Sunday, April 08, 2007
Don't let The Lyric go dark again
Christian Trejbal
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From the RoundTable blog
Blacksburg's Lyric Theatre could face some tough competition by the end of next year. Even if the downtown landmark adapts to the arrival of a new theater complex in town, it will need commitment from the people of the New River Valley lest it die again.
If you have not been to the Lyric, shame on you. The theater offers something hard to find in this age of massive movie houses. Its single screen, old-style balcony and gilded interior keep alive the film experience of days past. The movies might be second-run, but one attends as much for the surroundings as for what's on the screen.
It's more than just a place to see movies, too. With a stage up front, the theater hosts music, lectures and performances throughout the year. It's a community arts center in the purest sense.
The Lyric opened in 1930 and screened films for six decades. Then, in 1989, the arrival of a megaplex in Christiansburg drove the Lyric out of business. It sat dark for most of the '90s, until a community effort and fundraising led to renovations and reopening in 1998.
Today the Lyric shows many movies the megaplexes skip. Indie and foreign films might never appear in the valley otherwise.
One has to wonder if history is about to repeat, though.
Plans are in the works for commercial development on South Main Street near Kroger. Among the various stores will be a Bacchanalian temple. Well, it would be if the Bacchanals were into movies, putt-putt, video games, laser tag and bowling. Check that, the god Bacchus must have taken up the mantle of bowling over the centuries, but the rest?
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The proposed 73,000-square-foot entertainment complex will include a 14-screen, state-of-the-art theater operated by Frank Theaters. One of those 14 screens will be an art-house-type cinema. So much for the Lyric's niche.
Business as usual at the Lyric might not cut it for fiscal solvency. Its management must consider some substantive changes to survive.
For example, the new theater will have a café-style setting with alcohol available. The Lyric does not serve beer and wine. It should reconsider.
"It has been discussed, and we have had banquet licenses for specific targeted events," Susan Mattingly, director of the Lyric Theatre said, but she was unsure whether the board would want to go in that direction.
Mattingly also said the theater is considering some programming changes.
Independent and foreign films make the theater interesting, but they are not big money makers. The mainstream movies that run other weeks fill more seats and keep the cash flowing.
The balance of programming helps the theater fulfill its mission "to be a center of film and performing arts for the region and to bring people to downtown Blacksburg."
The care that goes into selecting films is evident. This week, "Bridge to Terabithia" is showing. Mattingly explained that they chose that film because many young students are on spring break now and the theater wanted to offer something family friendly.
For each family-friendly film, there's something more challenging. Last year, filmgoers were able to see "Transamerica," "Thank You for Smoking" and "U.S. vs. John Lennon," to name just a few.
Once per month, the theater also screens a midnight movie cosponsored by Tech's Student Film Group and Big Lick University, the latter a Web site owned by The Roanoke Times. Recent choices have included "The Boondock Saints," "Office Space" and "Fight Club," classics each.
Yet Tech students make up less of the theater's clientele than one might think, according to Mattingly. Students are less than one-third of viewers. Non-student residents of Blacksburg and surrounding communities fill far more seats.
I have high hopes for the new theater and the development on South Main. Done right, it will be a boon for Blacksburg.
Yet I'm not ready to sacrifice downtown and the Lyric as the price of admission. This is a critical time for the town. Progress can coexist with the special things, but only if residents are not completely distracted by something new and shiny.
The Lyric can tweak its lineup and add booze, but ultimately its fate is up to the public. Film fans must ask themselves whether the Lyric is worth saving.
Is it worth having an anchor in the center of downtown that attracts people to the town core? Is it worth being able to stop at Gillie's for dinner and stroll a few doors down to a renovated, historic theater? Is it worth having an inexpensive alternative for second-run films? Is it worth keeping an institution that screams Blacksburg?
The Lyric and the New River Valley have about a year and a half to decide.
Trejbal is an editorial writer for The Roanoke Times based in the New River Valley bureau in Christiansburg.
