We take the show on the road!

Like many other touring theatre companies, Riddlesbrood operates out of a central location and travels up to 1 hour or more to perform at various venues ranging from restaurants and banquet facilities to outdoor parks and recreational areas. The troupe starts the creative process each year by writing shows for the upcoming season, casting the proper talent and rehearsing the productions. Typically, there are 3-4 shows per year starting with a spring show and culminating with on for the Christmas season. Most of our performers have been part of the Riddlesbrood family for a year or more, which creates a powerful esprit de corps not found in most other theatre troupes. It has always been the management’s strategy to encourage camaraderie within the cast as this translates into a better performance on stage. Would you like more information about auditioning?.

What are the shows like?

Fun! Fun! And more Fun! That’s the best way to put it. All of our dinner theatre shows are intended to be unadulterated, wild comedies. Priding ourselves on our improvisational abilities, we are continually experimenting with new material to make every second of each show a laugh riot! Take a bit of Saturday Night Live; mix it with a tad of Monty Python; and then throw in a helping of the Zucker Brothers (i.e. the movie Airplane!) and then you’re pretty close to our style of humor. Riddlesbrood also tends to be a bit heavy on the special effects! The Technical Director (or so our sources tell us) seems to have a malicious desire to spend the company out of business with his lighting budget! In summation, you can be sure that each show is an experience you will tell your friends about for years to come!

Our History

The ensenble began life as a group of friends getting together to do comedy theatre in 1998. Ryan Long, founder of the company, worked with several other actors at Elaine’s Famous Dinner Theatre in Cape May, New Jersey. Then, the company was little more than an acting club where the members practiced and developed new material. However, this began to change when the group started to get outside work doing comedy shows around the Philadelphia area. Seeing this as a viable way to make a living, Ryan (who was obviously clinically insane) began to organize the group into a working company. Equipment, costumes and a truck were stolen (just kidding!) or politely acquired from anyone who would contribute and the Riddlesbrood theatre company was born. In Oct 2000, The Riddlesbrood players set up shop in Collingswood, NJ, and mounted the first production of "Scrooge: a Comedy!"

Within a year, the small but enthusiastic touring company, Riddlesbrood, got their big break performing dinner theatre shows for the Showbarn in Smithville, NJ, and shortly thereafter, the theatre company became incorporated in July 2001. The company went into permanent residence at the "new" Showbarn Dinner Theatre in September 2001, and Ryan Long began to write, cast, and produce all of the entertainment performed there.

As luck would have it, Ryan Long and Riddlesbrood found a new home in Historic Burlington City, NJ, in April 2006, and both set up residence there. Currently, the company is continuing its rise to prominence in the area as a professional and dedicated group of individuals dedicated to making all kinds of audiences laugh out loud!

What the Heck is "Riddlesbrood" Anyway?

The actual name of our company is somewhat of a mystery; however, many believe that it came from the famous (although rather enigmatic) adventurer and snake-oil salesman Clyde P. Riddlesbrood. It has been said that he is the inspiration for the theatre company, but Ryan Long (the owner of the company) denies and dismisses this as mere whimsy.  Every so often Riddlesbrood can be seen at promotional booths, parades, and trade shows spreading the latest news about our current and upcoming shows... but then again... we cannot confirm his existence! Would you like more information about this bizzare character Clyde P Riddlesbrood?

Our Mission Statement

"The Riddlesbrood players shall be fanatically dedicated to delighting everyone. We will creep silently into your heart, pitch our tent, and once there—practice our grinning arts.  Those who spy our movements shall leave with much inspiration and be filled with uncommon energies to face the drudgery of the days beyond. We, the Riddlesbrood, shall perch dangerously where the laugh justifies the means; for after all, life may be no laughing matter...but it will be our design to try!"  –Clyde P Von Riddlesbrood.