Champaign – After three months of “darkness” for renovations, Virginia Theatre will resume to the public on Monday with a special free screening.
The new PG-13 thriller, Drop, will be previewed in Virginia at 7pm before it is released nationwide, in collaboration with NBC Universal Pictures. This event is part of the Mix 94.5 and Rewind 92.5 movie series.
Theatrical director Stephen Benz described the screening as a “soft opening” before Ebertfest returned on April 23rd.
“From restoring the stage to reorganizing with staff, there are plenty of pieces that will come back when the theatre is dark for three months, but when the door opens at 6pm, we’re ready on Monday,” he told the News Gazette.
The theater was closed in January to upgrade to computer control of the fly system. That work is now finished and the system is “fully functional,” Benz said. Theatre staff were trained last week with new controls.
“Our main concerns have always exceeded supply chain issues and the usual challenges of working in a building that was 104 years ago,” he said. “In the end, everything went smoothly and the project ended on time.”
After Monday’s screening, the next event on the Virginia calendar is Ebert Fest, set for April 23-26.
Organizers recently announced the final three films in the festival’s lineup.
- “Megalopolis” (2024): Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the film has been nominated for multiple awards and is described as “an imagined modern-day American Roman epic.”
- “I’m Still Here” (2024): This Academy Award-winning photo, directed by Walter Salles, was set in Brazil in 1971 and is based on the memoirs of Marcelo Rubens Paiva. The film, which won the best international feature films, tells the story of five mothers who have to reinvent themselves after their families were in the hands of the country’s military dictatorship.
- “The Adventures of the Prince” (1926): Written and directed by Lotte Linegar, this animated fairy tale focuses on the prince with a flying horse that will make friends with a witch, meet Aladdin, and earn the princess’ ‘heart’ to fight the devil.
Coppola will be taking part in a virtual Q&A session. New in-person guests include actress Carrie Coon from “His Three Daughters” and Jane Levy from “Little Prayer,” critics Michael Phillips, Richard Roper, Matt Zoller Seits, Nell Minnow, Brian Tallarico, Eric Pearson, Dion Metzger and Brenda Butler.
Additionally, Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, will discuss “I’m Still Here,” and Anvil Orchestra will perform during “The Adventures of Prince Achmed.”
EbertFest Passes can be purchased at TheVirginia.org or by calling the box office at 217-356-9063.
For more information about this year’s lineup, visit ebertfest.com.
Also, this Spring and Summer Virginia calendar:
- May 2-3: “Cinderella” and CU Ballet performs
- May 22nd-24: “Beetlejuice” performs Youth Theater Program in the Champaign Park area
- May 30-31: “Peter Pan: Ballet,” performed by the Champaign Park area dance arts program
- June 3: Crowder and Matt Maher
- June 24th: Buddy Guy
The theatre will also play host to the University of Illinois convened event.
“We look forward to reopening more than ever, and we can share some amazing new technologies. We look forward to seeing the public return at this beautifully restored historic venue,” Benz said.
