Center Theatre building second movie screen

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Center Theatre has announced that theatre officials are building a second movie screen and plan to have it open to the public in April of 2020. The new screen will seat 40 to 50 people and will be located in the space formerly occupied by the Center Coffee House.

“We had been working on plans for a second screen for a while,” said Patrick Myers the Center Theatre’s executive director. “Originally we thought it would be next door inside ‘In The Woods’, but when Center Coffee House told us they were planning to move in with Spruce Mill Farm, we realized that it would be a much better location.”

Rendering courtesy of Ashley Robinson/Dover True Value
MORE SHOWINGS — A rendering of the Center Theatre’s second screen which Theatre officials plan to open in April of 2020.

Myers says that the new venue will will help the Theatre in several ways. The Center Theatre will be able to offer more independent films, documentaries and special screenings to the community. It will also give them more opportunities to bring new releases to the ‘big screen.’

“When we ask for a new release, the distributors typically want us to keep the movie for two weeks,” Myers said. “This is challenging with our busy schedule of live shows and community events. With a second screen, we can premier the new release in the big auditorium and then move it over to the second screen for the second week when audiences will be smaller.”

Myers says the second screen will also be available to rent at a lower rate than the larger auditorium for parties and meetings. “We’re also thrilled to be working on this project in 2020 which marks the 80th anniversary of the construction of the Center Theatre building. It will be a wonderful gift for the Center Theatre and the community,” he said.

Through a variety of grants and donations, the Center Theatre has already raised nearly $100,000 toward the project, but there still is a little way to go. Those involved have several grant requests out to local and state-wide funders, but are also hoping to raise money with seat sponsorships in the new theater.

“We’re hoping to sponsor 40 seats in the new theater for $200 each before the end of the year,” Myers said. “We’ve been successful with our $500 seat sponsorships in the main auditorium and hope the lower amount in the new auditorium will give people who have wanted to sponsor a seat their chance.”

Seat sponsors will receive have a brass plaque with a message of their choice that will be permanently mounted in the new theater. Their name will also be on a display outside the new auditorium and on a slide that will be shown before every movie shown on the new screen.

Center Coffee House will have their last day at the Center Theatre on December 21. They will take a few weeks to move to West Main Street and then the Center Theatre plans to start renovations early in the new year. For more information on the new screen or to make a donation, call the Center Theatre at 564-8943, or drop in at the Theatre at 20 East Main Street between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

The Center Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to make arts, culture, education and entertainment accessible to our rural communities.