On Stage with The Lincoln Theatre

The Revitalization & Reimagination of The Lincoln Theatre

• Bob Watkins • Episode 10

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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

Speaker 1:

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 Lincoln Theater has been a hub for captivating shows and timeless films, but is live theater about to take center stage? Executive director Bob Watkins shares what's next for this iconic venue. Welcome back everyone. Skip Monty here, co-host slash producer, back in the studio with Bob Watkins. Bob, how's it going? It's?

Speaker 3:

going good, Skip. How are you getting along?

Speaker 2:

Doing just fine, doing just fine. So let's go ahead and jump into the meat of this bob. We know that the theater already features both live performances and classic films. Are there any plans to expand the types of performances to live theater?

Speaker 3:

actually, yeah, we have started doing quite a bit of work with some local groups here, that there's a Bristol Academy of Music that has done a performance and they're getting ready to do another performance as well, and we just had the first actors workshop here for a community theater that we're trying to anticipate starting up here. In February I wanted to do a performance here at the Lincoln Theater. So we're trying to recruit as many community members that have an interest in getting up on stage and then see if we can go ahead and expand that into a little bit larger group to incorporate more people within our community to do some performances here at the theater, and also trying to reach out to different groups to have some touring artists come in and do some stuff through the Virginia Commission of the Arts, trying to get some theater performances from them to come in and participate and share that for the community.

Speaker 2:

Very cool. So you mentioned community theater. Are there other types of genres or types of live theater that you feel would resonate with the audience there at the Lincoln?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I believe I've reached out to Virginia Commission of the Arts there and trying to put in some grants with them so we can get some touring performers to come in and do different multicultural-type programs to incorporate a little bit of the educational component to some of the individuals here and also let us all see different type of theatrical performances that they can enlighten us with a little bit more that we're used to right now.

Speaker 2:

Very cool. It sounds like you're already in process, but how does introducing live theater back to the Lincoln align with the theater's mission and community engagement goals?

Speaker 3:

Well, one of the biggest things that made us want to pursue the community theater program was just to provide an activity here in our area so people didn't have to travel out of the area and have that same experience.

Speaker 3:

We wanted to work with the school systems to try to get some activities for some of the kids that are in the different theatrical programs within the school system so they can do some performing arts programs here at the Lincoln. So you know, our mission at the Lincoln is really just to provide a source of entertainment for everybody within the community. So broadening that to live theatrical 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. So now I think to tie it all together and give our community members something that they can go ahead and participate in and be proud of and have all their families come and see them up on stage in the lights. I think that just goes right in line with our mission here to just provide the best level of entertainment that we can to our community and members around us.

Speaker 2:

You sort of already answered this question, but I was going to ask if auditions were open to the public, or should we leave our dramatic shower singing performance at home?

Speaker 3:

Bring it, Skip, Bring it. We had a little entry level program there to where we talked about interests with people we had, let's see, that first meeting. We had around 15 members of the community that came in that were interested in it. We also have about five to 10 that are interested in maybe some more behind the scenes stuff. Not really feeling like getting up on stage at this moment, but they do want to help with the behind the scenes stuff, with the costume design, set designs, things like that. So we are getting a really good response from the community to host this and I'm extremely excited to go ahead and do that.

Speaker 2:

Very cool. Well, I actually interviewed some folks from the Bristol Ballet yesterday and they do a lot of performances in Bristol, but is that something that you would be open to having? You know somebody like that? That? Has a home stage to travel and perform.

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely, Like I said, I've reached out to the Virginia Commission of the Arts and they have different groups that they will host and I've been trying to recruit some of those performers to come in here. Like I do know Tri-Cities Orchestra they can come in here and they've done a performance with us before, but then also, like you said, the ballet programs around the area. I'm trying to get a lot of different opportunities for our patrons to see all kinds of different entertainment here. So, yeah, that's definitely something that I'm interested in partnering with.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, awesome. Well, if I could help with that connection, I'll be glad to do that. Bob, love it. Sounds exciting to have live performance come back to the Lincoln Theater. I can't wait to be able to check that out. Look forward to having you All right, man, love it. Bob, we'll catch you in the next episode. Hope you have a great rest of the day. Thanks you too.

Speaker 3:

Skip.

Speaker 1:

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.