We are open whenever we are holding a great event! Check the schedule on this website for all the goings on at the Ohio Theatre Lima. The Dinner Theatre is up and running and you can check out the schedule of shows on this website! We are also taking booking for private events! Email us at ohiotheatrelima.com
We want the Ohio Theatre to be a place everyone can find something to enjoy. The focus of the business will be our dinner theatre. We will produce several shows a year. We produce original musicals and plays. We hope to feature original works by Liman's and Ohioan's as well as our own pieces. We will still hold band nights several times a year and feature a wide range of music. There will be a piano bar open nightly (when the dinner theatre isn't open) for sing along fun and drinks and light meals. The Playwright Cafe will be open daily (schedule TBD) in a retail space that is attached to the theatre. It will serve coffee and beverages, and delicious baked good and savory treats.
The owners of the theatre have worked in show business for many years. We ran a successful Dinner Theatre in Nashville, TN before moving to NYC and then to Los Angeles to produce television. We have produced our own award winning shows in Nashville, NYC and Los Angeles. We knew that Los Angeles was much too expensive to start a theatre, so we traveled around the country visiting multiple states looking at potential properties for our theatre. When we came to Lima, we fell in love with the community, and that is why we ultimately chose to be here. One of us went to college in Ohio and has family here, so it seemed like the perfect fit. The community has been very welcoming and generous, and we are grateful to be here. Learn more about us on our websites. www.michaelbouson.com and www.joecorrell.com
The dinner theatre is fun! It is not like other dinner theatre's you may have attended. We have a delicious buffet, and entrees will change for each show. . Many of our shows are environmental, which means the "show" starts the moment you walk through the door, so your server might just be a part of the play! All of our shows are comedies or musicals. We are known for our musical satires and off the wall comedies. Your meal will be included in the ticket, but beverages and desserts will be a separate charge.
Friends of the Ohio Theatre is a 501c3 Non profit corporation dedicated to restoring and maintaining this historic landmark. The Ohio Theatre is listed on the National Register for Historic places, and therefore a perfect candidate. The money raised by the non profit does not and cannot go to the running of our businesses. There are many beautiful elements of the theatre that go above and beyond what we need to have for our business, and the non profit will ensure that the building stays maintained long after we are gone. We believe this building belongs to the people of Lima and we are it's stewards. All donations are tax deductible. Also a 1$ surcharge will be applied to every ticket we sell, and will go directly to FOTOT for building restoration. Go to www.friendsoftheohiotheatre.com for more information and to donate.
We don't think so. The shows we produce are all original. We do not produce the standard shows produced by most regional or community theaters. You are not going to see Oklahoma! or Mama Mia! on our stage, unless it is produced by a guest theatre company. When you come to the Ohio Theatre you are going to see a musical or play that you have NOT seen before. Unless you come back to see it again and again!
There are sometimes a limited number of "show only" tickets sold to each performance, usually made available 24 hours before the performance. Once those seats are sold, the show only option will be "sold out". Many of our shows are "environmental" meaning the show begins when you walk through the door, and the meal is an integral part of the show. In these cases there will be no "show only" option.
Auditions will be announced on our websites. We will use a combination of local talents, and guest performers from around the country. We have worked with very talented artists in New York and Los Angeles and elsewhere and we plan to invite them to Lima to work with the very talented people who already live here. We plan to pay our performers. We are a non-equity company.
The Avante Garage is our theatre company. It was started by Michael Bouson in 1984 in Nashville, TN. For a look at some of our productions go to www.avantegarage.com
The Avante Garage Studios will be a separate performance space that is actually above the lobby of the theater. There will be a "black box" theatre seating around 50 people for smaller productions, or workshops. The space will also be available for rent for a nominal fee. Perfect for dance troupes, poetry slams, comedy, or whatever your creative mind can dream up.
Yes. We currently are taking bookings for private parties, reunions, baby showers, birthday parties etc. You may reach us at ohiotheatrelima@gmail.com with any inquiries regarding private events.