Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 2, 2016 UCW 15 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Longtime Fayetteville residents will remember a time when dinner theatre was a regular part of the city's social scene. But that hasn't been the case for more than 30 years. Back in the day, theatre patrons could rout inely make their way to the Holiday Inn Bordeau x to catch a rela xing and enter t aining evening of theat re coupled w ith a great dinner. As the old say ing goes, all good things must end, and that was the case of dinner theat re in Fayet tev ille. But as the communit y begins t alk ing about improv ing it s qualit y of life, local businessman Bill Bow man, decided it was t ime to bring dinner theat re back to life in Fayet tev ille. "People a lways t a lk about t he lack of t hings to do in Fayet tev ille, and t hen t hey head up to R a leigh or Durham or Chapel Hill to ex per ience t hings t hat could ver y easily be ex per ienced here loc a lly," said Bow man. " W hy c an't we have t he 'good st uf f ? " With that thought in mind, Bowman reached out to the community, and what he found was many local partners who were excited about the idea of brining dinner theatre back to Fayetteville and welcomed the opportunity to be a part of it. Bowman noted, that the enthusiasm with which the dinner theatre idea was greeted made him even more excited about making it a reality, Because he is about community, Bowman thought the best way to bring dinner theatre back was to bring it back by showcasing the work of a local playwright. So he turned to long-time friend Elaine Alexander - now a resident of Charlotte - but a hometown girl at heart. Alexander, a Westover graduate, with family ties that go back several hundred years, has gained success as a playwright in the Charlotte area, and was only too happy to bring one of her shows, A Southern Girl's Got to Have It, back home. For Bowman, the next step was finding a venue. For that, he had to look no further than a long-time friend with roots in the hotel industry: Romona Moore. Moore is the marketing director at the Holiday Inn I-95. "They have a great venue out there and were one of our first partners," said Bowman. "The hotel is very excited and is putting together an elegant evening an wonderful meal to complement a great show." Because dinner theatre is such an intimate event, Bowman thought there was no better weekend to offer the show than Valentine's Day Weekend. "On Valentine's Day, we are all looking for something unique an elegant to do with our Valentine," he said. "Dinner theatre, complete with an overnight stay, makes a perfect gift for your special person." To that end, the Holiday Inn is offering special dinner theatre packages. The Hotel Sweetheart package includes t wo theatre tickets, a deluxe room, t wo complimentary breaf kasts and a half dozen roses with each pair of tickets. To make the evening even more unique, Bowman enlisted neighboring Lu Mil Vineyard to join the team. The family- owned vineyard located in Bladen County, will bring a sampling of its wines to the event for a wine tasting. "There are a lot of things we are doing to ensure that this is a special night for those who attend," said Bowman. For those who do not have a sweetheart to celebrate Valentine's with, the theatre is sponsoring a Ladies' Night Out on Friday, Feb. 12. Ladies' Night Out includes a ticket, wine tasting and dinner, music and attendance to a champagne reception for the actors after the show. On Friday Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13, the doors will open at 6 p.m., followed by a wine tasting, dinner and the show. On Sunday, Feb. 14, the show is at noon, which includes a wine tasting and buffet lunch. "We are really pulling out all of the stops to make sure that Fayetteville residents have the opportunity to enjoy a great night of dinner and theatre without having to drive an hour away to do so," he said "With the upcoming bond referendum, there is a lot of talk about what Fayetteville residents deserve. And I wholeheartedly agree that Fayetteville residents deserve to enjoy great quality of life venues and events. If we can make this event successful, we will look at other ways and venues that we can create to add to the quality of life for our residents." If the dinner theatre is successful, Bowman hopes to bring a Georgetown-based playwright down to present the next dinner theatre. Tickets are $75 and are available at the Holiday Inn, Up &Coming Weekly, the Crown Coliseum, Owen's Florist and online at CapeFearTix. com. Discounts are available for seniors, active duty military and Cumberland County School Educators. For more information, call 391-3859. A Southern Girl's Gotta Have It Marks the Return of Dinner Theatre by JANICE BURTON COVER STORY JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher. COMMENTS? news@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200. VISIT US AT: www.upandcomingweekly.com