Curtain Call

A spotlight on Raleigh’s stage shortage 

“It’s exhausting to worry about where and when to do a show—and where comes first,” says David Henderson, founder of Honest Pint Theatre Company on finding performance spaces in Raleigh.

Founded 10 years ago, Honest Pint performs in venues all over the city—from North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre and William Peace University to Theatre Raleigh and NC State. And finding a place to perform is a necessity that continues to grow more sparse. Each month, Henderson and co-artistic director Susannah Hough sit down to discuss the shows they hope to schedule for the year—and try to find available space. 

“We have to figure out how to adjust what we want to do in the slots available, which unfortunately are few and far between,” explains Henderson. To wit, just because a space is available doesn’t make it feasible. Small theater companies, for example, can’t sell out 700-seat venues. 

That lack of a home base while bouncing around from place to place not only takes up time and energy, it makes gaining a following of theatergoers more challenging. “It’s hard to gain a sense of permanence,” says Henderson. 

In response to lack of room and parking, for her part, local talent/Theatre Raleigh Producing Artistic Director Lauren Kennedy Brady moved Theatre Raleigh to a new North Raleigh location in 2021 after previously renting at Martin Marietta. 

“We have our own autonomy,” says Kennedy Brady of Theatre Raleigh’s current spot. “It’s given us a lot of freedom to grow in the way we’ve wanted for so long—and we’ve also been on the other side where we struggled to find a place to have performances.” 

In efforts to assist others seeking a performance setting, Theatre Raleigh offers its venue at low-industry nonprofit rates to myriad organizations, including Honest Pint, in an effort to make theater accessible to performing agencies of all sizes. But booking remains tight and availability fills up fast. 

Nevertheless, some organizations are content sans a space of their own. The Justice Theater Project hosts between 80 to 90% of its shows at Umstead Park United Church of Christ. Executive Producer Melissa Zeph appreciates a consistent spot that comes with nominal rental rates without routine ownership expenses and hassles. “I don’t know if I want a space,” says Zeph. “Who wants to own their own theater? Yuck! Although, it would be lovely to have an actual stage.”

While finding areas to perform can certainly be a challenge, there is a silver lining… our creative arts culture is continuing to burgeon. “It’s a gift that we have so much theater in the community,” says Henderson. “The hardest part is the infrastructure.” 

While there may not be enough capacity for everybody, Raleigh’s local theater community remains communal. The majority of our local actors, talents and creatives lack a sense of rivalry, instead operating with a mission of sharing what they love and working together to elevate the arts in our city—with many theater professionals hoping to eventually create a theater district/hub for the creative arts Downtown. 

“We all want one thing: to do what we love in an area we love. And the more we are able to do that here, the more artists we keep here,” says Henderson. “I think theater as we know it is changing, and if we want to survive, the Raleigh community has to find a way to keep it alive.” 

2023-24 Arts and Theatre Preview

Ready to support the cause? Raleigh’s 2023–24 arts and theater season is filled to the brim with can’t-miss productions, plays, musicals and exhibits. The curtain is calling… so nab those tix and settle in your seat for a season of five-star performances and exhibits. 

SEPTEMBER

Wicked, through Sept. 17

DPAC | dpacnc.com

Spiders: Fear to Fascination, through Oct. 8

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | naturalsciences.org

Firebird, Sept. 14–Oct. 1

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

Last Stop on Market Street, Sept. 16–24

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces
From the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Sept. 16–Jan. 7

North Carolina Museum of Art |  ncartmuseum.org

The Philadelphia Orchestra, Sept. 20–21

Carolina Performing Arts | carolinaperformingarts.org

OCTOBER

12 Angry Jurors, October

The Justice Theater Project | thejusticetheaterproject.org

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Oct. 5–15

Theatre in the Park |  theatreinthepark.com

Beautiful—The Carole King Musical, Oct. 10–15

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium | nctheatre.com

MJ the Musical, Oct. 10–22

DPAC | dpacnc.com

Arcadia, Oct. 12–29

Burning Coal Theatre Company | burningcoal.org

Frankenstein, Oct. 12–29

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

Rimini Protokoll, Oct. 14–15

Carolina Performing Arts | carolinaperformingarts.org

Barbecue, Oct. 18–29

Theatre Raleigh | theatreraleigh.com

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, Oct. 20

NC State LIVE | live.arts.ncsu.edu

Misery, Oct. 20–Nov. 5

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

La Traviata, Oct. 27 & 29

NC Opera | ncopera.org

NOVEMBER

Zoe & Cloyd, Nov. 4

NC State LIVE | live.arts.ncsu.edu

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Nov. 16–19

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

Mean Girls, Nov. 24–26

DPAC | dpacnc.com

DECEMBER

Moonlight, Through Dec. 17

Burning Coal Theatre Company | burningcoal.org

Black Nativity in Concert, December

The Justice Theater Project | thejusticetheaterproject.org

Cinderella 2023, Dec. 1–17

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

The Nutcracker, Dec. 8–9

City Ballet Raleigh | city-ballet.com

A Christmas Carol 50th Anniversary, Dec. 8–10

Theatre In The Park | theatreinthepark.com

Elf: The Musical, Dec. 9–17

North Carolina Theatre | nctheatre.com

The 1940s Radio Tour, Dec. 13–24

Theatre Raleigh | theatreraleigh.com

The Nutcracker, Dec. 14–24

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

JANUARY

Hymn, Jan. 25–Feb. 11

Burning Coal Theatre Company | burningcoal.org

Compagnie Hervé KOUBI, Jan. 27

NC State LIVE | live.arts.ncsu.edu

FEBRUARY

Rhapsody in Blue, Feb. 1–18

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

The Barber of Seville, Feb. 2 & 4

NC Opera | ncopera.org

Nate the Great, Feb. 2–11

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

Peter Pan, Feb. 27–March 3

DPAC | dpacnc.com

MARCH

Alexa Tarantino Quartet, March 1

NC State LIVE | live.arts.ncsu.edu

The Little Mermaid, March 7–24

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.comcarolinaballet.com

Trouble in Mind, March 15–31

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

Mrs. Doubtfire, March 19–24

DPAC | dpacnc.com

APRIL

A Little Night Music, April 4–21

Burning Coal Theatre Company | burningcoal.org

Rent, April 20–28

North Carolina Theatre | nctheatre.com

The Girl of the Golden West, April 21

NC Opera | ncopera.org

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2, April 25–28

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

MAY

Looking for Roberto Clemente, May 4–12

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

The Lion King, May 15–June 9

DPAC | dpacnc.com

Cinderella, May 16–19

Carolina Ballet | carolinaballet.com

JUNE

Kinky Boots, June 7–23

Raleigh Little Theatre | raleighlittletheatre.org

Once on This Island, June 22–30

North Carolina Theatre | nctheatre.com