Two new Asheville theaters coming online

Here’s a quick question from a loyal Ashvegas reader:

On a arts-related topic, Ash, maybe you could bring us up to date on  two new theatre ventures that were supposed to be happening in Asheville: a coffe-house theatre (?) that was supposed to open this summer in the River District (?) and a dinner theatre (?) for musicals that was supposed to open downtown.

Here’s the update: The River Arts District theater of which you speak sounds like The Magnetic Field, opening on the ground level of the new Glen Rock mixed-use building of affordable apartments and retail space. That Magnetic Field is planned to be open around Dec. 1, from the latest I’ve heard.

The new black box theater in downtown Asheville of which you speak is The Altamont Theatre, which held a ribbon-cutting last week. It’s located on Church Street. The first performances are scheduled for February, according to the Altamont’s website.