Stone's Throw Dinner-Theatre

I returned to Stone's Throw and was blown away by the quality acting of The Bad Seed. Also, their facility has been dramatically updated since my last visit and is a comfortable and attractive place to watch live theater. It was a beautiful night out even in COVID-19 times, and they took social distancing very seriously and required masks for patrons. We had a lovely evening and will return with absolute certainty. Five stars plus.

Wow! I read the recommended yelp reviews if this place and went anyway and wow! This is a WONDERFUL place with comfort food(I went 22march2014 and they had Lima beans which I normally refuse to eat but ate them all!) The performance was awesome(Greater Tuna) and as far as the size of the place....it seats 80 to 100 I'd guess, which is perfect size. I ended up buying season tickets. So in the future, I'll take others reviews as just that...their opinions. This place was a wonderful visit. I'm from Iowa and have season tickets to ACTORS theater in Ames Iowa and have had Des Moines Playhouse season tickets.

Since its opening, Stone's Throw Dinner Theatre has made a commitment to provide quality performing arts in Southwest Missouri. There's a long list of people who, through the years, helped the place grow, from Dr. Foster and Hilda Whitten, who donated the land where the current facility sits, to Henry Heckert, Dr. William Roehling, Betty Bell and John Reynolds. While the torch has been passed, so to speak, over the years, each individual who donated their time to the place has one thing in common and that's a love for performing arts. Countless volunteers have directed, acted, helped with production, cooked, served or simply washed dishes on show night. These volunteers are the lifeblood for the not-for-profit theatre. And each volunteer is dedicated to promoting, facilitating, and supporting the performing arts. Call the theatre and make a reservation for the next show, take in the small charms of place. You'll be glad you did, and you'll help keep community theatre alive in the Carthage community and in Southwest Missouri.

This is a quaint little non-profit, volunteer-run theater with a lot of potential. The newly redone stage and sound system seemed like a big hit with the locals (and we thought they were nice, though had no comparison basis). Plus, the theater has plans for additional seating capacity (currently fundraising). Your very reasonably-priced ticket basically covers the costs of production and dinner. You can bring your small child (under 5) for free, but please don't. And if your older child can't sit still and keep quiet for 3+ hours, don't bring them either. The acting, though amateur, was overall enjoyable and well-done for what we expected. The play we saw was actually three shorts that all took place in the same hotel room during different time periods (and with different characters). The set was fantastic. The actual play part is done well enough that I would recommend the experience and even come back if in Carthage again. As for dinner....The food was meh. The salad was actually pretty decent. However, the chicken entree was dry, the green beans seemed canned, and the mashed potatoes seemed rehydrated. The roll was good, but small (it almost seemed like a large dinner roll cut in half). Given their budget and volunteer staffing constraints, this wasn't unexpected, but was still a little disappointing. If I'm remembering correctly, drink options were limited: water, coffee, iced tea, maybe lemonade, and hot tea (that took them a long time to track down). I don't remember there being any soda or adult beverage options. Having some cheap wine or beer for sale seems like it could be beneficial for them.... or at least finding a way to let you bring in your own and pay a small corking fee. As for how the evening played out, we were expecting dinner and a show with dinner during the show like a few other dinner theaters we've been to. Nope. After the 1/2 hour seating window, the next hour is dedicated to dinner service, then you see the first act, then dessert is served, then acts two and three. We showed up at 6 p.m. when the doors opened, didn't get our entrees until about 7 p.m., and didn't get home until about 11 p.m. It was a long night in an uncomfortable dining room chair in a chilly room. I would highly encourage them to find a way to shave off some time - have the salads already set at the table (I can't remember exactly, but I'm fairly confident they weren't). Serve dinner and let folks eat it during the first act and then serve dessert between acts two and three (this will require some table adjustment as there are some seats with their backs to the stage if you're facing your table to eat and some adjustment of house lights so you can see your dinner, but I think it'd be worth it). Lastly, I had made a reservation ahead of time (highly recommended) for four people. However, our fourth group member wasn't feeling well, had been hoping to feel good enough to come, but decided not to at the last minute (say 5:45 p.m.). We were highly apologetic and they didn't charge us for the fourth ticket, which was extremely nice, but then we were strongly (and loudly) scolded for not having called the theater and updated our reservation. We explained it was a last minute decision as we were leaving (and the drive there was less than 10 minutes), but it didn't seem to matter to the manager who was exasperated that she had been turning people away earlier that afternoon. Again - we hadn't known for sure earlier! I completely understand the frustration of losing out on a ticket sale given the non-profit nature of the business, but it's not like we had done it on purpose or were just too lazy to call. Plus, we got there just as the doors opened and were one of the first to go in, so anyone waiting for last minute tickets could have easily bought ours. Even then, I'm not exactly sure what they would have done, since there was only one extra seat at our table (our absentee guest) and people often come to these things as couples (or larger groups). They didn't seem outfitted with the capability to do on-the-spot table shuffling. That scolding clearly left a bad taste in my mouth. Sometimes things happen and it's not our fault and though your business may hurt a little, you should never make the customer feel embarrassed.

In the past several years the theater has undergone a complete remodel. Everything is now much, much improved. You will never find volunteers that work harder. The stage has been enlarged, new sound system, lighting improved, new chairs, tables, table clothes, china plates and crystal. All comes with a great new parking lot. You name it and they have done it.Actors always know their parts and the plays are wonderful. We are so fortunate to have this lovely theater for so many years and getting bigger and better with age. Do give it a try. Lots of shows sell out so don't wait to long to order your ticket. Enjoy

this is a very good place to go and enjoy a good play and good food , the actors and wait staff are very good and i can't belive they do it all and don't get paid, what a good bunch of people!

One of the finest small dinner theaters. All actors and staff are volunteers. Their productions rival that of the professionals of the New Theatre in Overland Park, KS or Murry's Dinner Theater in Little Rock. The meals are always different for each play. We have been season ticket holders for many years and have never seen the same play twice or had exactly the same meal twice. There has been constant improvement to the facility. It is a small venue therefore every seat is a good one with excellent view of the stage and the sound is very good. Set designs are better than many professional theaters. In brief, if you are seeking quality entertainment that your entire family can enjoy, a good meal and good service, Stones Throw in Carthage is the place to go.

I recently read the comment from Ginger A. I have a competely different opinion of the Stones Throw Dinner Theatre. The goals they are triing to achieve are like everything it takes time. Recent changes to the theatre, the dining room has received a face lift. It is quite elegant. The meals are improving the cook gladly takes suggestions, along with requests. The Last show was "The Mikado" Musicalthe meal was an Asian salad, Pork Stir Fry served over Rice, Hand made Egg Roll and a dessert. I don't see where the meals are like a church carry-in. For a small community threatre The Stones Throw Dinner Threatre is right on target. But don't take my word for it, come see for yourself. MCN

I love Stones Throw Dinner Theatre! Everyone there is so friendly, the only problem is you just can't go once...once you go you will want to go again and again!