Preserving Heritage: The Lincoln Theatre's Legacy and Community Impact

How Can I Support The Lincoln Theatre, Marion VA?

Bob Watkins, the passionate executive director of The Lincoln Theatre, unveils the rich tapestry of this historic venue and its pivotal role in Marion, Virginia's cultural landscape. Join us as Bob shares the theatre's awe-inspiring journey from its Mayan revival debut in 1929 to its vibrant present, underpinned by community spirit and the dedicated Friends of the Lincoln program. You'll learn about the theatre's unique preservation efforts and innovative ways to contribute, ensuring this cultural icon remains a beacon of arts and entertainment for generations to come.

Curious about how you can make a difference? We explore the myriad of creative avenues through which supporters help keep the theatre alive, from naming seats in memory of loved ones to hosting unforgettable personal events. Bob also highlights the essential role of volunteers, whose contributions range from simple ushering to significant sponsorships. With fascinating stories of community support and a glance at future projects, this episode is a heartfelt tribute to the collective strength and passion that sustain this architectural gem.

To learn more about The Lincoln Theatre go to:
https://www.thelincoln.org/

The Lincoln Theatre
117 E. Main Street
Marion, Virginia  24354
276-783-6092

To learn more about The Lincoln Theatre visit:
https://www.TheLincoln.org/
The Lincoln Theatre
117 E. Main Street
Marion, Virginia 24354
276-783-6092

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to On Stage with the Lincoln Theater, where
history and entertainment stealthe show Dive into the rich
legacy of this iconic Mayanrevival theater, from its 1929
debut to its starring role inMarion, Virginia's entertainment
scene.
Guiding us through this journeyis the man in the spotlight,
our executive director, BobWatkins.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Want to be a hero for the arts.
Discover how you can supportthe Lincoln Theater and keep the
lights shining bright in MarionVirginia.
Welcome back everyone.
Skip Mauney, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio
with executive director BobWatkins.
Bob, how's it going?
It's going good, skip.
So, bob, for those listenerswho want more than just to enjoy

(00:55):
the shows and the entertainmentthat you have at the Lincoln
Theater, how can they do more tosupport the Lincoln in Marion
Virginia?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
do more to support the Lincoln in Marion, Virginia?
That's actually a good question.
We're always looking fordifferent opportunities for our
patrons to become majorsupporters to the theater.
Historically, this theaterwouldn't even exist if it wasn't
for community support anddonations from the Friends of
the Lincoln, which is a programthat we have set up that invite
people to leave a mark on thetheater by making a donation,
maybe naming a seat or having aplaque on the wall.

(01:27):
There's a lot of differentoptions, not all monetary.
Some of it can be assistancewith just supporting some of the
performances by volunteeringfor ushers and things like that.
We do have a Friends of theLincoln program that's available
and we have it all on our Webpage that people can go ahead
and go to the Web page under theactivities with the theater and

(01:51):
go to the Friends of theLincoln and they can go ahead
and make contributions if youwanted to go ahead and make a
contribution in the memory of aloved one.
Or we can provide differentthings throughout the theater to
put their names on stuff there.
We have a few differentsponsorship levels, being that
of the friend, contributor andsponsor, which are just
different monetary levels fordonations.

(02:12):
Lots of different things can bedone as we get near 20 years of
reopening the theater.
There's a lot of things thatwe're now revisiting with
regards to making sure that theroof is maintained.
Hvac systems and everythinghave aged in 20 years.
So there's a lot of upkeep andmaintenance on the building that
a nonprofit organization tendsto not have those necessary

(02:33):
means and funds to support.
So our Friends of the Lincolnprogram has helped us
tremendously.
There's a lot of people thathave shown a lot of support with
it, but all that informationcan be found on the web,
thelincolnorg, under thosedifferent tabs on the top.
We welcome that and greatlyappreciate everybody's
generosity that we've had overthe years.
So it's really nice to get thatsupport and everything with the

(02:54):
friends.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
What's the most creative way in the past that
somebody supported the theater?
Can you think of anything?

Speaker 3 (03:03):
There's been so many different ways that they've
supported the theater.
I mean we have some that goahead and rent the theater for
their own parties.
That's a nice support and theylike to have a little party here
and they'll support it withtheir rental fees to go ahead
and host some parties there.
Hs Williams is supported withour marquee out there, so they
went ahead and donated some ofthe necessary work to complete

(03:24):
the install of that marquee atthe front of the building.
And also the creative wayswhere people would be naming
seats in honors of loved onesthat passed that had a lot of
good experiences here at thetheater.
Those are some of the fun waysthat we've been able to have
that longevity of the patronsafter they've passed that have
had the opportunity to go aheadand enjoy the theater.

(03:44):
Keeping their name live andwell here in the theater is
always nice, warm, fuzzy feelingthat I always have there with
that.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Awesome.
You mentioned one way you cansupport is through renting the
facility for a party.
What all's involved in thatLike?
What can you get as part ofthat With the?

Speaker 3 (04:01):
rental, we'll go ahead and provide any type of
sound that the individuals wouldneed for that.
If they're going to have aspecial event on stage, we'll go
ahead and do the lights toprovide that to make it a nice
experience for everybody thatattends.
I do know we get quite a bit ofsupport from the local Kiwanis
Club, who hosts a performancehere about two times a year.

(04:22):
They do a really good job ofpromoting our name and
everything with the assistancethat we provide them to help
promote and perform their show,that we provide them to help
promote and perform their show.
Full access to the theater.
I do believe we've had weddingson stage as well.
Wow, as you've seen, thetheater itself is just basically
a museum of art, so it's a funvenue for people to come in and

(04:46):
enjoy that, and when they havesomething else that's touching
as well, it's just a completedifferent experience there in
that setting.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Is it possible to rent it out and show a movie?

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Oh yeah, we've had a couple people that would screen
some documentaries and thingslike that, so we've done some
local screenings for movies andeverything.
And then that's just anothersupport that they have for us to
use our venue and promote us,as well as supporting it with a
monetary donation that theyprovide.
Wow.

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Very cool.
Well, finally, if I sponsor aseat, can I put a little plaque
on it that says reserved for myfuture, oscar?

Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, absolutely, We'll go ahead and do that.
We might even get a littledisplay case for you Skip.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
All right, all right, awesome, love it, bob.
We'll catch you in the nextepisode.
I hope you have a great rest ofthe day.
Sounds great.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
Thanks, you too.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
Thanks for tuning in to onstage with the Lincoln
theater.
Want more of Mary andVirginia's entertainment scene?
Visit us online atthelincolnorg yes, that's
thelincolnorg or drop by ourtheater at 117 East Main Street.
Let's keep the arts alive andkicking together.