Regional Theatres in North Carolina?

[daspazoo]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:09pm

So my parents just moved to High Point, NC -- very close to both Greensboro and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I'm trying to find some reputable professional and/or semi-professional theatres in the area to recommend them. Below is the list I came up with, if anyone could comment on these companies or suggest any new ones. Thanks in advance -- any help is very much appreciated!

Triad Stage (Greensboro, NC)

The Barn Dinner Theatre (Greensboro, NC)

Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance

Piedmont Opera (Winston-Salem, NC)

North Carolina Black Repertory Company (Winston-Salem, NC)

[romgitsean]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:30pm

I live in Durham, North Carolina (unfortunately), and for one thing, regional theatre is hard to come by-but the fact they're living in High Point is gonna make it even harder.

I could reccomend to them Man Bites Dog Theatre in Durham, but it is about an hour and a half away...however they do some great stuff. There's also the Carolina Theatre, but they don't do too many performances nowadays--they usually just have guests drop in and concerts every so often.

In terms of touring, there's the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center), which I have to say is very nice. There's also the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh (but that's probably closer to a three hour trip) which is alright, but I would say the venues you've listed are basically about all there is. North Carolina isn't very cultured.

Try PMing Captain Hook. He also lives in North Carolina and could probably give some good information. I've only lived here two and a half years-moved from New Jersey-whereas Captain Hook has lived here a lot longer and could probably give better and more constructive advice. Hope this helps!

[ggersten]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:40pm

Actually, the Triangle area has lots of theatre - more in Raleigh - Raleigh Little Theatre, Theatre in the Park - whose Xmas Carol is a BIG annual event (and run by the father of Evan Rachel Wood and where Frankie Muniz got his start). Even, little NRACT in a strip mall does some good stuff.

For the Triad area, your best bets are going to be university productions at Wake Forest, High Point U, W-S State, UNC-Greensboro and Elon. Winston-Salem also is home to the North Carolina School for the Performing Arts, a FAME type of school. Boone - home to Appalachian State - has some good theatre as well.

Charlotte is probably an hour to an hour and a half away and there is local theatre there as well as the bigger touring shows.

In summer, head out to the Outer Banks (manteo) for The Lost Colony, where Andy Griffth and NPR's Carl Kassel got their starts.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 6:50pm

North Carolina Shakespeare is right smack in High Point, NC.

The Cultural Center in Greensboro has several community theatre companies: Playmakers, Fringe Festival, annual Wizard of Oz, etc.

But the best regional theatre closest to High Point, in my opinion, is Triad Stage in downtown Greensboro. Their productions are outstanding, they cast out of New York as well as locally, and they just opened a new cabaret/smaller theatre space. DEFINITELY check out TRIAD STAGE (http://www.triadstage.org).

Of course there are the college theatre productions, too (High Point University, UNC-G, Greensboro College, Guilford College, A&T, GTCC, Elon, Meredith College). UNC-G also has its Concert/Lecture series where performing arts companies/entities tour to perform at the college for one performance. In the past four years Broadway-wise, they had concerts with Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, and Betty Buckley.