Simon and more. Narrative programming / special events announcements will come throughout the summer.
YSFF will also have a free retrospective of the career of Julia Reichert, a longtime Yellow Springs resident and Oscar Award Winning Director. Patrons can peruse film posters, listen to interviews and view excerpts of her incredible work.
The festival is the brainchild of filmmaker and producer Eric Mahoney. Mahoney’s work has premiered at Cannes, Tribeca and SXSW and he is the host of the film centric Kon-tiki Podcast. He most recently directed and produced the documentary, Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero (World Premiere SXSW 2019). He is co-producing the event with Ian Jacobs, a Brooklyn based editor / producer / musician and long-time collaborator.
This year the festival has partnered with the Yellow Springs Community Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit, who is acting as the fiscal sponsor. YSFF has been able to launch from the immense generosity of private donors, local sponsors and is now in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Backers can get first access to special events, purchase a badge for the duration of the festival or get merchandise while helping the YSFF to establish what they hope will be an annual and scalable event.
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/
The ARTery Gallery is excited to announce their Visiting Artist for July is Ginny Baughman, who specializes in drawing and painting local landscapes and landmarks. The gallery’s NEW Member Artist of the Month and NEWEST artists to the Gallery is Gae Helton, a skilled and colorful mosaic artist, acrylic painter and muralist with beautiful mosaics on display The ARTery invites you to come meet 17 fabulous artists and artisans and see their work at the Gallery, open First Friday, July 7, from 5-9 pm and 3rd Sunday, July 16, from 12-4. The ARTery Gallery is in the Front Street Building #100, Door B-C, 3rd floor, 1001 E 2nd St. Dayton, OH.
The ARTery Gallery currently has 16 Artists and Artisans with work on display including Watercolor, Acrylic, and Oil Painting, Digital Fine Art, Photography, Printmaking, Mixed Media, Ceramics, Mosaics, Custom Jewelry, Fiber Art and Sculpture with styles ranging from Traditional to Contemporary. Open each month *1st Friday 5-9pm and *3rd Sunday, 12-4pm.
*Current ARTery Artists include: Fabienne Bee, Alison Bour, Rosalie Campbell, Samantha Farkas, Bob Farley, Charlene Fox, Jim Hayes, Gae Helton, Bonnie Kuntz, Sarah Maxwell, Melanie Morrett, Ashley Simons, Ryan Taylor, Jo Anne Vincent, Leonard Williams, and David Zawisa.
Given the fact many Dayton comedy fans just celebrated America’s birthday, Tabari McCoy knows some people might a little tired after their Fourth of July events.
That’s not going to stop him, however, from bringing plenty of fireworks to the stage when he headlines Wiley’s Comedy Club this weekend.
“Let’s break it down: Tuesday was recovery day for many people, especially if they didn’t go to work Monday because they were too busy partying Friday night-Sunday. That means they’re going to cram four days’ of work into Wednesday and Thursday, making them ready to relax as soon as Friday hits,” McCoy says, envisioning how the week is going to go leading up to his shows. “You already grilled, got sunburnt and/or spent too much money to end up home alone or with the same person you’ve been with forever, so why not come get some laughs? There’s no threat of burning down your house with those extra M-80s you forgot were near that bottle of lighter fluid in the garage.”
While it remains to be seen whether he is can make such predictions accurately, McCoy’s comedy track record reflects his ability to entertain audiences with hilarious results. Possessing 17+ years’ experience on stage, McCoy has performed at several festivals such as the San Francisco Sketchfest, Gilda’s LaughFest in Grand Rapids, Mich. and the inaugural Limestone Comedy Festival in Bloomington, Ind. Routinely heard on Pandora and Spotify, he has also appeared on the Fox’s former late night stand-up show “Laughs” and has released two albums, Laughing with a Panther and Remarkable.
In addition, McCoy is an accomplished writer with work published in The Cincinnati Enquirer and Ebony.com among other outlets. (Many of the reviews from his McCoy on Movies blog are featured here on Dayton 937.) His appearances at Wiley’s, however, come in support of his latest project: “Be Happy,” his debut 1-hour stand-up special from Four By Three Productions currently available to watch on YouTube. Clips from the special have garnered views in the tens of thousands across Instagram and Facebook.
