How "Friends Of The Lincoln" Powers Restoration, Performance, And Community

How Does The Friends Of The Lincoln Support The Mission Of The Theatre?

A 1929 landmark doesn’t survive on nostalgia alone. We sit down with Executive Director Bob Watkins to unpack how Friends of The Lincoln turns community pride into real-world results: funded performances, a refreshed green room, named seats that carry family stories forward, and the big-ticket operations that keep audiences comfortable. The Lincoln Theatre’s Mayan Revival architecture sets the mood, but careful stewardship—right down to period-appropriate carpet and paint—protects the soul.

Bob explains how the Friends program channels donations straight into impact, from underwriting shows to replacing aging HVAC units across three zones. Numbers matter here: with each unit estimated at $50,000 to $75,000, the theatre blends member contributions with corporate sponsorships and regional grants to close the gap. Supporters get more than a thank-you; they earn recognition on the website, early access to new releases, and the satisfaction of earmarking gifts for projects they care about most. Volunteers amplify the mission as ushers and event helpers, proving that time is as valuable as funding.

What makes this model work is transparency and ownership. Patrons can donate anonymously or by card at Thelincoln.org, designate funds for specific upgrades, and even dedicate a seat to a loved one. That personal tie deepens community engagement and keeps the venue buzzing with life. If you care about preserving local culture while elevating the live experience for artists and audiences, this conversation lays out a practical roadmap—one project at a time, one memory at a time, one great night at a time.

Enjoyed the conversation and want to help keep the arts alive? Subscribe, share with a friend who loves historic theatres, and leave a review. Ready to pitch in or volunteer? Visit thelincoln.org and tell us where you’d like your support to make a difference.

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

Transcript

Welcome And Theater Legacy

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome to On Stage with the Lincoln Theater, where history of entertainment still shows. Dive into the rich legacy of this iconic Myan Revival Theater, from its 1929 debut to its starring role in Marion Virginia's entertainment theater. Guiding us through this journey is the man in the spotlight, our executive director, Bob Watkins.

Meet Friends Of The Lincoln

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Behind every thriving theater is a group of people working quietly but powerfully to keep its mission alive. Welcome back, everybody. Skip Monnie here, back in the studio with the man in the spotlight, Bob Watkins, Executive Director of the Lincoln Theater. Bob, always good to sit down with you. Hey, it's good to be here, Skip. Well, good to see you and very excited to learn all about a support organization that helps keep the Lincoln kicking, and that's the the Friends of the Lincoln. How how does the that organization help advance the mission of the Lincoln Theater?

How Donations Sustain Operations

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Well, the Friends of the Lincoln has been around for, I guess, since the beginning of the renovations of it. So it's it was a group that was established for people to go ahead and donate and contribute to the restoration of the building and the theater. And uh after opening, we just went ahead and continued that effort. Um, and we have a strong group of uh people that continuously uh provide some donations on an annual basis. Um, and uh, you know, we just try to reach out to more and more people that are uh using the theater and enjoying some of the services and programs that we have and then just uh ask for their support because all of the funds that uh are generated through the Friends of the Lincoln either go to uh supporting a performance that we have or they go to operation cost to help uh repair HVAC units, goes to uh servicing the inside of the theater so we can continue to uh operate and and have a nice place for people to come. So those funds are definitely used uh appropriately and we we definitely appreciate um all the funds that people people uh send in for us. All of the individuals we we usually go ahead and uh put on our webpage under the uh Friends of the Lincoln tab on the on that so we can show our appreciation and uh give them the recognition that they deserve for uh contributing to it. And um then we will also send things out on a regular basis just to uh you know give people uh first opportunity to go ahead and purchase tickets. That's uh something that we're gonna go ahead and start doing this year uh for new release shows that we have that uh we can go ahead and provide discounts and things like that. Um we are uh definitely going to be uh working with the Friends of the Lincoln and that group to uh to give them some some kudos and and uh uh benefits there for being such uh strong contributors to to what we do.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Well, are there any specific projects or initiatives that we can do recently?

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Um one of the things when it first started was uh naming a chair. Um and uh so we did all of the seats inside the theater, uh we have little name templates on them. And uh a person can go ahead and dedicate those chairs to uh a loved one that's passed or uh business in the area if they wanted to go ahead and dedicate it to that, they could do that. Uh so that's what that's one thing that uh they have contributed to. Um and then another thing is just you know the the the restoration of everything that we have. We've we've started to do quite a bit of work in uh the green room, um, try to make sure that that's up uh kept up for for the performers that are coming in. Um and we are sitting here at around year 22 of being reopened. And as you know, HVAC units and everything have a life expectancy of about uh two years ago. Um, so uh we we have a lot of stuff that's going to be coming up in uh capital funds that we are going to be putting a lot of the Friends of the Link in and then also any of our uh organizations and businesses that that uh sponsor us. Uh we're we're going to put a lot of stuff towards that just to uh bring that back and and put put new uh HVAC units and everything. So it's a nice comfortable setting here for people to come see a show.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

How many those things are not cheap? How many HVAC units do you have?

