Stephens Auditorium is offering themed dinners prior to seven shows in the performing arts series this year:
- "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," Saturday, Oct. 19
- "Jersey Boys," Sunday, Nov. 3
- "The Color Purple," Friday, Jan. 17, 2020
- "Swan Lake" by the Russian National Ballet, Thursday, Feb. 13
- "Finding Neverland," Friday, Feb. 14
- Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, Monday, March 2
- "Waitress," Thursday, March 12
Dinners are held in the Scheman Building and begin two hours prior to show time. Each starts with a 30-minute social. Each themed dinner is prepared in-house by chef Jeff Schoening and includes salad, entree, starch, vegetable, dessert and a ticket for wine or beer. Menus will be announced closer to show dates and include a vegetarian option.
In addition to a meal, patrons enjoy early parking and Stephens' performance pre-check process. As guests check in for dinner, staff also scan their performance tickets, check bags and distribute pre-check passes. After dinner, guests use their pass to enter Stephens through a designated door -- avoiding lines and arriving at their seats before opening curtain.
Dinner seating is limited and reservations are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Dinner tickets are $34, with the exception of the two February dates ($42), when a Valentine's Day menu will be served. Dinner tickets must be purchased in advance, either online or by phone, 294-2479.
Single-event tickets for all shows in the 2019-20 performing arts series went on sale Aug. 13 online or by phone through Ticketmaster, 800-745-3000, and at the Stephens ticket office.
