Since 1950, the Melody Tent, located in Hyannis, has featured countless singers, bands, theater groups, comedians and other performers each summer. While the people who frequent the venue have evolved and shifted, the integral value of providing quality performances has remained the same.
Deanna Lohnes, marketing and public relations representative for the Melody Tent, said “I hope we continue offering different kinds of events to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.” The audience is already wide; the Melody Tent attracts over 100,000 people each summer. Despite the large annual swarm of patrons, the atmosphere at the venue is intimate, with all seats located within 50 feet of the stage.
An eclectic assortment of performers have graced the Melody Tent’s stage. These include, but are certainly not limited to: Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Ross, Darius Rucker, Elvis Costello, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers and countless other bands, singers and personalities.
For the upcoming summer season, only some of the scheduled performances have been announced, but as of February, the schedule was still developing. The Melody Tent posed this question to its fans on Facebook: “in a perfect world, who would you like to see perform?” Answers ranged from The Grateful Dead to Idina Menzel to the Zac Brown Band. Currently, The Steve Miller Band, Mary Chapin, Hunter Hayes, The Beach Boys are definitely on the summer schedule. The full list of performers and their performance dates are on The Cape Cod Melody Tent website, melodytent.org.
Lohnes also said “I love that the Melody Tent has state of the art sound and lighting equipment while keeping to its theatre in the round roots.” While it has endured significant enhancements throughout the years, including the expansion of the arena from 1,000 seats to 2,300 seats, it is still one of only two continuously-operated tent-theatres-in-the-round in the United States.
Regarding the upcoming season, Lohnes said “I would like to see the Melody Tent continue to book new, up-and-coming stars alongside old favorites.” Though the tickets are not as inexpensive as they were in 1950– only $1.20 back then– they are typically reasonably priced and easily accessible for purchase.