What And Where is The Gaslight Theatre?

The Gaslight Theatre is a family friendly, entertaining, classic Tucson experience. Located at the corner to Broadway Boulevard and Kolb Road in Tucson, Arizona (7010 E Broadway Blvd); The Gaslight Theatre is centrally located and about 20 minutes away from the University of Arizona Campus, making easy access for the entire community. This theatre is a historical icon for Tucson as it is one of the first theaters to ever open in the area. This very well known theater is also a popular tourist site to visit, they have a review page on the TripAdvisor.com site with a 4 1/2 out of 5 star rating. The theatre performs musical comedies 6 nights a week and have concerts on Mondays in part of their performance series called “Monday Night Concerts”. Tickets are sold ahead of time by website (thegaslighttheatre.com) or by phone ((520)886-9428). It is highly suggested to buy tickets online and in advance because the tickets can sell out very quickly.

The Gaslight Theatre has been in business for over 40 years! Their history starts with University of Arizona Alumnus, Tony Terry Jr., in 1977. While the location has changed many times since 1977 when they started in Alaska, by 1990 The Gaslight had found their forever home and built an empire around it. This theatre seats the most the gaslight has had in its history. With balcony/mezzanine seating as well as three separate sections of seating on the “floor level” of the theatre the grand total of seats comes to 242 seats and 71 table tops. The exterior of the theatre is wooden adding to the historical western charm. There are painted face cut-outs surrounding the property for guests to take pictures and to commemorate the experience. The cut-outs depict past shows the theatre has put on and fan favorites that may return in the future. Once inside the theatre guests are seated and can see the history of The Gaslight Theatre come to life through all the pictures lining the walls of the theatre depicting the shows previously performed by Gaslight. The audience is also given the opportunity to order food and drinks to eat/drink during the show. The menu is a condensed combination of Little Anthony’s Diner and Grandma Tony’s Pizza menus. Complimentary popcorn is provided on all the tables and are refilled occasionally throughout the duration of the show.

Whether you're a college student, a tourist, or someone who lives in the Tucson, Arizona area, you should check this place out to experience some Western culture, entertainment, and great food with an old fashioned twist!

What Are The Shows Like?

The Gaslight provides family friendly, comedic entertainment that is fun for all ages. The shows typically revolve around pop culture and parodies of popular films. Some fan favorites include titles like “Spider Guy”, “009; License to Thrill”, “Lone Stranger”, “Back to The Past”, “Space Wars”, “Phantom of The Opera” and so many more! The theatre runs on a season schedule, meaning that one show will run for a few months then come to a close. Once one show wraps up another one fills in its place for a few months and the cycle repeats. The Gaslight Theatre will occasionally bring back some of its most popular shows, but will typically try to keep things fresh and relevant. So if there is a show that catches your eye you should go see it while you can!

After the conclusion of every show the Gaslight actors will perform what they call an Ollio. These are typically like a “mini show” or “encore performance”. The Ollios are set up in a simple short skit style with themes that either compliment the theme of the main performance or are just plain fun to send the audience home with a couple of extra laughs.

image from TucsonInsideBuisness.com

The Gaslight Family

The “Gaslight Family” are the other properties that are all managed by and fall under the Gaslight name. These properties include Little Anthony’s Diner, Grandma Tony’s Pizza, The Gaslight Music Hall, The Gaslight Costume Shoppe, and The Gaslight Print Shop.

Little Anthony's Diner

Little Anthony’s Diner was built from the ground up back in 1990 when the Gaslight had moved to their forever home on Broadway Blvd. This is a 50’s Style diner with a beep-bopping DJ stand, classic red booths, and a delicious menu. The menu consists of classic American diner food like burgers, fries, and milkshakes. But the menu is very expansive and there is something for everyone at Little Anthony’s. The Diner also hosts car shows in their parking lot on select Saturdays every month. Find out more about them on the website! http://littleanthonysdiner.com/

image from TripAdvisor

Grandma Tony's Pizza

Grandma Tony’s Pizza is one of the hottest pizza joints in the Tucson area. Grandma Tony’s has been awarded the title of best pizza in Tucson on many occasions and is the only property of the Gaslight Family to have franchised and have multiple locations by the same name around Tucson. Find their menu on the website here: http://grandmatonyspizza.com/!

The Gaslight Music Hall

The Gaslight Music Hall is the newest addition to the family. It is a property very similar to the Gaslight Theatre, but rather than focusing on the live theatre aspect, the music hall’s main focus is on live music. This property is located in Oro Valley, a suburb 6 miles North of Tucson (13005 N Oracle Rd). An easy comparison between The gaslight Theatre and The Gaslight Music Hall is that they are the reverse of one another. Most nights of the week the Music Hall will hold a concert style performance with a musical show appearing in the schedule every once and awhile, where as the Theatre holds musical comedies most nights of the week with concerts once a week. Book you're trip to the Music Hall by going to the website: http://gaslightmusichall.com/

Image from Gaslight Music Hall Facebook

The Gaslight Costume Shoppe

The Gaslight Costume Shoppe is located next to the Gaslight Theatre, but isn’t connected like Little Anthony’s is. The costume shoppe is like stepping into a museum of Gaslight Show History. This is where all the costumes from previous shows are stored. The shoppe is also where the costumes for the Gaslight shows are made, so it makes sense that the costumes find their way back to the shoppe’s racks. The costume pieces are available for rent so others may enjoy their charisma and add flare to their own shows or costume parties. The shoppe also sells some costume pieces that could be found at Halloween stores, but their merchandise is available all year round. They also sell high quality stage/costume make-up like Ben Nye to complete every costume ensemble. The Gaslight Costume Shoppe is a high quality place to be able to find some very niche and specific costume items. Learn more here: https://www.gaslightcostumes.com/

photo from Gaslight Theatre Facebook Page

The Gaslight Print Shop

The Gaslight Print Shop is located next to The Costume Shoppe and to the side of The Theatre. This business provides the advertising materials for the theatre and also functions as a print shop for Tucson natives to print large quantities of their materials like a FastCopy or Office Depot would.

Gaslight Youth Programs

The Gaslight Theatre hosts 2 types of theatre programs for the kids. Both provide a fun and education experience with lessons any kid can carry though life. Bringing kids on to the stage can help with public speaking and shyness not to mention they will have a blast meeting new people and learning about the theatre!

The Gaslight Youth Theatre, Under the Direction of Melody David-Baker

If you are looking for an after school program during the school year for children ages 6-16 The Gaslight Youth Theatre, under the direction of Melody David-Baker would suit you needs. This group meets twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) from 4:00-5:30 PM to rehearse, with occasional Saturday rehearsals for dance and dress rehearsals. After about 3 months the kids perform four shows over the course of two weekends. This program has 2 cycles per year, once in the fall and once again in the spring. For more information regarding the Gaslight Youth Theatre contact Melody David-Baker by email at [email protected] or phone at (520) 990-9456

The Gaslight Summer Kids Camp

If something short during the summer is more what you are looking for then The Gaslight Summer Kids Camp will be the better fit. The Summer Kids Camp takes place in three different sessions. Sessions one and two are both 12 days long and session three is 5 days long. Each session take place during different time frames and have different age ranges. Session one is for ages 6-11, session two is centered around kids ages 12-16, the final session (session three) is a GLEE style camp for kids ages 8-16. The camp takes place Mondays through Fridays from 10 AM to 3 PM for all the sessions with final performances taking place on the Saturday of the final week. For more information about The Gaslight Kids Camp contact them via email at [email protected].

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