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
Community, Creativity, and Culture: The Lincoln Theatre's Impact in Marion
Introducing The Community To The Arts At The Lincoln
Step into the enchanting world of The Lincoln Theatre, where history meets artistry in the heart of Marion, Virginia. Our latest episode unveils how this magnificent 1929 Mayan revival theatre has evolved from a historic landmark into a thriving cultural centerpiece for Southwest Virginia.
Executive Director Bob Watkins takes us behind the scenes of the Lincoln's newest initiative – their first-ever community theatre program. Under the direction of Hannah Combs, local residents are bringing to life "The Possum Trap," a clever Appalachian reimagining of Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery. This production represents more than entertainment; it symbolizes the Lincoln's commitment to cultivating homegrown talent and celebrating regional culture. From actors to set designers, the program invites community members of all ages to discover the transformative power of theatrical arts.
The conversation reveals how programs like the Missoula Children's Theatre have become transformative experiences for local youth. Watkins shares touching observations of children evolving from nervous beginners to confident performers in just five days, developing skills that extend far beyond the stage. These initiatives exemplify the Lincoln's mission to make arts accessible to everyone in Southwest Virginia, regardless of age or experience. With plans to expand educational outreach to schools throughout the region, the theatre stands as a beacon of cultural enrichment in a rural setting, proving that geographic location should never limit access to artistic expression.
Join us in celebrating this iconic venue where the curtain rises on community connection, personal growth, and Appalachian creativity. Want to experience the magic for yourself? Visit Thelincoln.org or stop by 117 East Main Street in Marion. Share your thoughts on how arts venues have impacted your community – we'd love to hear your story!
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 Theatre, where history and entertainment steal the show. Dive into the rich legacy of this iconic Mayan revival theatre, 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. Spotlight, our executive director.
Speaker 2:Bob Watkins. The Lincoln Theater isn't just a historic venue. It's a vibrant hub for creativity, culture and connection. Discover how it's bringing the arts to life in Southwest Virginia. Welcome back everyone. Skip Money here. Co-host slash producer. Back in the studio with Bob Watkins, executive director of the Lincoln Theater. Great to see you again, bob.
Speaker 3:Hey, good to be back Skip.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, I see you're back in the theater, in the big man's office, there, yeah, surrounded by paperwork, surrounded by paperwork, that's a good thing though. So hope you've been doing well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, doing really good, staying pretty busy. We've had a pretty good start of the year and starting to get into the summer months here, so it should be fun to get this second half of the year going Awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, speaking of the second half of the year, I know one of the things that makes the Lincoln really special and you and I have talked about this in prior episodes but what the Lincoln does in the community and number one, bringing the arts to Marion, virginia and Southwest Virginia. Won't you tell us how does the Lincoln introduce the community to the arts in the region?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we have always wanted to contribute back to the community here, so we've wanted the Lincoln Theater to be a part of this community so we can all have something to be proud of and enjoy and have some entertainment to come to. And what we have started working with recently is developing a community theater program. That's where we invite individuals from the community to go ahead and participate in rehearsals and tryouts and things like that and also help work with set designs, costume designs and everything, and Hannah Combs has been working with that and we are in the process of getting started with our first presentation of the first community theater program here at the Lincoln Theater and looking forward to that, and we've got several people participating already and we look forward to carrying that on in the future too.
Speaker 3:Wow, so this is something new that you're doing, yeah this is the first year of it and we're really excited and we're hopeful that we can start getting some more interaction and also work with the local schools to try to get some programs in here to where we can introduce this to the kids here in the local area so we can just start to increase some of the focus and participation with the arts here in Smith County. So hopefully we can be that cornerstone for it here.
Speaker 2:Now you mentioned Hannah Combs. What is her position?
Speaker 3:She is actually the director or leader of the community theater program. She was the one that came to me and had the vision of trying to pursue this in our area. She's developed the interest. She's marketed, went out and secured the performers and actors to be a part of it and she's been leading all of the rehearsals and she actually did a lot of the work on the script for the play as well. So, hannah Combs, she currently right now works with the Lincoln Theater, with our house management, so she does a lot of the house management for different performances, and then she also works with Mount Rogers here as well in some of the mental health and rehab programs.
