The Revitalization & Reimagination of The Lincoln Theatre

Are There Any Plans To Expand The Types Of Performances To Live Theatre?

What if a piece of history could transform into the heartbeat of a community? Join us as we chat with Bob Watkins, the dedicated executive director of The Lincoln Theatre, who is spearheading a remarkable revival of this iconic venue in Marion, Virginia. With a blend of nostalgia and vision, Bob reveals plans to reintroduce live theatre, weaving together the vibrant threads of local talent and seasoned touring artists. Discover how partnerships with the Bristol Academy of Music and the Virginia Commission of the Arts are setting the stage for a culturally rich and diverse array of performances that promise to engage and inspire.

Bob shares an exciting blueprint for community involvement, from aspiring actors eager to take the spotlight to behind-the-scenes enthusiasts ready to craft the magic offstage. Hear about the theatre's ambitions to become a cultural cornerstone, offering not only a space for entertainment but a canvas for community expression. Whether you’re a local looking to participate or a visitor yearning for unique cultural experiences, The Lincoln Theatre’s journey from its 1929 premiere to its future as an entertainment hub is a story of passion, community, and creativity.

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 (00:36):
The Lincoln Theater has been a hub for captivating
shows and timeless films, but islive theater about to take
center stage?
Executive director Bob Watkinsshares what's next for this
iconic venue.
Welcome back everyone.
Skip Monty here, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio
with Bob Watkins.
Bob, how's it going?

(00:57):
It's?

Speaker 3 (00:58):
going good, Skip.
How are you getting along?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Doing just fine, doing just fine.
So let's go ahead and jump intothe meat of this bob.
We know that the theateralready features both live
performances and classic films.
Are there any plans to expandthe types of performances to
live theater?

Speaker 3 (01:18):
actually, yeah, we have started doing quite a bit
of work with some local groupshere, that there's a Bristol
Academy of Music that has done aperformance and they're getting
ready to do another performanceas well, and we just had the
first actors workshop here for acommunity theater that we're
trying to anticipate starting uphere.

(01:40):
In February I wanted to do aperformance here at the Lincoln
Theater.
So we're trying to recruit asmany community members that have
an interest in getting up onstage and then see if we can go
ahead and expand that into alittle bit larger group to
incorporate more people withinour community to do some
performances here at the theater, and also trying to reach out
to different groups to have sometouring artists come in and do

(02:02):
some stuff through the VirginiaCommission of the Arts, trying
to get some theater performancesfrom them to come in and
participate and share that forthe community.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Very cool.
So you mentioned communitytheater.
Are there other types of genresor types of live theater that
you feel would resonate with theaudience there at the Lincoln?

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, I believe I've reached out to Virginia
Commission of the Arts there andtrying to put in some grants
with them so we can get sometouring performers to come in
and do differentmulticultural-type programs to
incorporate a little bit of theeducational component to some of
the individuals here and alsolet us all see different type of

(02:44):
theatrical performances thatthey can enlighten us with a
little bit more that we're usedto right now.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Very cool.
It sounds like you're alreadyin process, but how does
introducing live theater back tothe Lincoln align with the
theater's mission and communityengagement goals?

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, one of the biggest things that made us want
to pursue the community theaterprogram was just to provide an
activity here in our area sopeople didn't have to travel out
of the area and have that sameexperience.
We wanted to work with theschool systems to try to get
some activities for some of thekids that are in the different
theatrical programs within theschool system so they can do

(03:30):
some performing arts programshere at the Lincoln.
So you know, our mission at theLincoln is really just to
provide a source ofentertainment for everybody
within the community.
So broadening that to livetheatrical performances is a big
push that we're trying to do,because we already have the live
music, we get comedians in here, we also have the film.

(03:53):
So now I think to tie it alltogether and give our community
members something that they cango ahead and participate in and
be proud of and have all theirfamilies come and see them up on
stage in the lights.
I think that just goes right inline with our mission here to
just provide the best level ofentertainment that we can to our
community and members around us.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
You sort of already answered this question, but I
was going to ask if auditionswere open to the public, or
should we leave our dramaticshower singing performance at
home?

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Bring it, Skip, Bring it.
We had a little entry levelprogram there to where we talked
about interests with people wehad, let's see, that first
meeting.
We had around 15 members of thecommunity that came in that
were interested in it.
We also have about five to 10that are interested in maybe
some more behind the scenesstuff.
Not really feeling like gettingup on stage at this moment, but

(04:48):
they do want to help with thebehind the scenes stuff, with
the costume design, set designs,things like that.
So we are getting a really goodresponse from the community to
host this and I'm extremelyexcited to go ahead and do that.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Very cool.
Well, I actually interviewedsome folks from the Bristol
Ballet yesterday and they do alot of performances in Bristol,
but is that something that youwould be open to having?
You know somebody like that?
That?
Has a home stage to travel andperform.

Speaker 3 (05:22):
Oh, absolutely, Like I said, I've reached out to the
Virginia Commission of the Artsand they have different groups
that they will host and I'vebeen trying to recruit some of
those performers to come in here.
Like I do know Tri-CitiesOrchestra they can come in here
and they've done a performancewith us before, but then also,
like you said, the balletprograms around the area.

(05:45):
I'm trying to get a lot ofdifferent opportunities for our
patrons to see all kinds ofdifferent entertainment here.
So, yeah, that's definitelysomething that I'm interested in
partnering with.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
Awesome, awesome.
Well, if I could help with thatconnection, I'll be glad to do
that.
Bob, love it.
Sounds exciting to have liveperformance come back to the
Lincoln Theater.
I can't wait to be able tocheck that out.
Look forward to having you Allright, man, love it.
Bob, we'll catch you in thenext episode.
Hope you have a great rest ofthe day.
Thanks you too.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
Skip.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
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.