Main Street Theater opens in Columbiana

By KEVIN HOWELL
COLUMBIANA— The long-awaited opening of the new Main Street Theater is now officially over.

Replacing the old Columbiana Cinema, the theater opened to the public at a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday morning and an open house in the evening. Treating the public to a multimedia presentation of the renovations, live performances by Rick Blackson and Mary Jo Maluso and tours of the building, Don said he wants the public to know that the theater will not be a conventional movie house.

“I think people will notice a difference in the overall feel of the place,” he said. “Before it was just a movie house, and now it is a theater for total entertainment.”

In addition to first and second run films, the Arthurs said the theater will feature classic movie weekends, marathon showings of franchise films and midnight showings as well as various types of live performances.

“We’re really excited about the possibilities,” Dawn said. “We already have a Shrek marathon planned for this month and lives shows for June and July, so we have a lot of different things going on so far.”

Requiring more than a year to complete renovations, Don said he learned the art of patience.

“It’s easy to get discouraged during projects of this size,” he said. “It’s hard to renovate an old building and we had a lot of speed bumps throughout, but it all came together well and, ready or not, here we come.”

Some noticeable changes made to the 440-seat theater, according to Don, include new seats and floors in the theater, a new roof over the entire building and an updated marquee in front. Other improvements include newly insulated walls and a lobby separated from the theater, allowing for appropriate temperatures and quiet surroundings for performances.

The stage and screen are also new, as well as a women’s and handicap-accessible restrooms on the first floor.

Combined with the February opening of the conjoining, Arthurs-owned Encore Cafe, the theater opening has been a highly anticipated event, according to Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce President Deann Davis.

“This is the most anticipated event in this community in a long time,” she said. “I’m sure the theater will be a wonderful asset to the community.”

Retaining some of the features of the old cinema, such as the lobby’s terrazzo floor, Don said he hopes to establish the theater as an intricate part of people’s lives.

“I hope the community finds the theater as their third ‘place’ — home, work, here,” he said. “They can come and relax and enjoy the arts, and that’s something we haven’t had in this area for a while. Our main goal is to bring culture back to Columbiana.”

Following the Classic Weekend featuring “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the theater will feature a Shrek marathon from May 13 through 21 and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, premiering May 22. Upcoming live performances include “Hooray for Hollywood: A Celebration of Movie Music” June 27 through 29 and “A Soldier’s Tale,” a dramatic musical composition by Igor Stravinsky, July 11 through 13. The theater will also host “Voice of Main Street Theater,” a vocal talent competition during the summer.

With all the hard work put in by the Arthurs as well as Construction Manager Jim Klemann, Cafe Manager Laura Shirey, Theater Manager Tammy Crismon and many others, Don said it is a pleasure to finally share the results with the community.

“It’s a relief to have it done and I’m proud to have the opportunity to provide for the community,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll be here for a long time.”

Kevin Howell can be reached at khowell@salemnews.net