Speaker 2:Oh, very nice, Pardon me, and what age school kids are in this community theater? And what age school kids are in this community theater?
Speaker 3:I think this first one we don't have a whole lot of the school-aged children in this one, but in the future what we're wanting to do is branch out and start having. We've already done a couple field trips with local elementary schools and what we would like to do is work with elementary all the way through high school and then into adulthood as well, with the local community here with the theater program.
Speaker 3:Oh wow, very cool Well what's the name of the show? The first show, and she has changed it to a Appalachian focus here, to where it's going to be a murder mystery program, to kind of follow the suit there of the Agatha Christie mousetrap program. Oh wow, wow. So it's the possum trap is what we're calling it here in Appalachia, instead of the mousetrap.
Speaker 2:The possum trap. I love it. Possum trap, I love it. The possum trap, I love it. Well, I know that the community theater is a new program, but I know throughout the years that the Lincoln's been really involved in the community in other ways. Can you share a moment where you saw the arts truly impact someone in the community through Lincoln?
Speaker 3:Well, I do believe that the Missoula Children's Theater is something that we've hosted for several years.
Speaker 3:Probably with the last five, six years we've hosted it and at each performance, each week basically that program, missoula Children's Theater comes and travels to our theater.
Speaker 3:They do a five-day program to where they do different instructions, workshops on acting and skills and public speaking and things like that, and then at the end of it it's a culminating event on that Saturday where they go ahead and do their presentation or their performance of the play that they worked on. And through each one of those weeks you see the development from the very beginning to the very end and how the confidence just builds with the student when they're coming in here for the first time, a little bit nervous to be up on stage saying their lines and everything, and come show day they're up there and they go ahead and share their lines with great confidence and everything, and just seeing that growth within that program. It's really refreshing to see that, especially with the younger children that we have coming in with that program and you'll see them come back year after year because it's so enjoyable and they feel so strong with it and just seeing the confidence that they build and how they go ahead and present themselves come show day from start to finish is really impressive.
Speaker 2:I am sure. Now how do you get involved in choosing for community programs? As far as the actual play itself, or what you're doing, do you get involved in that as an executive director?
Speaker 3:I don't personally. I go ahead and work a lot on the behind scenes and side stage there, if you will, to where I go ahead and facilitate getting the supplies, equipment and scheduling times for everybody. But we do go ahead and evaluate and take a look at the different styles of plays and everything that are available. There are a lot of behind the scenes stuff that especially Hannah has been working on with regards to licenses, securing licenses for the productions and securing all that stuff. So there's a lot more than what I had anticipated in regards to developing this and putting the programs together. But yeah, hannah does a lot of the work with securing the actual plays that we're going to do and reviewing all the scripting and things like that. I'm pretty much a hand on deck that helps out with pretty much whatever they might need to go ahead and finalize it.
Speaker 2:So you're behind the scenes with the possum trap? I am the man behind the curtain, the man behind the curtain with the possum trap, all right. Well, hannah sounds like she's got a very interesting job. Would it be possible? Maybe we could have her on a future episode?
Speaker 3:Absolutely I think it'd be great to go ahead and have Hannah on here and talk about different community needs that we might have for it, talk about how to go ahead and cast for it and how to contribute. If you didn't want to be up on stage, you could definitely be a part of the crew. And then just also the financial support. Like I said, there's a lot of costs associated with the program and we're not going to be charging a significant amount of money for people to come and view it, because we do want the community to support it. But yeah, there's always that financial support and funding that we can use to help maintain these programs too.
Speaker 2:Well, awesome, awesome. We'll see what we can do to see if we can get her on the show on the next episode. Awesome, awesome. Well, I know you're busy with the possum trap and we don't want to take away time from the man behind the curtain, so we'll let you get back to it. Bob, I appreciate a lot of good information and appreciate what you're doing in the community in Marion, virginia and Southwest Virginia.
Speaker 3:All right, thanks, skip.
Speaker 2:All right, thank you. Have a great rest of the day. We'll see you in the next episode.
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.