Great Tradition!
The Derby Dinner Playhouse is proud to be one of the oldest and largest, continually-operating dinner theatres in the country. Currently, the theatre is in its 34th season and has become southern Indiana’s only professional dinner theatre, serving the region and Kentucky by reaching out to more than three million people throughout the years. Derby Dinner opened in 1974 under the general management of Carolyn Thomas. In 1985, Thomas opted to purchase the Indiana dinner theatre with partner Bekki Jo Schneider and in the last 23 years, the two have seen attendance grow to over 200,000 patrons per year with 8,000 season subscribers.

Great Food!
Derby Dinner's lavish buffet features Classic American Cuisine. Selections include a full salad bar, a variety of vegetables, fish, beef or turkey, hot rolls, and beverage. Take your time as the "Footnotes", Derby Dinner's own talented vocal ensemble, entertain you just prior to the stage production. A full bar and luscious desserts are a specialty of the house.

Great Entertainment!
Over the years, Derby Dinner has delivered high quality entertainment that has included such well known productions as "Singin' In The Rain", "Cats", "The Odd Couple", and many more! Innovations in programming are continually being established to create a younger and more diverse audience. Derby Dinner has also produced every single one of the top 50 Broadway musicals of all time, including Oklahoma, Hello Dolly and Annie. There are eight mainstage shows running Tuesday through Sunday year-round. Derby Dinner also presents four Children's Musical Theatre productions and seven concerts a year.

Great Fun!
Family and friends can come and celebrate a birthday, anniversary or just to gather for an evening of conversation. The atmosphere is engaging and casual to allow people to enjoy one another. There is also a gift shop where unique items for everyone can be found.

Derby Dinner is also proud to be a member of the National Dinner Theatre Association. Visit www.ndta.com.

Visit www.theatrelouisville.org for reliable theatre information in our area. A one-stop shop for all your local theatre news and reviews.

The playhouse is the theatrical entertainment leader in both Indiana and neighboring state Kentucky, noted for their professional productions of Broadway musicals and lighthearted comedies. Each dinner theatre production comes alive with the magic of lights, costumes, a live orchestra, and a stage full of professional performers. Derby Dinner Playhouse has received national recognition for their new musicals and is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, a New York based organization created to help new musicals.

The Derby Dinner operates with approximately 130 employees, working in the restaurant and theatre portions of the business. In 1999, Derby Dinner management was awarded the Business Owner of the Year Award from Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce. In the past eight years, the Indiana dinner theatre has expanded into areas that include ABC Productions, a theatrical production company that serves area civic, community and school theatre programs. A gift shop has also been added onto the lobby to provide an added service to guests.