Movie showings at Edmond Town Hall this week are temporarily suspended as the near-century-old theater undergoes renovation.
From now until April 4, no movies will be shown as the theater is installing a digital projector.
Here is more information about the theater's sporadic renovations from the Hall's website:
"When the curtains first rose in the Edmond Town Hall theater, it wasn't the only movie house in town. But it was the only one with sound. In 1930, just three years after the first "talkie" feature film was released, the Edmond Town Hall Theater was state of the art.
Now, over 85 years later, our beloved theater has become state of the art once again.
The first technology improvements were introduced in the Spring of 2013, when the recording artist Phosphorescent took to the stage as part of the Live at Edmond Town Hall concert program. The newly installed sound and lighting systems provided a luminous atmosphere for the band's intensity and intimacy. It was a fitting debut for both the equipment and the new season of Live at Edmond Town Hall, since proceeds from this series are dedicated to the restoration and improvements of our historic theater.
With a versatile sound system that can accommodate small rock concerts to digital cinema playback, the theater has come a long way since The Jazz Singer flickered in its proscenium. Where a two-reel projector once clattered away in the booth on the balcony, the only ambient sound heard now is in surround-sound as action and adventure unfolds in blu-ray on the new retractable screen.
These are just some of the steps we are taking to preserve Mary Hawley's legacy. In her will, Mary Hawley created an endowment for the building. Today the endowment covers only a small fraction of the cost of maintaining the Edmond Town Hall. Most of its funding comes from facility rentals and from the support of our community."
Updates are available at www.edmondtownhall.org or by calling (203) 426-2475.
Image Source: Flickr of Jerry Dougherty