On Stage with The Lincoln Theatre
Welcome to "On Stage with The Lincoln Theatre"—your backstage pass to the captivating history and vibrant present of one of America’s most iconic theatres! Step back in time as we explore the rich legacy of The Lincoln Theatre, a majestic Mayan Revival-style venue that first opened its doors in 1929. Nestled in the heart of Marion, Virginia, this cultural landmark has been at the center of entertainment for nearly a century, hosting everything from vaudeville acts and classic films to modern-day concerts and performances.
Join us as we pull back the curtain on the theatre’s fascinating past and dive into its current role as a cultural hub for the region. In each episode, our executive director and charismatic guide, Bob Watkins, takes center stage to share stories of the theatre’s evolution, its unforgettable moments, and the exciting events that keep audiences coming back for more. Whether you're a history buff, a theatre enthusiast, or simply curious about the arts, this podcast promises to entertain, educate, and inspire!
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
On Stage with The Lincoln Theatre
Adapting to Change: Bob Watkins on the Future of Live Theatre at The Lincoln
What Are The Biggest Challenges Facing Performance Halls Today?
Discover the art of adaptation in the world of live theatre with our special guest, Executive Director Bob Watkins, who shares his invaluable insights on the evolving challenges of running a historic venue like The Lincoln Theatre. From the economic pressures squeezing performance halls to innovative strategies aimed at drawing in younger audiences, Bob unveils the theatre’s blueprint for success amidst changing times. Ever thought about how community involvement and a little creativity could turn the tide for local theaters? This episode is packed with actionable ideas and firsthand experiences that paint a hopeful picture of the future of live entertainment.
Join us as we navigate the impact of digital entertainment and streaming services on traditional theatre experiences. Bob candidly discusses the potential and hesitation of venturing into digital realms, while emphasizing the irreplaceable joy of a live audience. Listen in for exciting revelations, like the introduction of "Thirsty Thursday," a novel event aiming to shift perceptions and draw diverse crowds to the theatre. Whether you're a theatre enthusiast or simply curious about what goes on behind the curtains, this conversation promises to enlighten and entertain.
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
Welcome to On Stage with the Lincoln Theater, where history and entertainment steal the show Dive into the rich legacy of this iconic Mayan revival theater, from its 1929 debut to its starring role in Marion, Virginia's entertainment scene. Guiding us through this journey is the man in the spotlight, our executive director, Bob Watkins.
Speaker 2:The spotlight may shine bright on stage, but behind the curtain, performance halls face hurdles that even the most skilled acrobats might struggle to clear. Bob Watkins sheds light on how the Lincoln Theater tackles these challenges head on. Welcome back everybody. Skip Monty, here, co-host, slash producer, back in the studio with Executive Director Bob Watkins. Bob, how's it going? It's going great. How are you doing, skip? I'm doing just fine. It's a good day, good day to do a podcast, yeah. So, bob, what are the biggest challenges facing performance halls today and how do you plan to overcome those?
Speaker 3:Well, I've been reviewing with some other venues, talking to some of their directors as well to check and see what they've been dealing with, and the consensus is that the concerns and threats within the economy and the cost of goods and household expenses increasing on a regular basis, it's just caused a lot of people to shy away from spending the extra money on entertainment sources there and going to different venues and historically nonprofit theaters. Like us, we've always seemed to have an issue with generating enough funds to support the expenses that we have. So I've just been reviewing different types of performances to try to maybe decrease the cost of ticket prices so we can get some more patrons to come in, and just also increasing the area in which I market to try to see if I can recruit more people to come in and enjoy the entertainment that we offer.
Speaker 2:Very good. So what role does community engagement play in addressing those challenges, or does it Creates?
Speaker 3:a huge impact on it there. It's a good question because I think a lot of times, especially in smaller communities like we are located in, our community tends to maybe not appreciate the opportunities that they tend to have in their hometowns, so they venture out of the area and go elsewhere. So with us engaging with the community a little bit more and increasing the focus that they might have on some of the activities and programs that we offer, I think it just increases the number of people that come through our doors and see what we have to offer so they can start to gain a little bit more appreciation with their hometown gym that we have here.
Speaker 2:When it comes to getting younger audiences, do you have any special activities that you do to try to draw a younger audience, like TikTok dances? Is that too far?
Speaker 3:Well, we haven't pursued anything like that. One thing we have done is we have increased the different types of genres that we do here. So we're trying to target multi types of entertainment here so it appeals to the younger crowd, middle-aged crowd, older crowds. One of the things that we started doing here is a happy hour on a Thursday. We're doing a Thirsty Thursday program here to try to just change the atmosphere that the patrons have seen here at the theater and make it a fun activity, to where they can come and have some entertainment while they're seeing the shows.
Speaker 3:That seems really good to get some more people in here too.
Speaker 2:The baseball approach Thirsty Thursday. That seems really good to get some more people in here too. Yeah, the baseball approach.
Speaker 3:Thirsty Thursday. Yeah, it's not going to be 50 cent drafts like it was there. What was that? Cleveland Indians or something Did that yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's going to be like. That Is digital entertainment. Is that competition for you and if so, how do you deal with that?
Speaker 3:I do think that the digital, the capabilities of streaming because, again, going back to the economy, you can go and get a subscription to stream just about anything that you see, and then you can also see different concerts at home and things like that so it does cause some issues. We're not currently doing anything to stream any of our performances or anything like that, but that has been a thought that I've considered. But at the same time, I just enjoy having the people here in the theater, so we're not looking too much into the digital side of it. But for different performances we might pursue that at a later date.
Speaker 2:Got it so Thirsty Thursday is one of the strategies that you mentioned to reach younger audiences. Do you have any other strategies in mind for the future to ensure financial sustainability?
Speaker 3:Well with us a lot of the stuff that we do to help assist with that financial impact. There is a lot of grants. We're looking for a lot of different grants to try to secure so we can, because we're 20 years of reopening the theater so it's about time to start really assessing our infrastructure here in the theater. So roof, hvac systems, things like that, and, as you know, the expenses. It's very difficult to get that paid for with the tickets, so we need some additional resources to come in. So I've just been pursuing a lot of grants and the community support going back to local government, trying to get some funding to support different programs here as well. So those are some other avenues that I've been traveling to get that support.
Speaker 2:So is that the grants you mentioned primarily through local government or their federal?
Speaker 3:There's a state. Virginia Commission of the Arts is a program that offers a lot of different types of funding for whether it's a 50 percent coverage of performance acts or just operating expenses to where you go ahead and submit requests and show the different programming that you're trying to do to help improve the community and provide some stuff for the community, and then you can on occasion receive some of those grant fundings to help support your operating costs.
Speaker 2:Very good and, of course, I'm sure you appreciate donations from the public as well.
Speaker 3:Always, always. The Friends of the Lincoln is a great group of people that they continuously give out of the kindness of their hearts because they see what we're doing here and they've really enjoyed it over the years.
Speaker 2:Very good, very good. Well, bob, love it it. We'll catch you in the next episode. Hope you have a fantastic rest of the day. Same to you, skip.
Speaker 1:Thanks a lot take care thanks for tuning in to on stage with the lincoln theater. Want more of mary and virginia's entertainment scene? Visit us online at thelincolnorg yes, that's thelincolnorg or drop by our theater at 117 East Main Street. Let's keep the arts alive and kicking together.