How about some theater with your breakfast?

Donelson Senior Center for the Arts plans early morning performance of 'Tom Sawyer" By ANDY HUMBLES ahumbles@tennessean.com 726-5939 • July 25, 2008 Donelson's Senior Center for the Arts has a new idea for its Nashville Dinner Theatre productions. Breakfast. Tom Sawyer, The Musical opens this weekend at the Senior Center for the Arts auditorium at 108 Donelson Pike. A special morning performance has been added to the schedule at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4. Nashville Dinner Theatre shows generally include a meal, and the morning show will offer a buffet-style breakfast included with the $14 ticket starting at 7:45 a.m. "Matinees generally sell out first, which tells us people want to come during the day,'' said Senior Center for the Arts director Kaine Riggan. "But because we're a community theater, the majority of (cast members) have day jobs, so it's hard for them to get an entire day off work" during the week. Shows are generally Thursday-Sunday during run dates. Performances are generally 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday with the meal served one hour before. Tom Sawyer, The Musical opens Friday, July 25, and continues through Aug. 10. The Nashville Dinner Theatre has done Friday early afternoon matinees that were well attended, Riggan said. But it hasn't been done lately because of the difficulty actors had scheduling around jobs. The daytime shows could bring in seniors who may not be comfortable driving during night hours, Riggan said. It also could be a better option for tour groups, such as residents in an assisted living facility, who may rely on group transportation that wouldn't be available in the evening. "If it's anywhere near capacity the first time, we'll know we've got something and we should do more breakfast programming,'' Riggan said. It would be difficult to do more than one breakfast show for each play held, Riggan said, even if it is a success. Generally there are six Nashville Dinner Theatre plays shown per year. However, other types of entertainment, including concerts, could be considered for the morning hours, Riggan said.