Prather launches national touring company

COURTESY PHOTO Will Prather, left, working with creative consultant Ray Roderick on the Prather Family of Theatres latest venture, a national touring company. The country's largest operator of dinner theatres - the Prather Family of Theatres - is starting a national touring company that will present its productions in cities across the country.

Will Prather, owner and executive producer for Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers announced the new division called Prather Entertainment Group, or PEG, last week.

"We have been doing tours of our productions since 1976 and have circulated the shows amongst our three theatres for the past decade," Prather said. "It seemed like a natural progression to take our shows on the road into other markets."

The first national tour for PEG is 'Beehive, the 60's Musical' which played to sold-out crowds at the Prather theatres in Florida and Pennsylvania. The national tour opens July 24 at the historic Cutler Majestic Theatre in the heart of Boston's downtown theatre district. After a one week run in Boston, the show embarks on a 20-week tour that will play more than 30 theatres across the country from Massachusetts to California. The corporate office for PEG will operate out of Fort Myers.

The Prather Family of Theatres is the largest operator of dinner theatres across the country currently entertaining 500,000 guests a year. The theatres include Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre - West in Mesa, Arizona.