ARTS, Inc., and VFW Philip Billard Post 1650 have partnered again to bring Dale Easton’s “The Drunkard” to the stage. Dale Easton created “The Drunkard” based on a serious 19th Century temperance melodrama called “Ten Nights in a Bar Room” and presented its first performance on July 9, 1960, at the Kansas Fairgrounds in Topeka. His new show was anything but serious. He delighted in poking fun at both temperance and melodrama acting, creating a comedy that has stood the test of time. He intended the run to be only two weeks, but audiences kept buying tickets and now, 66 years later, it’s still running each summer. 

Dale Easton’s “The Drunkard” is the longest-running play in Topeka theater history, opening this season with our 941st performance on June 13.

An “olio” vaudeville performance of short comedy sketches follows the performance of “The Drunkard,” so stick around for the whole show! Embodying the heart of vaudeville’s historic importance in theatrical history, the olio’s punny routines are full of classic and crazy characters bringing those (grand)dad jokes to life!

The American Regional Theatre Society, Inc. (ARTS, Inc.) is a 501-(c)-(3) charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to a three-fold purpose of preserving theatrical history, educating audiences about the vitality of historical works, and presenting live theatrical works that instill a sense of pride in our rich cultural history.

Annually we present four New Chamber Theatre works (staged readings of short plays in February, May, August, and October), as well as the 24 Hour Play Festival at Washburn University in March. 

Our Board of Directors includes: Karen Hastings (Founder), Amanda Burton (President), John Hanna (Vice President), Lisa Greenwood (Secretary), T.A. Bonnewell (Treasurer), Elena Blum, Kate Hastings, Randy Lambrecht, Shawn Trimble