“I knew I had a funny and true joke about how most of America is really just the Midwest, but not to the tune of 85,000-plus views. If I ever find the time to start making all the sketches I have ideas for, maybe I can just become a TikTok influencer and have companies pay me to just eat burritos,” McCoy says. “Seriously, what is wrong with us that so many people just sit around watching others do everything things for hours on end; smartphones are just ironically named at this point!”
That notwithstanding, he hopes all those who come out to his shows will be happy that they did.
“Pretty much anyone with a pulse knows the world is insane and we do horrible things to each other daily. The fact I haven’t caught a case dealing with the way people drive on I-75 between 8 a.m. to midnight is nothing short of a small miracle,” he says half-jokingly. “When I talk about being happy, I think how great it is I can get people – who sometimes may be a little intoxicated – to not think about the person or people in their life that drive them nuts while I’m on stage. I don’t want to get into that laughter/medicine cliché, but no one has ever left one of my shows to then start mailing crazy-*** letters to the media about teaching the world ‘the truth’ – RIP Ted Kaczynski!”
WHEN YOU GO:
When: 8 p.m., Friday, July 7 & Saturday, July 8
Wiley’s Comedy Club
101 Pine St.
Dayton, OH 45402
(937) 224-5653
It’s time to travel again….and even though I use AlphaTrips to highlight cities and towns close to our beloved Dayton, it’s time to TRAVEL beyond. 4 and a half hours from Dayton’s city center is one of America’s great big cities…CHICAGO! Flanked by the beauty of Lake Michigan, highlighted by the amazing skyscrapers, filled with world-class hotels and dotted with more parks than you can shake a stick at…Chicago is vibrant again. Gone are the annoying masks, plastic dividers, and spacing that kept us all at bay. Back is an oasis for shoppers, a playground for water lovers, and a fulfillment for music and art aficianados.
“The trick is to take what the media says with a grain of salt.” Says Mischa K, a local food vendor and lifelong dweller. “We are facing what all big cities are facing. This need to make everyone feel that Netflix is better than the Lincoln Park Zoo. I mean, come on!” Mischa is not alone. While visiting the Windy City, I chatted it up with others…sentiments the same! “Magnificent Mile has seen some closures, but all-in-all, the street is packed with visitors, and you can’t find a restaurant with availability.” Says Fred H. “I dunno, I keep hearing the same stories about Miami, NYC and LA….so we are in good company.” laughs Dan D. “You adjust. You find a way to make the new way of doing things a better way of doing things. We are still Midwest…people are still as friendly as it gets here!”
For me and the gang I traveled with, we found a ton to do! Plopping ourselves at the Viceroy on State Street…we were near the beating heart of the town. A short walk to Michigan Ave. and you could feel it…life is BACK! On the streets families with popcorn, lovers holding hands and obnoxious drivers laying on their horns in hopes they get much needed attention! Shopping felt good…no clicking Amazon for a new shirt, but rather, trying it on…and having the clerk find a better size…HEAVEN! (By the way, Ralph Lauren’s POLO on Michigan is a must now….WOW…packed and pretty!!) Starbucks three level signature store is bit much, but its worth a drop in. To be real, I was more interested in finding the old hotels with those dimly lit bars, and amazing Old-Fashioneds…and they didn’t disappoint! (Champagne stops are a good idea as well.) 
The Aquarium, the zoo, the beach, the pier…all in full-swing and ready to take on your family with new sites to see as well. And, honestly, is there any city near us with a more diverse collection of architecture!! STUNNING STUFF! One place I always enjoy is Andersonville. Filled with shops from the sublime to the silly, the area boasts a lot of great variety. Take a minute to grab a drink at Lady Gregory’s, Farragut’s or Hopleaf Brewery! Feeling adventurous? Sneak into Simon’s (Oldie but goodie)!
Dining is also back in Chicago. We ate dinner at Somerset, a patio restaurant, with great people-watching in the Gold Coast. After dinner, take the elevator to the 18th floor to Devereaux…this pool-side party place is inviting and sophisticated. Of course, I could list dozens of places to find food, and everyone would have an opinion how right or wrong I was…with that, I will say, there is something for everyone in Chi-Town! (We loved grabbing a coffee at Whispers and sitting in the triangular garden among the college kids and locals.)
It’s time peeps! Grab your pet (they were everywhere)…pack your car (or just buy everything there)…and put on your walking shoes (we averaged 15,000 steps a day)….and head NorthWest(ish) to one of America’s Best….the city of BIG SHOULDERS….CHICAGO!
