I recently moved to a new city, and have now been invited to work with three theater groups.  After weighing the options (ie:facilities, funding and management) I have made a low level commitment to one of the three groups.

My decision was mainly based on the quality of the board members, their mission statement, the area of the community and their need.  My point is that it is a really great group of people that have tremendous potential in a community with 20+ theaters, so on with the question.

This group has an arrangement with a facility that includes a large kitchen and a huge performance hall that can seat around 1000.  They generally seat about 150 per performance. I am trying to convince some of the board that a dinner theater program may be an excellent opportunity.

I once worked with a group that performed four main stage shows, and then ran a dinner theater during the summer consisting of two shows back to back. The musicals were picked to optimize stage use while minimizing the technical aspects.  In other words, the set for both shows consisted of one major piece that was changed with color and accents and filled 60% of the set needs.  I am hoping to propose something similar with an completed budget by the end of November.

Can anyone provide me with details of any special programs they have run in a similar vein.  I am really looking at a second season situation that will evolve into a yearly or seasonal event.