{"id":1047,"date":"2017-08-31T12:00:27","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T16:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1047"},"modified":"2017-08-31T10:27:41","modified_gmt":"2017-08-31T14:27:41","slug":"tammy-wilkinson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1047","title":{"rendered":"Tammy Wilkinson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Theater for the Senses<\/em><\/h1>\n

By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Theatre Du Jour founder Tammy Wilkinson is changing the meaning of \u201ctheater.\u201d With her 3-year-old business, Tammy aims to facilitate as much interaction as possible amongst everyone involved, from theater-goers to performers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see a show anywhere. You can see a show in all of the best alternative spaces,\u201d Tammy said. \u201cI want to do it outside. I want to do it in castles. I want to do it at wineries. I want to do it at golf courses. I want to do it on your lawn. Whatever you want or need, we will do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tammy\u2019s love for theater began during college at SUNY Morrisville in the journalism technology program, where a group of \u201cvivacious and insanely creative people\u201d introduced her to the theater world. She got a taste of the experience, but didn\u2019t really get involved until she moved back to Oswego in 2005 and joined the Oswego Players. She became more and more involved, and eventually became producer.<\/p>\n

One of the most challenging aspects of theater was \u201cgetting butts in seats,\u201d Tammy said. So, she thought of an innovative approach: move the seats to a whole different setting.<\/p>\n

Tammy made a deal with a local restaurant to produce a main stage show in their dining room. The Oswego Players bought out the room, and along with the main stage show, brought in a photo booth, music, jewelry vendor and prizes. It wasn\u2019t just a performance; it was an event, Tammy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was insane and amazing, all at the same time,\u201d she said, \u201cbut very, very perfect for what we had hoped to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tammy knew she had a unique and refreshing concept on her hands. From that point, she kept mulling over the idea of an \u201cinteractive touring dinner theater experience,\u201d she remembered.<\/p>\n

One day, she went to Syracuse to see a performance about Lizzie Borden at the Barnes Hiscock Mansion. Tammy and the rest of the small audience followed the cast from room to room as the show unfolded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just sitting there with goosebumps thinking, \u2018The universe is telling me: this is all the right stuff. You\u2019re on the right track, Tammy,\u2019\u201d she remembered.<\/p>\n

As the show continued, she turned to her friend and whispered, \u201cThis is what I mean! This is what I\u2019ve been talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tammy knew there was a need for more interactive theater like this. In October 2014, she filed a DBA, and Theatre Du Jour was brought to life.<\/p>\n

Since then, Tammy and her team have produced a variety of shows, including \u201cLove Letters,\u201d \u201cThe Santaland Diaries\u201d and, most recently, \u201cSteel Magnolias.\u201d Theatre Du Jour has performed at a number of venues, including Barnes Hiscock Mansion. For each show, they work with different local businesses and artists to offer the audience much more than just a play or musical.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted it to be a multimedia event,\u201d Tammy said. \u201cWe wanted it to be an experience. And so, part of our mission was to have it be collaborative with different community businesses, [and] have that synergy between us and anyone and everyone who wants to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

While each show is different, the audience can expect roughly the same format. The evening begins with a cocktail hour that usually includes a cash bar, photo booth and local musician, and gives the cast and crew a chance to mingle with theater-goers. Dinner is next, most times in theme with the show. And then, of course, comes the performance.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to limit themselves to simply traditional plays and musicals, part of the challenge for the director is often to weave more opportunity for interactivity into the shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd every director has stepped up to the plate on that,\u201d Tammy said. In the future, Tammy plans to expand Theatre Du Jour\u2019s reach, she said, adding that she\u2019s always on the lookout for more venues she admires.<\/p>\n

The whole experience of founding and running her own business \u2014 something Tammy never expected she\u2019d end up doing \u2014 has helped her grow and find herself, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis company has helped me to love myself, love what I do, and trust in the process,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause we figured it out as we went along, there\u2019s something really healing about that as a woman \u2014 and as a human, period.\u201d SWM <\/em><\/p>\n

To find more about Theatre Du Jour, visit dujourcny.com<\/a> or facebook.com\/TheatreDJ<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Theater for the Senses By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson Theatre Du Jour founder Tammy Wilkinson is changing the meaning of \u201ctheater.\u201d With her 3-year-old business, Tammy aims to facilitate as much interaction as possible amongst everyone involved, from theater-goers to performers. \u201cYou can see a show anywhere. You can see a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[133,160,322,346,347],"class_list":["post-1047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-lorna-oppedisano","tag-mary-grace-johnson","tag-september-2017","tag-tammy-wilkinson","tag-theatre-du-jour"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/TammySep2017-1.jpg?fit=5200%2C3471&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1849,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1849","url_meta":{"origin":1047,"position":0},"title":"Love, Loss, and What I Wore","author":"Staff","date":"May 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Getting to Know the Producer and Director\u00a0 This month, Theatre Du Jour\u2019sTammyWilkinson and director Moe Harrington bring us Nora Ephron\u2019s \u201cLove, Loss, and What I Wore.\u201d Moe and Tammy casted members of the Central NewYork community, including our very own editor, Lorna Oppedisano, to be part of this performance. \u201cLove,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SWM-MAG-5-14-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-3-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SWM-MAG-5-14-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-3-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SWM-MAG-5-14-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-3-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SWM-MAG-5-14-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-3-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/SWM-MAG-5-14-18-Alexis-Emm-Photo-3-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":950,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=950","url_meta":{"origin":1047,"position":1},"title":"Dani’s Dessert & Wine Bar","author":"Staff","date":"July 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Big Dreams of Small Plates By Shweta Karikehalli | Photography by Steven J. 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