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March 31, 2025 7 mins

How Does The Lincoln Theatre Collaborate With Local Non-profits And Community Organizations To Support Their Mission? 

Step behind the curtain of Marion, Virginia's historic Lincoln Theatre as Executive Director Bob Watkins reveals how this magnificent 1929 Mayan revival venue balances entertainment excellence with deep community service. Far more than just a beautiful building, the Lincoln represents the intersection of arts, education, and community development.

As Bob explains, being a nonprofit themselves has given The Lincoln Theatre unique insight into the challenges similar organizations face. This understanding drives their commitment to providing substantially discounted venue rentals for community fundraisers. From hosting the Ultimate Garth Brooks tribute concert benefiting "Waiting to Hear" (providing hearing aids for children) to partnering with the Mel Lehman Free Clinic serving Southwest Virginia and Tennessee, the Lincoln consistently leverages its resources to amplify the impact of vital community services.

Where the theatre truly shines is in youth development. The Lincoln welcomes school groups for free acting workshops, hosts the week-long Missoula Children's Theater program (culminating in performances like this year's "Wizard of Oz"), and offers summer creative programs teaching everything from costume design to stage management—all at no cost to participants. 


Ready to experience the magic of this community treasure? Visit online to learn more about upcoming events or stop by 117 East Main Street in Marion. Together, we can ensure the arts continue to thrive for generations to come!

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

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to On Stage with the Lincoln Theatre, where
history and entertainment stealthe show.
Dive into the rich legacy ofthis iconic Mayan revival
theatre, from its 1929 debut toits starring role in Marion,
virginia's entertainment scene.
Guiding us through this journeyis the man in the spotlight,
our executive director, bobWatkins.

(00:23):
Spotlight, our executivedirector.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Bob Watkins.
The Lincoln Theater isn't justa historic venue.
It's a vital part of the MarionVirginia community.
Through partnerships with localnonprofits and organizations,
the theater extends its missionbeyond the stage to make a
lasting impact in the community.
Welcome back everyone.
Skip Monty, here, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio
with Executive Director BobWatkins.

(00:47):
Bob, how are you doing today?
I'm doing great.
Skip you doing okay?
Yes, sir, I'm doing just fine.
Now I wanted to ask you and Italked about this in a past
episode or touched on it, so I'mreally excited about today's
episode to talk about how theLincoln Theater collaborate with
local nonprofits and communityorganizations to support their

(01:09):
mission.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, I mean here at the Lincoln we are a nonprofit
organization so we know thedifficulty in operating an
organization with limited incomecoming in and support and
things like that.
So you know our overall goal isto always contribute back to
the community and help in anyway we can.
We'll do a significant amountof discount on any type of
rentals if a group wants to do afundraiser here.

(01:31):
Recently we had a UltimateGarth Brooks fundraiser for
Waiting to Hear.
It's a organization forchildren that are needing
hearing aids and Waiting to Hearis ran by Shannon Ball and he
does a great job with hisorganization.
You know we partnered with themand gave them a big discount on
the rental for the venue sothey could go ahead and reap

(01:52):
some more profits on that fortheir organization.
We have another one coming upwith the Mel Lehman Free Clinic
here, which is a localorganization that works with
providing free health care tosurrounding areas of Southwest
Virginia and even into Tennessee.
I believe they're going to bedoing a program with Light and
Charlie and we're providing somefree support with renting the

(02:12):
venue and getting the stage setfor them and everything like
that.
We're always trying to if it'sdonating free tickets to a
silent auction to help withorganizations do fundraising.
Free tickets to a silent auctionto help with organizations do
fundraising.
We do a lot of work with theschools to help some of the
youth programs that they haveand just kind of sharing our
venue to people, so one they cancome in and get their work done

(02:35):
and taken care of with whateverfundraising they needed to do,
but at the same time it's just anice warm setting for people to
come in and see Gets us out tomore people that may not be here
as patrons but they see thebeauty within the theater and
then they want to come back andshare with us as well.
So yeah, we'll do a lot offundraising stuff here on site
and just share our facility withthem.

(02:57):
If they needed a venue, that'swhat we do.
If they need people, we providethat.
And if they need funds anddifferent ways to raise funds
through the tickets, we go aheadand provide that.
So yeah, anything we can do togive back, that's what we do.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
How do you select which organizations to partner
with?
Is there a process that you gothrough?

Speaker 3 (03:15):
Usually it's just a evaluation based on what we're
able to provide.
We tend to not pick and choosewho and what we provide to, but
whatever, you know, whatevercomes in with the most need and
you know what we can align withis kind of where we go.
Obviously, we definitely wantto provide any type of support
to youth programs because youknow, as we all know, the youth

(03:38):
is our future.
So we want to be definitelyconnected with that.
Definitely connected with that.
If it's going to assist ourcommunity and county, that is
another high priority that welook at trying to assist with
different people within thecounty.
That is going to help some ofour residents here Because,
Lincoln, we've benefited frompatrons all over our county and

(03:58):
outside of the area, so we justwant to give back to those
people that have supported us.
That's kind of where we will goahead and focus on with the
youth and county residentsaround here.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Now you mentioned youth, supporting youth of the
area, a couple of times.
In what ways do you supportyouth in art education programs?

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Here.
Recently there was a coupleclasses from Smith County School
Systems that came in and we didan actor's workshop type thing
to kind of show them differenttechniques and everything for
actors.
We also provided our facilityfree of charge no cost to those
field trips to come in so theycan just see a group out of

(04:39):
Bristol that did a little playhere on stage for them.
So you know, we'll provide thetheater free of charge for them
to come in and get firsthandexperience with the arts that
they probably wouldn't seewithout that opportunity.
So that's one of the ways thatwe do that.
This is where we have beensupported for some funding with.

(04:59):
Food.
City has supported for gosh, Idon't know how many years, but
they support the MissoulaChildren's Theater, which is a
program that we will then goahead and pay with their funding
to host a Missoula Children'sTheater.
It's a week-long program forthem to come in and kind of
start learning a script and thenthe group teaches them how to

(05:21):
conduct themselves on stage andat the end of the week we have a
culminating performance thatthey'll put on.
This year I think we're doingthe Wizard of Oz with them.
This year in July we're goingto be doing the Wizard of Oz.
We also do a summer creativesprogram where we invite the kids

(05:41):
to come in free of charge tothem, the parents can drop them
off and all day long we'll bedoing different instructions on
the art.
So it'll be either stage design, costume design, history of
acting and things like that.
We try to provide some freeeducation and fun times to maybe
encourage the kids to pursue anarts focus as well, just to
help round out their experiences.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Awesome and I'm sure that the community and the
schools love it.
I can imagine the kids go crazy.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
I mean, I don't want to say they go crazy, but they
definitely enjoy it and theyalways have a fun time and the
teachers are always amazed withwhat the kids learn when they're
coming in here.
So we definitely appreciate thefeedback and we also love to
see the smiles on the kids'faces when they're walking
through.
Awesome.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
Well, Bob, thanks again for your time today and
for telling us all about whatyou guys do in the community.
Thank you for what you do.
That's incredible that youcontribute to the community, not
only in the arts and providingsupportive tourism, but also to
support the kids and the arts inthe area.
All right, we'll catch you inthe next episode.
All right, look forward to it.

Speaker 1 (06:45):
Thanks for tuning in to On Stage 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.
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