Alternative theatre for Alternative Thespians

Dream Theatre Co.

Bold shows. Big nights. Room for every kind of story.Dream Theatre Co. is an independent theatre company based in downtown Joplin — licensed musicals, original adaptations, themed nights, fundraisers, and an after-school acting academy.

Buy ticketsAuditionsActing Academy
A collage of Dream Theatre Co. productions, casts, and performances
We are such stuff
as dreams are made on.— William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Dream Theatre Co. members building a set in the brick studio — one climbing through a window flat while another works from a ladder on the backdrop
Building the set — flats, ladders & fresh paint

What’s on

Coming up at Dream Theatre Co.Here’s what’s next at 124 S Main — shows, auditions, and academy performances.

The Dream Theatre Co. studio stage dressed with a set — a red armchair, a lace-curtained window flat, and performers under the lights
The studio stage, dressed & ready
Oct 23–24Fri–Sat · 6:00 PM

Dracula

Presented by the Dream Theatre Acting Academy.

Free admission
Oct 26–27Mon–Tue · 7:00 PM

Steel Magnolias — Auditions

By Robert Harling. Cold readings; no monologue needed. Performances January 7–9, 2027.

Open auditions
Dec 3–5Thu–Sat · 2026

A Very Die Hard Christmas

The action-movie Christmas classic, live on stage — one off-duty cop, a Nakatomi Plaza holiday party, and a hostage situation played for laughs. Evening performances only · $15 general admission.

Content advisory — *Foul Language, Drug use

Buy tickets
Neon-style comedy and tragedy theatre masks glowing yellow and purple against a dark brick wall
Comedy, tragedy & everything in between
The Acting Academy logo — a winged shield crest with a crown on a red and navy plaid background, with the banner “All the world’s a stage”

The Acting Academy

Big imaginations deserve an audience.

Our after-school program — a welcoming place for students to make friends, take creative risks, and grow in confidence. Students learn Theatre 101 by adapting favorite stories into live performance. Every session builds toward a full production; past adaptations include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Nutcracker, and Frankenstein.

Classes & tuition

Classes are on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4-6pm · $120/month Tuition

Message us to enrollFind us on Facebook: Dream Theatre Troupe - Joplin
Costumed performers — Peter Pan and Tinker Bell — greeting young fans at a downtown street event
Out in the community
  1. 01
    Learn by makingActing, collaboration, stagecraft, and creative problem-solving come together in rehearsal.
  2. 02
    From page to stageStudents help turn a familiar story into a complete live adaptation.
  3. 03
    See the Acting Academy performDracula plays October 23–24 at 6:00 PM, with free admission.

Dream Theatre Co. · Joplin, Missouri

Hand-painted round Dream Theatre Co. sign — a white crescent moon with green swirls against a dark night sky, with the words “Dream Theatre Co.”

Since 2006

Twenty years. Hundreds of performers.One company that keeps saying yes.

  1. 2006

    A few friends, no rules

    A group of friends wanted to put on a play without rules or regulations — just the show they wanted to make, the way they wanted to make it.

  2. The first years

    Originals & adaptations

    Original scripts and adapted free plays. Learning by doing, show by show, in whatever room would have us.

  3. Stepping up

    Becoming a licensed company

    From scrappy beginnings to licensed productions — full musicals and plays, with themed nights and fundraisers alongside them.

  4. Downtown

    A home at 124 S Main

    A storefront black-box space in downtown Joplin. Build the set, paint the flat, hang the lights, open the doors — all in one room.

  5. The Academy

    Growing the next cast

    The after-school Acting Academy took root — classes Wednesdays & Fridays, from page to performance — and became the steady heart that helps keep the company going.

  6. 2026

    Established 2006

    Kicking off our 20th year with Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill — and the next yes already coming.

Company members painting a large colorful backdrop flat inside the studio, paint cans and work lights scattered around
Set painting day in the studio

Here’s to the next twenty.

Merch

Dream Theatre Co. tees, hoodies, totes, and mugs — available at our Bonfire store.

Shop Dream Theatre merch
Dream Theatre Co. crescent moon logo
A lit marquee sign at night reading “Art. Changes. Everything.”
The Little Mermaid cast performing live on stage before an audience, beneath an underwater set with glowing jellyfish, blue fairy lights, and shimmering curtains
Live on stage — the cast in performance

Find your way to our Studio

We’re in a downtown Joplin storefront at 124 S Main St. Look for the crescent moon signs in the windows.

Message us on FacebookInstagram @dreamtheatrejoplin
Performers on the Dream Theatre Co. stage mid-show, playing to a seated audience in the studio
Live on stage at the studio
The front exterior of Dream Theatre Co. at 124 S Main St in downtown Joplin — red brick storefront with the crescent moon signs, the 124 door, and an empty sidewalk
124 S Main St · Downtown Joplin

Dream Theatre Co.
124 S Main St
Joplin, MO

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