Pocket Sandwich Theater Will Be Moving and Is Looking For A New Home

Joe Dickinson and Rodney Dobbs met in 1977 while working at Dallas Repertory Theatre. In 1980 they started producing plays at the Greenville Avenue Pocket Sandwich Shop under the auspices of The Emporium Players.

Joe and Rodney bought out the shop owners, renaming the place the Greenville Avenue Pocket Sandwich Theatre. In 1990, the theater moved to its present location at 5400 East Mockingbird Ln., dropping the "Greenville Avenue" from its name, and became the Pocket Sandwich Theatre.

The year 2020 was the Pocket Sandwich Theater's 40th anniversary. The hand-picked season of shows celebrating various aspects of our history was planned but these were all derailed by the Covid 19 pandemic. While the Pocket, like all other theaters, was struggling to survive the pandemic, the shopping center that had been our home for more than 30 years was sold. The company met with the new owners and informed them that the theatre does not fit their vision for the future of the shopping center and informed us we needed to vacate our theatrical home of more than 30 years.

This Christmas the company will present Ebenezer Scrooge for the 39th time in its history and as the final production at their current location. They are currently looking for other locations that would be suitable to convert into a dinner theater, conveniently located for customers, and financially sustainable. The company will be announcing a new location as soon as a new place is identified and arrangements are formalized.

New Pocket partner Kim Winnubst noted "I have never felt more welcomed at a theater in Dallas than I have at the Pocket, either as a performer or an audience member. It is our goal to ensure everyone who steps through our doors feels that way. The Pocket has always been the most fun you can have in a Dallas theater, but it also has the most heart you will find at a Dallas theater." Our loyal patrons and generations of attendees would agree.

Theater is meant to be transient; we create something that is meant to last for a moment in time. The company does not know where it will be located for the next chapter of the Pocket Sandwich Theatre story. However, they remain confident that the story is not over. They want to continue to grow outreach, audiences, and impact in the community.

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