Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
Explore what Life in the City means to nearly 30 artists through a range of media including paintings, photography, collage, sculptural work, glasswork, fiber art and more.
Join featured artists in the gallery and learn about their experiences and perspective. From urban gardens to forgotten spaces this show is designed to evoke connection and inspiration. Doors open at 5PM. The evening will feature live music, food trucks, and additional galleries, studios, and boutiques to explore.
Saturate your senses in the sights, sounds, and tastes of our Celtic heritage. Discover the magic that keeps people returning to Dayton’s Celtic Festival year after year. Come and experience the rich traditions that we Celtic folk hold dear to our hearts.
Last summer, Culture Works, presented a 6-week local music series in the Tank space, which is located in the basement of the Dayton Arcade, under the Rotunda. This year, the series kicks off again on Thursday, July 27, 2023 with the Dayton Battle of the Bands winner: Crabswithoutlegs!
This series and show in particular is highly anticipated by the community because the Tank is such a unique entertainment space, and the band performing is such a phenomenal talent. This space and series is “inspired by Centerpoint Energy.”
What makes the Tank unique starts with its entrance, which is located at 35 W 4th St, between Main Street and Ludlow Streets in downtown Dayton. Look for the walls of glass coming out of the sidewalk. That marks the entrance! Go downstairs to a space with intentional, artist c reated graffiti, and into a cool space with blue neon lights leading you to a theater in the round. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before!
Eleanor Dakota will kick off the evening with a couple solo songs. Photo by Fea Fotos
The band is a 9-piece jazz ensemble of very young musicians (age 20-23), several of whom studied at Stivers School for the Arts and are currently studying music on the collegiate level. Led by singer Eleanor Dakota and bass player Carter Griffin, the band has been wowing audiences since they made their debut at The Brightside Music & Event Venue (also located in downtown Dayton).
What makes this concert even more special is that there will be 3 live artists paining in the lobby, curated by Culture Works, and a pop up photo booth by Fea Fotos. A bar is on site for patrons as well!
“This is the first of several concerts we are planning for the back end of the summer season,” Libby Ballengee shared with us. She is working with Culture Works on the music booking, and is a big supporter of live music downtown. “We’re looking forward to having an eclectic season again with jazz, hip hop, Latin, and rock bands. If you’ve been missing Gilly’s – this first show is a don’t miss event for sure!”
HOW TO GO?
July 27, 2023
At the Dayton Arcade’s Tank (35 W 4th St – look for glass entrance in stairwell)
Doors open 6pm
Music 7:30-9pm from Eleanor Dakota & Crabswithoutlegs
$10 cover at the door
18+
Find out more about the Tank here:
https://www.arcadedayton.com/arcade-events/category/the-tank-inspired-by-centerpoint-energy/
Get a preview of Crabswithoutlegs here:
Art Has No Rules is Back after 6yrs | Come Experience The Creative Genius of Taliaferro Sebastian as He Presents His New Collection Dead Roses.
This Will Be His First Solo Exhibit in a Commercial Gallery Presented By Black Palette Art Gallery. This Will Be a Red Carpet Event so come Dressed in your Best. The Color is Red and the Theme is Roses. The General Admission is Free but we do Offer a Rose Package that includes a Print of Artwork as well as a Bottle of an Exclusive Limited Edition ROSÈ
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| “Where’s Allan and Skipper? Oh don’t worry – they’re around!” Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) as seen in the official poster for director/co-writer Greta Gerwig’s comedy/drama/musical BARBIE. © 2023 Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman and the voice of Helen Mirren
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: 
UK’s Project Blackbird is on their first US tour, and are prioritizing Dayton as one of their stops! You can see them Tuesday, July 18th at 8pm at The Brightside.
This “extraordinary” band, as BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson has described them, offers an atmospheric, genre-fluid listening experience that draws equally upon intellect and emotion. They are made up of 5 core members are vocalist Ming Nagel (originally from the USA), multi-instrumentalist Jon Read (former trumpet player for The Specials), guitarist Alan Roberts, multi-instrumentalist Jamie Varley, and drummer Eddie Dublin.
“Imagine a party at Ronnie Scott’s,” one fan suggests, “where Sade, Björk, Jeff Beck, and David Byrne meet Portishead and then go for a late night curry to exchange ideas…sublime”.
Local support comes from Rude Scholar. On site food truck, Phat & Rich, will be on site!
HOW TO GO?
July 18, 2023
Doors 7:30pm
Show 8:15pm
All ages welcome!
$10 advance / $15 day of show.
Advance tickets: https://www.venuepilot.co/events/75846/orders/new
Venue address: 905 E 3rd St (free, on-site parking available)
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
Epiphany Players Drama Ministry invites you to its 2023 Summer Musical, “Children of Eden” with six evening performances and two matinees July 13-23.
From musical theater greats Stephen Schwartz and John Caird comes a joyous and inspirational musical about parents, children and faith… not to mention centuries of unresolved family business! Adam, Eve, Noah and the “Father” who created them deal with the headstrong, cataclysmic actions of their respective children. The show ultimately delivers a bittersweet. but inspiring. message: that “the hardest part of love… is letting go.”
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
