Well Done: A Retirement Roast

Forty years. One cake. Everybody gets a turn.

Well Done poster: a microphone in flames beside a cake with one candle, and an empty folding chair. The line reads: Forty years. One cake. Everybody gets a turn.

Interactive dinner theater · Now booking

The small town’s football coach of 40 years is retiring, and there’s a room full of people who have waited a long time to say what they think. The honoree sits in the head table chair while everybody takes a turn. Guests get a roast line, a story that contradicts the next table’s, and a moment at the mic. But Coach Richards was never one to sit back and take it. He fires back at every one of them, and some town secrets are exposed.

Running time About 2½ hours
Audience AdultsLike most roasts, the humor is adult, and some people may find it offensive. Nothing in it is obscene.
When Any time of year
Our actors 2 of our actors

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The evening

Coach Richards has run the football program in this small town for forty years, and tonight the whole town gets its turn: former players, parents, coworkers and family, each with a story about him, and no two stories agree. There’s a cake, a microphone and an emcee keeping the roast moving. When the last speaker sits down, Coach takes the mic himself.

How your guests take part

This is a very interactive show. Upon arrival, every guest is assigned a part: They will interact with the cast as one of Coach’s former players, a parent, a coworker or a family member, with a card that gives them a roast line, a story that contradicts the next table’s, and a task to complete before the night is over. The guests who volunteer for speaking parts get their moment at the mic. Your guests may want to come to more than one performance, as their interactions with the cast and the story itself will be different every time.

Larger speaking parts that are integral to the flow and plot of the show are filled by people in your organization or by finding actors from your local community theater.

We also know every guest has their own comfort level. Any guest roles that require speaking or otherwise draw attention to themselves are filled before the show by volunteers, who are also given a brief orientation. Any guest can trade a card with someone else or hand it to the actor hosting their table. Anyone can simply sit back and enjoy the show. Nobody is ever put on the spot.

The details

Venue	Anywhere you would hold a banquet, set up as the retirement dinner, with a head table and a chair for the honoree. The roast needs a microphone. While not required, the primary cast members can also wear a performance microphone (we can help you find a local company to provide this service).
The meal	Plated or buffet, your choice.
Your cast	Local actors for the roles we don’t bring, plus the ten to twenty guests who will volunteer for the smaller speaking parts.
Guests wear	Dinner casual or formal.
Music	Nothing in the show depends on a particular song. We walk you through any music licenses your venue needs.

The full package

The Curtain & Cause package

You get

The script and 2 of our actors. Those are the parts that carry the show. We can also bring the entire cast. Ask for details.

We consult

From the first board conversation to the wrap report.

The Production Playbook

Written for this show: the step-by-step guide your volunteers follow from the first board meeting to the last thank-you letter. It covers the budget, sponsorships, tickets and marketing, with every form already drawn up and a one-page description of each volunteer job.

What’s in a Playbook

The production fee

A flat fee of $3,500.

What it costs, in full

Also booked for company parties and corporate events. See what that costs.

Thinking about Well Done: A Retirement Roast for your fundraiser?

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