Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:31 pm
http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2009/09/06/930690
Classic movies back on big screen in Lumberton
By Venita Jenkins
Staff writer
LUMBERTON - Richard Sceiford stood between rows of theater seats and watched the image of a space station twirl across the 15-by-25-foot movie screen.
"The Blue Danube Waltz'' by Johann Strauss boomed from the speakers.
Sceiford wanted to do a test run of the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey'' before its showing Thursday at the Carolina Civic Center.
The movie is part of the "Gotta See It on the Big Screen'' fall series. The purpose of the series, he said, is to show classic movies the way they should be seen - on the big screen.
"These are films that television screens don't do justice," said Sceiford, the center's executive director.
The series will include "Casablanca," "Frankenstein," "The Great Escape" and the more recent films "March of the Penguins" and "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.''
The series kicked off Aug. 20 with "The Wizard of Oz."
The return of movies at the center is a celebration of its roots. The center, formerly called the Carolina Theater, opened in 1928 as a silent-film and vaudeville house.
To bring the theater up to date to show movies, the center purchased a $20,000 digital projector, a Bose sound system and a screen to fit the stage.
"I believe it is important to have the films as part of the center's programming," Sceiford said.
The films are an affordable entertainment option during difficult financial times, he said.
The recent multimillion-dollar renovation of the theater and the addition of the film series is about economic development and drawing people downtown, Sceiford said.
"That will be the challenge," he said. "People don't come downtown for entertainment."
The staff is working on a spring schedule, including shows with a date-night theme. He hopes to partner with local restaurants to offer discounts to patrons.
"People have asked, 'Why are you bringing film back when we can just rent a film and see it at home?' " he said. "The point is that these films are designed to be seen on the big screen. What we are doing is adding the experience of seeing it in a historical theater."
Patrons are greeted with organ music before the show. The organ is under the stage on a hydraulic lift. A computer tells the organ which songs to play, Sceiford said.
He hopes one day to have silent films playing with organ music.
"We are not a first-run theater," he said. "We are a nonprofit and are not meant to compete with a first-run theater. We view films as art. This just complements our live performances and all the other programs."
Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayobserver.com or (910) 738-9158.
Classic movies back on big screen in Lumberton
By Venita Jenkins
Staff writer
LUMBERTON - Richard Sceiford stood between rows of theater seats and watched the image of a space station twirl across the 15-by-25-foot movie screen.
"The Blue Danube Waltz'' by Johann Strauss boomed from the speakers.
Sceiford wanted to do a test run of the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey'' before its showing Thursday at the Carolina Civic Center.
The movie is part of the "Gotta See It on the Big Screen'' fall series. The purpose of the series, he said, is to show classic movies the way they should be seen - on the big screen.
"These are films that television screens don't do justice," said Sceiford, the center's executive director.
The series will include "Casablanca," "Frankenstein," "The Great Escape" and the more recent films "March of the Penguins" and "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.''
The series kicked off Aug. 20 with "The Wizard of Oz."
The return of movies at the center is a celebration of its roots. The center, formerly called the Carolina Theater, opened in 1928 as a silent-film and vaudeville house.
To bring the theater up to date to show movies, the center purchased a $20,000 digital projector, a Bose sound system and a screen to fit the stage.
"I believe it is important to have the films as part of the center's programming," Sceiford said.
The films are an affordable entertainment option during difficult financial times, he said.
The recent multimillion-dollar renovation of the theater and the addition of the film series is about economic development and drawing people downtown, Sceiford said.
"That will be the challenge," he said. "People don't come downtown for entertainment."
The staff is working on a spring schedule, including shows with a date-night theme. He hopes to partner with local restaurants to offer discounts to patrons.
"People have asked, 'Why are you bringing film back when we can just rent a film and see it at home?' " he said. "The point is that these films are designed to be seen on the big screen. What we are doing is adding the experience of seeing it in a historical theater."
Patrons are greeted with organ music before the show. The organ is under the stage on a hydraulic lift. A computer tells the organ which songs to play, Sceiford said.
He hopes one day to have silent films playing with organ music.
"We are not a first-run theater," he said. "We are a nonprofit and are not meant to compete with a first-run theater. We view films as art. This just complements our live performances and all the other programs."
Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayobserver.com or (910) 738-9158.