This Hidden Indiana Dinner Theater Pairs A Homemade Buffet With Incredible Broadway Musicals

The menu here actually changes to match whatever musical is on stage. A dinner themed around the show you’re about to watch?

I need to know who plans that.

The owners named the place after the dating site where they met. They also got married in a small Indiana town that shares the same word.

There’s something sweet about a business whose name carries a little piece of its owners’ love story.

Then there’s the broccoli salad. It’s a family recipe from the original founders, and it stuck around through a change of owners.

Fresh-baked rolls stayed too, which seems like a smart choice.

After lunch or dinner, the lights dim and a cast takes the stage. Some performers come from across the country.

Others live just down the road. I’d be tempted to make an evening of it, especially with a menu that gives you a preview of the show before the curtain even rises.

A Love Story Gave This Stage Its Name

A Love Story Gave This Stage Its Name
© The Harmony Theater (formerly MDT)

Mark and Misty McGrady met on eHarmony, then married in New Harmony, Indiana. So when they renamed their dinner theater, the choice was pretty much made for them.

The Harmony Theater officially got its new name with the launch of the 2025 season. The announcement came on February 21, 2025, a little over a year after the couple bought the business.

The name carries a third meaning too. Mark grew up in Hillsboro, and his mother was involved with the Hillsboro Harmony Music Club during his childhood.

That’s a lot of harmony for one sign. Still, the word also sums up the mission behind the place.

The owners want guests, performers, staff, and neighbors to feel welcomed, respected, and loved.

I believe that kind of goal shows up in small ways. It’s in how a theater greets people at the door and how it treats the town around it.

The couple took ownership on December 27, 2023. They stepped into a business with deep local roots and big shoes to fill.

Rather than starting from scratch, they kept the traditions people loved and added their own touches.

Honestly, a name built on romance, family, and music feels right for a room full of show tunes.

Decades Of Curtain Calls Came Before The New Paint

Decades Of Curtain Calls Came Before The New Paint
© The Harmony Theater (formerly MDT)

Long before the Harmony name, this was Myers Dinner Theatre. Donna and Richard Myers started it and built a following one meal and one show at a time.

The business moved into its historic Hillsboro storefront in 2002. Counting its earlier years, the theater has served up meals and entertainment for over a quarter of a century.

That’s a serious run for a small-town stage. Many big-city theaters would be thrilled with that kind of staying power.

Plenty of folks around the Wabash Valley still know it by the old name. Don’t be surprised if someone calls it Myers when you mention your plans.

The Google listing even keeps a nod to the past.

What I like most is that the new owners didn’t erase that history. Donna and Richard’s famous broccoli salad still lands on tables.

Their fresh-baked rolls are still part of the meal.

Keeping those recipes is a quiet way of saying thank you. It also tells longtime fans that the heart of the place is still here.

So when you sit down at The Harmony Theater, you’re joining a story that started decades ago. You just get a fresher-looking room to enjoy it in.

Bright Colors And Better Sightlines Await Inside

Bright Colors And Better Sightlines Await Inside
© The Harmony Theater (formerly MDT)

Fresh paint in vibrant colors greets you now. After the McGradys took over in late 2023, the room got a full makeover with new carpeting and revamped seating.

The seating change might be the best upgrade of all. The layout now includes small, intimate tables for couples and bigger setups for groups.

Every option was designed to give more elbow room and better views of the stage.

That matters in a theater where you eat and watch in the same spot. Nobody wants to twist sideways for two hours while balancing a dessert plate.

The space itself sits inside a historic storefront, which gives it a cozy, close-up feel. You won’t be squinting at actors from a distant balcony.

The performers are right there.

Planning a date night? Ask about a smaller table when booking.

Bringing your whole extended family or a church group? The larger tables make passing food and swapping comments about the show much easier.

A small room also means the voices carry well. In a big hall, singers can feel far away.

Here, every harmony and punchline arrives up close.

Bright walls, new seats, and a stage within easy reach. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Your Plate Gets A Theme Song

Your Plate Gets A Theme Song
© Harmony Theater, Hillsboro, IN, 108 Water St, Hillsboro, IN 47949, United States

Menus at The Harmony Theater aren’t copy-and-paste. Each one is designed to complement the specific show on stage, so your meal changes with the season’s lineup.

That’s a fun twist on dinner and a show. The food becomes a sort of opening act, setting the mood before the first song.

Everything leans homemade. The theater emphasizes home-cooked food made with quality ingredients, which fits the small-town spirit of the whole place.

Since dishes shift with each production, I can’t promise a specific entree. What I can tell you is the comfort-food style stays steady.

Think hearty, filling, and made in-house rather than reheated from a box.

Got a food allergy or dietary restriction? The kitchen can accommodate special needs when you let them know ahead of time.

Mention it when you buy tickets so there’s no scramble on show day.

I love the idea of guessing how a menu ties into a musical. A cowboy show and a holiday classic probably shouldn’t taste the same, right?

Part of the fun is seeing what lands on the buffet next. Each new show gives the kitchen a fresh chance to play along, and you get to taste the results.

Save Room For The Salad Everyone Talks About

Save Room For The Salad Everyone Talks About
© The Harmony Theater (formerly MDT)

Broccoli salad rarely gets top billing. Here, it practically deserves its own spot on the marquee.