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
Celebrate Dayton Dance Initiative’s 5th Anniversary Season with our most ambitious show yet! Making Moves: The CoLAB is a true laboratory of ideas, bringing together 22 Dancers and 8 Artistic Collaborators for ONE epic performance. This show features live music, painting, and spoken word alongside the talented dancers of DDI. Experience dance up close and personal at the intimate PNC Arts Annex. Q&A with the artists at each show.
The first set of comedy shows for Wirrig Pavilion in Yellow Springs have been announced. Thursday, July 6th through Saturday, July 8th
shows, with tickets going on sale Monday, June 26th at 10am at Ticketmaster. Tickets are sold in pairs and are currently posted at $300/pair, which includes shuttle service for parking.
Tips from Ticketmaster to help you purchase your tickets.
Arrive 10 minutes early and complete these steps so you’re ready to go before the sale begins:
Sign in to your account in advance to speed up your purchase later.
Nothing says summer like a patio, a bar and bunch of friends! For the Neon Movies, the time has come to turn their patio into the Place to Be Seen! Starting this Friday, June 23rd, the Neon Movies kicks off its Summer Patio Parties with special guests, The Boys Behind the RubiGirls! “Last year, we started having our board members on the patio serving beers and popcorn and just having a good time with the community. This year, we want to continue that and add even more energy!” says Jonathan McNeal, the Neon‘s manager. “We are ready for some vibrancy at this busy corner.” (5th Street and Patterson.)
RubiGirls to kick-off parties on 6/23.
The theater, which sits just outside the Oregon District, is a beloved treasure in the Dayton Community. Having parties on the patio can only enhance its charm. “We have such a great beer selection. And it is ever-changing. Of course, we have favorites like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, Goose Island Neon Beer Hug, Shiner Box Peach Wheat Ale, and a local gem (From Springfield) Mother Stewart’s Disco Dancer. And there is more than beer at the Neon! There is also wine and plenty of other options!” McNeal shared that DORA being expanded could be a great boost to business. “I think people will more easily see that it it reaches outside of 5th Street. That’s good for us!”
Dayton’s Beloved Neon!
The patio parties are scheduled to run through August, but….”If the momentum is good, we will go on into the Fall.” McNeal added. Popcorn, a DJ and even some upcoming trivia will take part at the events. What really stands out is the guest hosts this summer. “We have plenty of fun hosts and hostesses. Mark Allan (Channel 2) and his wife Lisa; Our County Commissioners, Judy Dodge, Carolyn Rice and Debbie Lieberman; Juliette Fromholt (WYSO); Sabrina Cox (Haus of Sequins); Brian and Mark Sharp; Michael Roediger (DAI); Former Mayors Rhine McLin and Nan Whaley. Just to name a few.”
The Parties start at 5:30pm pm on scheduled Fridays and end at 7:30pm. All parties are weather permitting. And since our weather has been anything but normal, keep in mind the Neon sells their fabulous Hoodies and Tees!! Also of note, the Neon is also exploring the idea adding an awning to the patio in the future. (Great donation opportunity!)
Barbie comes in July!
Beyond rubbing elbows with Dayton’s Dignitaries, the Neon, is of course, a cinema. Like other art forms, the theater can engage the community in many ways. This summer looks promising for movies as well. Asteroid City is opening this weekend, (the new Wes Anderson film); the much anticipated Barbie arrives in July; The League, which highlights Dayton’s role in the Negro leagues and Miracle Club which stars favorites Laura Linney, Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates.
Mark your calendars! Enter the Velvet Ropes! Plop under an Umbrella! Enjoy the Patio Parties at the Neon!
The Neon Movies is located at 130 East 5th Street. Plenty of Parking across the street at the former Greyhound Lot. For more information call 937.222.8452. or neonmovies.com
Wes Anderson’s latest film lands with a crater-like thud of jumbled, unfulfilling quirks and boring execution and familiarity
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| “Hello? Otto? I don’t know A Man Called Otto – this is a entirely different cinematic story, sir!” Auggie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) chats with the father (Tom Hanks) of his now-deceased wife about his current plight in the mysterious desert town of ASTEROID CITY. Credit: © Courtesy of Pop.87 Productions/Focus Features |
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jason Schwarzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffery Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Ethan Josh Lee, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan and Jeff Goldblum
There are 59 UAF’s and 4600 LAAs in the United States—Culture Works is one of only 28 agencies that are both a UAF and an LAA. Culture Works, our local United Arts Fund, raises money through the annual Campaign for the Arts. The campaign is more than just a fundraiser, it’s also a community engagement program. Collaborating with community businesses, artists, and arts organizations, Culture Works bring arts experiences into workplaces across the region, showcasing the richness and diversity of arts offerings in our region. The Campaign invites intentional investment by community stakeholders, people like you. Your gift makes it possible for Culture Works to offer general operating support grants to arts organizations in our region. Operating support is crucial to maintaining a vibrant arts community because no matter how much program funding an organization receives, one cannot run programs without staff, or lights.
