The Universal 1 Variety Series is back for another season of eclectic, off-beat, uniquely entertaining shows at the Victoria Theatre. Victoria Theatre Association has just announced the 2009-2010 lineup, which includes: Etta May and The Southern Fried Chicks, Buckets and Tap Shoes and Mike Dugan’s Men Fake Foreplay.

Tickets to all three shows can be purchased for as little as $70. Series ticket holders also have the opportunity to buy tickets to other Victoria Theatre Association presentations before they go on sale to the public, including the Dayton premiere of WICKED.

The Universal 1 Variety Series is made possible in part through the continued support of series sponsor Universal 1 Credit Union. Universal 1 Credit Union was founded in 1937 in Dayton and prides itself on being a community-minded organization.

For more about the Universal 1 Variety Series, go to www.victoriatheatre.com/variety.

Click here to check out video of all three shows!

Etta May and The Southern Fried Chicks – October 10, 2009
Life and love in the U.S.A. has never been funnier than when the original “desperate housewives” take the stage and tell all!  Meet three very different Southern women – each a top comic headliner with hilarious stories to tell. The infamous Etta May leads the pack, where the “New South,” the “Old South,” and the “Deep South” come together for an evening of clean, clever storytelling for every generation. A top-rated special on CMT, Southern Fried Chicks are like the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, but with better hair and bigger attitudes!

Buckets and Tap Shoes – January 29, 2010
This unique and utterly brilliant company of musicians, percussionists and rhythm tap dancers will astound audiences by creating intense driving rhythms with five-gallon buckets, metal cans, barrels, and other found objects – not to mention tap shoes. Led by two brothers, these guys bring the creativity and spontaneity of street performing to the stage with amazing and exhilarating results. If you like STOMP, you’re going to love Buckets and Tap Shoes.

Mike Dugan’s Men Fake Foreplay – April 17, 2010
It was never about finding the right woman – it’s about being the right man! This hilariously funny, yet pointed, commentary on men’s shortcomings is written and performed by Emmy-winning comedian Mike Dugan. Mike’s a regular guy and he’s been through it all when it comes to relationships. He keeps audiences laughing from beginning to end of his 90-minute show, with occasional time outs for some of his more serious observations on male/female relationships.

Season tickets for the Universal 1 Variety Series are on sale now and start at $70. Season tickets may be purchased through Ticket Center Stage, at the Schuster Center box office in downtown Dayton or by phone, at (937) 228-3630 or toll free (888) 228-3630. Tickets for individual performances will go on sale to the general public in September.

Levitating tables, reading minds and bending metal are only a few of the experiences audiences will enjoy at the Victoria Theatre TONIGHT, when they Experience the Extraordinary with Craig Karges.

Don’t call him a magician and don’t call it an illusion.  Craig Karges doesn’t pull rabbits out of hats and he won’t be sawing any beautiful assistants in half.  Referring to himself as an Extraordinist, Karges creates an environment for his audience to physically experience. 

Craig Karges’ performance is an extraordinary blend of mystery, humor, psychology and intuition. Karges dazzles the mind as he challenges his audiences to question what is real and what is unreal, what is possible and what is impossible. Dennis Miller, comedian and talk show host, put it this way after seeing Karges perform: “This weirds me out.”

Karges dramatizes the unknown, the unexplained and the unbelievable. You don’t just watch this performance; you experience it, through total audience participation.

Having performed on national television programs including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Larry King Live,” Karges’ popularity and respectability are not quite as mysterious as the performance he has presented all over the world.

Craig Karges says that he does not possess supernatural powers, nor does he claim to perform as a psychic or a magician. While he acknowledges that he is an entertainer, and showmanship plays a role in what he does, he insists that he does not prearrange anything with members of the audience.

Ticket holders are invited to stop by Uno Chicago Grill after the performance for an exclusive cast party. Uno Chicago Grill is located next door to the Victoria Theatre at 126 North Main Street.