Donna and Richard’s famous broccoli salad remains a staple of the meal. It’s a family recipe that survived the ownership change, which says plenty about how much people care about it.

Then come the fresh-baked rolls. Warm bread before a show feels like the right way to start, and the theater has kept that tradition alive too.

Here’s a little tip. Pace yourself with those rolls.

A full buffet follows, and you’ll want energy left for clapping, not a nap during Act One.

These two items act like the theater’s greatest hits. Menus around them change with each production, but these favorites keep returning like a beloved chorus.

I can’t imagine someone tearing up the recipe card for a salad with that kind of history. Thankfully, nobody did.

There’s something reassuring about a dish that sticks around for years. It connects first-time guests with people who’ve been coming since the Myers days.

So when that bowl reaches your table, give it a proper taste. You’re sampling a small piece of Hillsboro history, served cold and crunchy.

Broadway Classics Land On A Small-Town Stage

Broadway Classics Land On A Small-Town Stage
© Harmony Theater, Hillsboro, IN, 108 Water St, Hillsboro, IN 47949, United States

Oklahoma! in a Hillsboro storefront? Absolutely.

The 2025 season featured Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic alongside Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.

The lineup didn’t stop there. Guests also caught Honky Tonk Angels, Charlotte’s Web, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and Beehive, The 60s Musical.

Comedy fans got Gilligan’s Island: The Musical. Mystery lovers had Agatha Christie’s The Secret Adversary.

That’s a wide spread for one season.

The casting mixes professional actors from across the country with local talent. I like that balance a lot.

It brings in fresh energy while giving Indiana performers a home stage.

Looking ahead, the 2026 season includes The 39 Steps and Million Dollar Quartet Christmas. Plans for 2027 have already been announced, so the curtain isn’t closing anytime soon.

Variety is the real draw here. Kids can enjoy a barnyard story one month.

Grandparents can hum along to sixties hits the next.

Check the schedule before you go and pick a show that fits your crew. Musical fan, mystery buff, or holiday lover, there’s likely something on the calendar with your name on it.

Timing Your Visit Takes A Little Planning

Timing Your Visit Takes A Little Planning
© The Harmony Theater (formerly MDT)

Meals come first, then the show. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, lunch starts at noon with a 1:30 pm curtain.

Friday evenings bring a 6 pm meal and a 7:30 pm show.

Select Saturday evenings also include meal service. Doors open one hour before the meal, and seating begins a half-hour before food is served.

So arrive early. That extra time lets you find your table, chat, and get comfortable before the buffet opens.

Tickets need a little attention too. The box office sits at a separate spot, 101 E.

Main Street, just around the corner from the theater.

During Mainstage productions, it’s open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm. Messages get checked at other times, so don’t panic if you call after hours.

The theater itself stands at 108 North Water Street, Hillsboro, IN 47949. Parking is available along both Main Street and Water Street.

Here’s a handy perk. CentreBank lets guests use its unmarked spots outside business hours.

That’s a neighborly move from a local bank, and it fits the town’s friendly vibe nicely.

Round Up The Group And Make It An Outing

Round Up The Group And Make It An Outing
© The Harmony Theater (formerly MDT)

Bus tours love this place. So do school field trips, company parties, and senior center excursions.

The Harmony Theater has become a popular stop for groups of all kinds. Families and longtime theater fans show up too, making the crowd a friendly mix.

Group travel works well here for a simple reason. Meal, entertainment, and seating all come in one package, so nobody has to plan three separate stops.

The updated room helps as well. Larger tables let coworkers or church friends sit together instead of scattering across the room.

Thinking about a work party? A matinee with lunch could beat another conference room potluck by a mile.

Planning a class trip? A show like Charlotte’s Web connects nicely with reading lessons.

Seniors get an easy, comfortable day out. Lunch is served, the show is close-up, and the timing lands in the afternoon.

If you’re organizing, reach out to the box office early. Bigger groups need more seats, and allergy notes for a whole bus take a bit of planning.

One phone call can turn a regular Wednesday into the outing everyone mentions for weeks. That’s a solid return on effort.

Rolling Hills And State Parks Are Close By

Rolling Hills And State Parks Are Close By
© Harmony Theater, Hillsboro, IN, 108 Water St, Hillsboro, IN 47949, United States

Hillsboro sits in Fountain County, right in the Wabash Valley. It’s a quaint little town, and its location makes a day trip surprisingly easy.

The theater lands between several bigger Indiana cities. Indianapolis, Lafayette, Terre Haute, and Danville all sit within driving range.

That central spot opens up plenty of options. You could spend a morning outdoors, then wrap up the day with dinner and a musical.

Some of Indiana’s notable state parks are nearby. Expect sweeping views, rolling hills, rock formations, and waterfalls.

Not bad scenery for a pre-show warmup.

A hike before lunch could even help you justify an extra roll. I’m just saying the math works out.

Fall might be an especially pretty time to plan this combo. Changing leaves and a cozy theater pair nicely on a cool afternoon.

Small towns like Hillsboro reward people who slow down. Walk Main Street, notice the old storefronts, and enjoy a break from big-city traffic.

By the time the final bow arrives at The Harmony Theater, you’ll have packed nature, food, and Broadway into one day. That’s a pretty great itinerary for a town many folks haven’t heard of yet.