I'm not sure what the reviewers below are referring to because as far as I know, no one dealt with any pests while I was on contract here? The location is very remote so it's not that I don't believe there would be bugs and such, I just never heard about it, and there were over 15 of us sharing one communal kitchen/living room. I only did one show, but I personally had a really great time. Management is changing so not sure what the new people will be like, but it was an absolutely lovely team before the change. Very kind people! The leads in my show all had Broadway and National Tour credits. Everyone in the cast was professional and so nice on a personal level. It's definitely a summer stock theatre in the sense that everyone is kinda just doing what they have to do to make theatre magic happen and that can require some people (especially tech) to spread themselves thin. Pay isn't bad, but they also don't negotiate a ton. Though the whole ensemble was making weirdly different amounts, with seemingly no rhyme or reason, as it wasn't about track size or features, etc. Housing is double occupancy rooms for Non AEA and it's definitely giving church summer camp vibes. But the shared kitchen/living room makes up for lack of room space, and it was nice to have one space to socialize in together, and then one space to be alone in. And there is ample fridge, freezer and pantry space so I never felt like I didn't have room for my food, which was the case at other contracts I've done. I have 3 main grievances: 1) The costumes came together incredibly last minute. The CD at the time was splitting time between ARLT and another theatre, and we got significantly less of his focus. Costume pieces were coming in and changing even after we opened. There was a pin in one of my costumes even as I put it on for the first preview (I accidentally nicked myself on it). They rented some of our costumes but didn't fit us into them, so not everyone could fit into their costumes (which definitely led to some performers dealing with body dysmorphia). 2) The location is so remote and there's only 2 company cars provided for all company members. You're also not supposed to take these cars anywhere but the grocery store, the gym, and some planned group excursions to nearby cities. It can lead to feeling a little "land locked" in the rural town of Arrow Rock and feeling stuck in the cast housing. 3) While our choreographer was pretty well known and a cool person, they were deeply unprepared for the job, often choregraphing on the spot, in front of us. They also were only there for a week so that entire first week of rehearsal was a choreography bootcamp, which was physically quite strenuous. I've heard this isn't a normal experience for this theatre but thought it was worth sharing regardless. It's a summer stock theatre, not without it's faults, but definitely not a BAD experience. For the production value, the creative teams, the cast and the name on the resume, I think it's worth a lot of the quirks. I'd go back in a heartbeat!

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheatreShitTalk/s/rjifM5sGSc The housing is completely bug infested and unconscionable. Do better. 0 effing stars.

Really enjoyed my experience there. I stayed for the season which includes 3 musicals from May to July. The Theatre is very professional all around from the rehearsals to the shows. They put on very good productions and manage to get pretty big names throughout their season. They also managed to bring in pretty well-known directors and choreographers for each show. The only real downside to the contract is how remote the location is. Arrow Rock is a town that only consists of 50 people with a downtown that has 3 stores, 2 restaurants, and the theatre. So spending a significant amount of time there does get a little complicated and boring. The closest airport is either St. Louis or Kansas City which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive away, so flying in and out, or bringing guests can become a bit of a challenge. But it is a very nice way to escape the city and get the chance to work with some well known people in the business. I would highly recommend having your own car on contract as you are only provided two company cars to share amongst everyone of the cast and tech team. So I do think having your own car on contract could be a game changer. But overall, I highly recommend this Theatre and really did see this experience as a stepping stone for my career.