In thirty minutes, you could watch the latest Family Guy episode, click the refresh button a hundred times on your Facebook page or have yet another internal debate about whether or not you really want to drag yourself over to the gym to start your brand new exercise regimen.
Or in thirty minutes you could laugh until you cry, listen to hilarious new takes on old Broadway songs, and eat a delicious lunch with your friends.
Introducing the wonderful world of Lunch Time Theater at the Herberger Theater Center. The Herberger is a non-profit organization located in downtown Phoenix that aims to support and promote performing arts in Arizona. And when it comes to the Lunch Time Theater performances, there’s certainly no lack of talent.
“Lunch Time Theater was created to showcase the works of young emerging theater companies,” says Laurene Austin, the Herberger’s Director of Development and Marketing. “Our eleventh season kicks off on Sept. 6 and we couldn’t be more excited.”
So what exactly is Lunch Time Theater? It’s a tri-weekly one-act play that takes place at the Herberger every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon starting promptly at 12:10 p.m. (though doors open at 11:40 a.m., in case you want to get there early.) This year, the featured plays include “Shifting Gears,” a one-act comedy about a man trying to get home while being stranded in the middle of nowhere; “We Need to Talk,” a series of short plays about the absurd and intimate subjects no one really wants to talk about; and “Bardball: and Other Plays,” a hilarious performance in which a classic William Shakespeare puts down his quill and instead tries to help a 21st century man pick up girls.
The one-acts range far and wide, and you’ll learn that you can find just about any type of performance you’re looking for. A quick glance at the upcoming season’s schedule on the Herberger website is all you need to pick and choose which play to see and when – or better yet, sample them all. Each play lasts only 30 to 45 minutes, so you can make the performance and still have time to jet back for your next class. You can order the tickets either online or at the door and they’re only $6.
“You’re in and out within the hour and the plays are always light-hearted and exciting,” Austin says.
Unlike most other more formal theater productions, Lunch Time Theater actually encourages its audience to eat during the performances. In fact, it even provides the food. Staying true to its name, Lunch Time Theater offers a number of meal options that can be pre-ordered on the Herberger’s website before the day of the show, thanks to the comprehensive menu offered by Put A Fork in It Catering. The menu includes sandwiches, salads, chips, fruit, sodas and freshly baked deserts, all for under $8 a lunch. And if sandwiches and salads aren’t your thing, you can always bring your own brown-bagged lunch and eat right alongside the rest of the audience.
So the next time you find that you have thirty minutes, $6 in your wallet and an empty stomach, head over to the Herberger Theater Center. It’ll be a fresh way to spend a hot afternoon, and you’ll most likely find yourself smiling the whole way through the show. By the time the Lunch Time Theater lights flicker back on, you’ll probably find yourself wondering where on earth those thirty minutes went.
If you go… Herberger Theater Center 222 E. Monroe Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 254-7399, herbergertheater.org/lunch_time_theater
Contact the reporter at christina.arregoces@asu.edu
