The Central Alberta Theatre will be performing "Miracle on 34th Street" while serving dinner at Red Deer's Festival Hall this year.

By Alessia Proietti

Ticket special for Nov. 26

It’s a Christmas Miracle: Dinner Theatre is back

Nov 24, 2021 | 9:39 AM

Why eat in front of the TV screen when you can eat in front of a stage?

Dinner Theatre is officially back starting Nov. 25 with Central Alberta Theatre’s performance of “Miracle on 34^th Street” at Red Deer’s Festival Hall.

Directed by Craig Scott, the play tells the story of Doris Walker who hires a last-minute replacement for a drunken Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The new recruit, an old man living in a retirement home, seems like the perfect fit as his name is Kris Kringle and he claims he is the real Santa. While popular with the kids in New York City’s Macy’s, he stirs controversy when he refers parents to other stores that hold their children’s’ desired gifts. The store’s therapist, Mr. Sawyer, instead tries to send him to a psychiatric hospital, and later to court. Doris’ neighbor, Fred Gailey, tries to prove Kris is in fact the real Santa for the children and especially Doris’ daughter Susan.

The show runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 11 and while performances begin at 7:30 p.m., various types of tickets can be purchased (prices listed + GST tax):

• Nov. 25: Preview Night – Bar without dinner ($25)
• Nov. 26 & Dec. 3: Pub/Date night – Appetizers at 6 p.m. like meat and cheese platters to bacon wrapped marinated water chestnuts ($49.50)
• Nov. 27, Dec. 4, 10, 11: Dinner Theatre – Meal at 6 p.m. with menu items such as AAA roast beef and prosciutto wrapped asparagus topped with baked parmesan ($69.50)

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If dinner isn’t the preferred meal, there is also a Sunday brunch theatre option on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, serving a variety of dishes from the AAA roast beef to the more traditional baby red potatoes and ham and egg cups topped with peppers and cheddar. Tickets are $69.50.

And if you feel that dinner and theatre shouldn’t be touching on the same plate, they also have tickets at $25 for Dec. 2 and 9, to just watch the show at 7:30 p.m.

In celebration of their 50^th anniversary, postponed from last year’s COVID-19 cancellation, tickets purchased for the Nov. 26 show will be at a buy one, get one free special, under the promo code “Miracle”.

Alberta’s Restrictions Exemption program will be in effect, requiring attendees to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken with 48 hours. For added precautions while producing the show, some actors will be playing multiple roles.

The Central Alberta Theatre Society is one of the oldest non-for-profit and volunteer-based amateur theatre companies in Canada, beginning in Red Deer in 1970.