MANSFIELD — Nathan Detroit chatted with fans. Lt. Branigan kept a close eye on things. Other “Guys & Dolls” cast members walked around and enjoyed patrons outside the Renaissance Theater late Sunday afternoon.
And Haley Bedocs smiled as the rain held off.
The patron experience manager at the Renaissance, Bedocs said the “Broadway Blowout!” after the Sunday afternoon matinee outside on the theatre plaza was a chance to keep the great summer vibes going.
Theater goers were invited to listen to the Artistic Jazz Quartet; explore a vintage car cruise-in; grab a bite from What In The World Food Truck; cool off with a drink from the Dirty Soda Saloon; and relax in the beer garden to celebrate opening weekend with the cast, crew and fellow patrons.
The post-show summer celebration tradition started a few years ago after a matinee performance of “Grease!”
“We do it the first weekend (of the show). I feel like it kind of helps get people excited for for the next weekend,” Bedocs said.
“Hopefully people will talk about it when they go home and say, ‘Hey, I went and saw this great show and then they did this really cool outdoor event afterwards,'” she said.
(Below are photos taken Sunday afternoon at the “Broadway Blowout!” outside the Renaissance Theatre in downtown Mansfield. The story continues below the photos.)
As Bedocs spoke, veteran local actors Beau Roberts as Nathan Detroit and Drew Traxler as Lt. Branigan were among cast members interacting with fans.
Behind her, youngsters played with giant dice on the green lawn between the Renaissance main venue and its smaller Theater 166 next door.
“It’s really also to use this nice empty, open green space that we have. We want to try to utilize that. We also want to showcase a lot of the really cool food trucks around here, drink trucks, and we also like bringing out people with their cool old cars,” Bedocs said.
“It’s just for good vibes and it’s an extra fun experience for patrons,” she said.
It’s also a great way to remind Renaissance fans they still have two more chances to see the Broadway-style musical on Aug. 8 and 9. The show will stage at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 8 and 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 9.
“Guys and Dolls” is also the first production presented in the Renaissance Theatre’s newly renovated auditorium. As part of the theatre’s “Road to 100” campaign, audiences are experiencing new seating installed this summer as the historic venue prepares for its 100th anniversary in 2028.
Seat naming opportunities remain available through the “A Seat in Our Story” campaign. Patrons wishing to reserve a personalized seat plaque can find more information at rentickets.org/a-seat-in-our-story.