Projects: Seats, Green Room, HVAC

SPEAKER_00 4:37

We have three of them on the roof for the different zones. So um they're they're not the large, large ones that are looking like you know$100,000 to$200,000, but uh they are going to be significant uh in cost. I I would say anywhere from$50,000 to$75,000 um for each one. So uh of course, we we would require a significant amount of contributions from uh Friends of the Lincoln and uh and then some other grants that I'm going to be pursuing uh through uh uh through Appalachian uh grants uh around our area, tobacco commission, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

So well now you mentioned you know the uh renovating the green room and and making some some improvements there. The theater obviously, you know, if if if you haven't been there and if you're watching and you saw the intro, it's a beautiful, gorgeous theater with a lot of historic character. Um are there any specific projects or or how how I guess do do they help preserve that historic character?

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Uh well a lot of it it we can't just replace something with you know something that that's new to to maintain that. Like you were saying, that character that we have, it takes a significant amount of um funds to to get the special like carpeting, the painting, um, different things like that. Um it it's it's going to take quite a bit. It's it's a little bit more expensive to go ahead and replace some of those things to maintain that character. Um, but uh but yeah, what what we're wanting to do is it we're getting close to the the needs to replace the carpet inside the theater as well. So um so yeah, those there's a lot of different things that the money can go to. Um, and uh we we just try to use it the best that we can to help maintain and preserve what we have here.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

So how does how does Friends of the Lincoln's involvement strengthen community engagement or or does it?

Preserving Historic Character

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Uh I think it it has for sure, because I think once a person uh joins the Friends of the Lincoln, especially if they've uh had experiences here, that there's a lot of people that joined the Friends of the Lincoln because they had family members and uh loved ones that that came here before it closed and watched movies back in the you know 50s, 60s, 70s. Um, and uh they they just heard their their parents or grandparents talking about the the theater and kind of the events that they for uh participated in, and and then it's just a way for the um the loved ones to go ahead and carry it on and and keep it, keep their names alive in the theater and stuff. So um I think it it has definitely increased uh community engagement because as as we see things like uh um golf tournaments and everything that Friends of the Lincoln will go ahead and participate in. Uh a lot of the Friends of the Lincoln are ushers here, so they go ahead and uh help and contribute with with time as well that they give, which is a valuable commodity. It's something that a person can never earn more of. So we greatly appreciate that. Um, and uh so those are just different ways that the community has come together and and uh contribute through the Friends of the Lincoln program. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

And for those that are watching that would like, you know, aren't currently involved but would like to get involved, what opportunities exist currently for patrons to to join up with the with the Friends of the Lincoln?

Community Engagement And Volunteering

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Um actually all they have to do is just reach out to us, contact us, and um see if if they have a specific area of the theater that they would like to contribute to. We can go ahead and earmark those funds specifically for those projects. Um we have the, like I said, that tab on uh our face uh on our webpage, uh thelincoln.org, and you can go to that and you can do an uh anonymous donation. You could do um a uh uh electronic donation as well through credit cards and everything. Um, and uh we can we can go ahead and get all everything taken care of with that and and provide uh the tax forms necessary if they want to go ahead and use it as a tax deduction as well.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

Well, Bob, um can't tell you how much I appreciate you walking us through this incredible work that the friends of the Lincoln do behind the scenes, and uh we appreciate the insight.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

Yeah. Well, I appreciate uh I appreciate the opportunity. And again, like I said, the Friends of the Lincoln, they've been around since before we reopened the doors, and I guarantee you that uh the theater would not be here and it would not have restarted without that group. So um I I give uh a lot of appreciation and thanks to to that group for everything that they do to support us.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

Awesome. Well, guys, uh you saw it here. If if you'd like to get involved, Bob's your man, uh give it give the theater a call or uh check out the website, and there's there's opportunities there as well, uh, virtually. Correct? You said that. Yep. Absolutely awesome. All right, Bob, thanks so much, and we'll see you in the next episode. All right, thank you, Skip.

How To Join And Donate

Gratitude And Closing CTA

SPEAKER_02 9:43

Thanks for tuning in to Onstage with the Lincoln Theater. Want more of Mary and Virginia's entertainment scene? Visit us online at thelincoln.org. Yes, that's thelincoln.org. Or drop by our theater at 117 East Main Street. Let's keep the arts alive and kicking together.