The campaign provides community engagement in the workplace, but also on the grantmaking side of the program. Culture Works distributes campaign funds using an outcomes-based grants funding process, like those used by the Ohio Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Under this model, a panel of citizens evaluates applications in a public review, using an established scoring rubric. This process provides fairness, transparency, and accountability for the applicants and the community a voice in cultural investment. Panelists see firsthand the impact our community dollars have on our arts organizations and the impact the arts have on our community.
Culture Works, our Local Arts Agency, advocates for the arts in our region, representing arts organizations and artists on a local, state, and national level, asserting the importance of the arts in community development and economic growth. As our LAA, Culture Works forges partnerships that help to grow our creative economy. For example, Culture Works secured $500,000 in American Recovery Plan funds for regranting to arts organizations and artists in our region. Only 66 Local Arts Agencies were awarded such funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Edgemont Solar Garden
Culture Works has also received a National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Creative Placemaking grant. We’ve partnered with the Greater Edgemont Community Coalition to create a public artwork for the grounds of the Edgemont Solar Garden that articulates Edgemont’s community identity and brings attention to the Greater Edgemont Community Coalition’s mission to address food scarcity and nutritional education. The Edgemont Solar Garden invites participation from the wider community at events, like their “Spring into Summer” event on Saturday June 24, 2023. from 12-4.p.m. Artists from the Our Town project will be on site talking to members of the community about Edgemont and the Solar Garden to gather inspiration and members of the Edgemont Solar Garden leadership will be on hand to share and showcase their sustainability initiatives.
Culture Works believes we should support the arts because the arts support us. The arts are good for us—they enlighten, entertain, foster innovation, and generate income. The arts contribute 4.3% of the nation’s economy—a larger share of GDP than oft reported sectors such as agriculture, transportation, and construction. In our region, the arts generate 214 billion dollars annually. Culture Works, like UAFs and LAAs across the country, is working to bring the arts into bigger community conversations and undertaking bigger community challenges. We believe that our community benefits and will continue to benefit from exploring, planning, implementing, and integrating the arts into our region as a whole.
According to Americans for the Arts, seventy-four percent of people believe the arts unite us. Culture Works sees that impact in our community. Our region has many communities, like Edgemont, communities individual in character and diverse in culture, heritage, ethnicity, and experiences. The arts show us how we are connected, they reveal our shared humanity, celebrate our differences, and unite us, and change us from many communities into one. By supporting Culture Works, you support the arts, and person by person, community by community, gift by gift, the arts will change the world.
Culture Works Campaign for the Arts is running now through June 30. https://cultureworks.org/support-the-arts/ Thank you for supporting the arts.
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. 
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| “Wait … Is that Tucker Carlson at a Kanye West concert?!” A group of old college friends – King (Melvin Gregg), Allison (Grace Byers), Lisa (Antoinette Robinson), Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Clifton (Jermaine Fowler), Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins) and Shanika (Xochitl “x” Mayo) in THE BLACKENING. Credit: Glen Wilson © 2023 Lionsgate Publicity |
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Melvin Gregg, Grace Byers, Antoinette Robinson, Sinqua Walls, Jermaine Fowler, Dewayne Perkins and Xochitl “x” Mayo with Deidrich Bader, Yvonne Orji and Jay Pharoah
So, what happens when the group is forced to confront their own hypocrisies, idiosyncrasies and culture to ensure they can stay alive? A lot – and since they all can’t die first, a lot of hilarity is set to follow.
Named one of the best theatrical productions of 2018 by Time, The Hollywood Reporter and The Washington Post, Twelfth Night is a rousing contemporary musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy about mistaken identity and self-discovery.
Twelfth Night tells the story of Viola, a young heroine who washes up on the shores of Illyria, disguises herself as a man, is sent to court a countess and falls hard for a Duke. As she navigates this strange and wonderful new land, she finds her true self and true love in the process.