Click Here to read ActiveDayton.com’s interview with Karges

Click Here to read Dayton CityPaper’s interview with Karges

Watch Video of Karges in Action!

For tickets, call 228-3630 or go to www.ticketcenterstage.com. Be sure to ask about our Student Access discounts!

With words, humor and extreme hip-hop energy, the Mayhem Poets take poetry to playful and compelling new heights. These beat-boxing bards lead off the second season of the Universal 1 Variety Series tomorrow, October 30, at the Victoria Theatre.

Don’t forget about “Miss Vicki’s” Trick or Treat Special – all remaining tickets are Half Price. You can see this show for as little as $14!

Infectious, charged with adrenaline, and utterly entertaining, Mayhem Poets’ riffs are as much Mad Magazine and “The Simpsons” as Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Taking on everything from Dr. Seuss, to school, to fast food, they keep the rapid-fire rhythms flying in this clever concert of words. Get ready for a verbal adventure as these vibrant poets take the stage and present poetry like you’ve never heard it before.

Kyle Sutton, Scott Tarazevits and Mason Granger all have a variety of poetic performing experience, having worked in conjunction with HBO Def Poetry, Arts Power National Touring Theater, and Young Audiences of New Jersey.  They bring a sense of creativity and expression that’s tough to match. Get ready for a verbal adventure as these vibrant poets take the stage and present poetry like you’ve never heard it before. Spoken-word poetry merges with theatre, hip-hop, music, and even stand-up comedy as the poets work to impress the crowd. 

The Mayhem Poets have brought their unique, spoken-word experience to venues as diverse as theatres throughout the United States and Canada, The Kilkenny Arts Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland, and countless school districts, universities, detention centers, hospitals, poetry-slams and open mics.

For more, including pictures, videos and audio, go to www.mayhempoets.com. Stop by our YouTube page to check out more videos of the Poets in action.

The 2008-2009 Universal 1 Variety Series also includes Craig Karges: Experience the Extraordinary on January 23 and the Off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz on March 14. Season tickets for the entire series are available by calling Ticket Center Stage, at 937-228-3630 (toll free 888-228-3630) or online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

Every old theatre has its ghost stories, and rumor has it the Victoria Theatre has a resident ghost or two.

Cleverly nicknamed “Miss Vicki”, one particular ghost supposedly was a member of a touring company that came through Dayton in the 19th Century. During a performance, she went to her dressing room and was never seen again. All of her personal clothes were left in the dressing room; the only thing missing was a costume black taffeta dress.  She haunts the Victoria by opening and closing doors, moving props, and giggling throughout the theatre. She has been known to have signature perfume that smells like lilac and roses that can often be smelled in the elevators. Visitors to the theatre have also described hearing the “rustling of a taffeta dress”.

Miss Vicki was featured in the Dayton Daily News last week – click here to read more.

Another frightening tale involves a Victoria Theatre patron who may have committed suicide in the theatre. The story claims this man put a butcher knife on the seat in front of him and threw himself into the knife. Some people claim that his face can be seen stage left, the side of the theatre where he was allegedly sitting at the time.

A female ghost has been known to haunt one of the boxes. This particular woman was assaulted while in a box, and while though she did not die from the incident, she may have come back to haunt it after her death. When male visitors sit in the particular box, the temperature has been known to drop suddenly. Two separate incidents occurred where men left the box with scratches on their back and finger makes on their face from being slapped!

Although we can’t confirm the existence of these friendly and unfriendly ghosts, it’s exciting to think of the possibilities. This Halloween season, come to the Victoria Theatre and investigate these ghosts for yourself!

In fact, Miss Vicki has a special Trick or Treat Offer for you: All remaining tickets for Mayhem Poets, this Thursday, October 30, at the Victoria Theatre, are now HALF OFF – $23.50, $19.50 and $14 (plus any service fees). So stop by and say hello!