In March, we asked you what you wanted to know about Asheville, and you sent in over 100 questions, comments + ideas. We’ve been steadily working through the list, and we’ve updated it with links to those answers. Today we’re diving into the theatre, dahlings (thanks for the Q, reader Steve J.).👏
#Asked – I’d like to see a calendar (of sorts) of local theatrical productions. We have a vibrant Theatre community in Asheville and so many people don’t even know about any of it except maybe that Asheville Community Theatre is there.
For example, do you know about the Montford Park Players? They’ve been doing free Shakespeare in the Park for 45+ years, and many people in Montford don’t even know they exist.
#Answered – Asheville (and WNC) is home to dozens of theatre venues + troupes which put on a variety of shows in all styles, from the family-friendly to the truly out there and experimental.
Spots like Diana Wortham Theatre bring in national + international performances. Long-running Asheville Community Theatre produces large shows and has a smaller, black box theatre for more intimate performances. Smaller community theatres, like Magnetic 375, showcase up-and-coming Asheville directors and actors in works that can be more cutting edge.
We rounded up theatres and troupes from Swannanoa to Flat Rock and everywhere in between. So grab a friend, plan a night out, and see a show. You can thank us later.
Where to catch a show
Asheville Community Theatre | 35 E. Walnut St. | (828) 254-1320 | Calendar | Long-running (60+ years), often family-friendly productions. Now playing: The Groundling (through September 2). ACT also hosts more intimate performances at its black box theatre, 35below.
Attic Salt Theatre | 2002 Riverside Dr., Studio 42-O | (828) 708-7469 | Calendar | With a special focus for shows for kids (and kids at heart). Next up: Blue Window (December 6–16)
Bardo Arts Center | Western Carolina University | (828) 227–2479 | Calendar | WCU’s Bardo includes a performance hall, theatre, and the Fine Art Museum. Performances include student-produced plays + international acts. Upcoming shows at the performance hall + mainstage include Yerma (Sunday, August 26), Cabaret (opening September 28), and Noises Off (opening November 8).
BeBe Theatre | 20 Commerce St. | (828) 254-2621 | Calendar | The BeBe has dance performances most often, but recent non-dance shows have included works from Anam Cara, Different Strokes! + Down With Pants. Shows are often experimental.
Diana Wortham Theatre | 18 Biltmore Ave. | (828) 257-4530 | Calendar | Large performance venue for shows + events of all kinds. Now playing: Menopause the Musical (through August 19).
Flat Rock Playhouse | 2661 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock | (828) 693-0731 | Calendar | Nine months of plays, including kid-friendly productions + musicals, every year. Now playing: Mamma Mia! Next up: Always A Bridesmaid (August 24 – September 9).
Haywood Arts Regional Theatre | 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville | (828) 456-6322 | Calendar | A variety of performances 30 minutes from Asheville. Now playing: The Field (through August 19) Next up: Ghost: The Musical (August 24–September 9)
Kitteredge Theatre | Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa | (800) 934-3536 | Currently undergoing renovations to the amphitheater, stage, box office + more (you can donate here).
Magnetic 375 | 375 Depot St. | (828) 239-9250 | Calendar | A spot in the River Arts District known for its original, local productions + world premieres, plus improv shows, live podcast recordings + more. The Magnetic also hosts the annual AVL tradition, The Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular, which always sells out in minutes (opens November 29). Now playing: Talking with... Next up: In A Clearing (August 23–September 8)
Montford Park Players | Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre | 92 Gay St. | (828) 254-5146 | Calendar | Asheville’s OG Shakespeare in the Park troupe is also the longest-running in the state. Free outdoor performances of Shakespeare + other family-friendly classics, plus later-season (i.e. colder weather) indoor shows at various locations. Snacks + beverages for purchase onsite, or bring your own (and a picnic blanket or chairs). Now playing: James and the Giant Peach (through September 1) Next up: Hamlet
NC Stage Company | 15 Stage Ln. | (828) 239-0263 | Calendar | Known for its community engagement and diverse programming. Next up: All In One (opens August 28)
Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre | 44 College St., Mars Hill | (828) 689-1239 | Calendar | Historic theatre on the campus of Mars Hill University that often produces regionally-focused works. Next up: Sanders Family Christmas (December 6–23)
TheatreUNCA | UNC Asheville | (828) 251-6610 | Calendar | The 2018-19 season includes a performance of the War of the Worlds (September 28 + 29), The Metamorphoses (November), and the absurdist play The Bald Soprano (February).
Unto These Hills | Cherokee, NC | (866) 554-4557 | Both a venue, with outdoor, amphitheater-style seating, and a performance, about the history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The season ends on August 18.
The full cast + crew
The theatre troups on this list may not all have dedicated performance spaces, but they produce new plays at venues around town on the regular.
Anam Cara Theatre Company | (828) 633-1773 | Avant-garde productions; currently on hiatus until the 2018–19 season.
Asheville Creative Arts | 375 Depot St. | (914) 830-3000 | Professional children’s theater with its current homebase at Magnetic 375.
Dark Horse Theatre | Past shows include productions for the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, Heathers, The Midnight Area + zombie fan favorite Pontypool.
Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective | (828) 484-2014 | Calendar | Socially-conscious theatre with an activist angle. Next up: Every Brilliant Thing (August 9–25)
Down With Pants | Productions from this “thespian-free theatre” have included Board Room (“a pantsless tragicomedy in one act”), Roman Meal (at the 2017 Fringe Fest) + 33 Rhymes or Reasons to Keep Asheville Asheville (at the 2018 Xpand Fest).
Put these on your calendar
Since 2002, The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival has been showcasing the weird, wacky, and wonderful from the region + beyond (often with international talent). The next installment of the week-long theatre, dance + arts fest happens January 20–27 at venues around town (like BeBe Theatre, REVOLVE, the Crow & Quill + more) and includes seated shows, pop-up performances, and unexpected venues (two years ago, one performance took place inside a car 🚗).
Want to let your Fringe flag fly? The application for 2019 artists + performers closes on September 23. Tickets aren’t on sale yet for 2019, but you can buy them a la carte or get a Fringe Freak pass, which typically costs around $50 and gives you access to all performances, parties + more. 🎉
And while they don’t have performances as regularly, you can keep up with other theatrical events in town, like the Wham, Bam! Puppet Slam and emersion (a site-specific, immersive experience that takes place at various locations in and around town a few times a year), by following them on social media or their websites.
Some of my best times in Asheville have been spent at the theatre, from exploring the truly avant garde at the Fringe Fest to relaxing on a picnic blanket with sushi + wine at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre (I most recently saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream).
I’m always amazed by how talented our actors, writers + directors are. I’ll be bookmarking this as a reminder to myself to do that – maybe you will, too.
When did you last go to the theatre, and what did you see? Let us know by replying to this email (and let us know if we left out your favorite spot to catch a play).
