With the 85th anniversary of Shea's Performing Arts Center coming up on January 16, organizers have decided to pay tribute to the history of "The Wonder Theatre" by taking audiences back to its roots.
The historic building was originally opened in 1926 as a movie theater. Every January, in honor of its humble beginnings, Shea's puts on the presentation of a silent film to "provide patrons with the opportunity to experience Shea's as patrons did during the theatre's early days," said Shea's President Tony Conte. The upcoming presentation will feature the 1925 film "The Lost World," with organ accompaniment played by Bruce Woody.
"The Lost World" was adapted from the book written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912. The film is directed by Harry O. Hoyt and features Wallace Beery in the role of Professor Challenger. The film also features special effects by Willis O'Brien, who also did memorable work on the original King Kong. In 1998, the Library of Congress declared the film to be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and chose it to be preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry.
This film is being presented as part of Perry's Ice Cream Free Family Film Series. This series showcases family-oriented films for the public to enjoy free of charge. And what better place to view a classic film than on one of the largest movie viewing screens in New York State, in one of the area's most historic theaters?
"The Lost World" will be shown on Sunday, January 16 at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1 p.m. Free tickets will be made available to the general public the week before the film's showing. These tickets can be obtained at any Wegman's Customer Service Desk in the Erie or Niagara County region, or at the Shea's Box Office.
The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets will also be available during the intermission of regular theatre shows. The tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Free Family Film Series is sponsored by Perry's Ice Cream, Wegmans, The Buffalo News, Star 102.5 Radio and Univera Healthcare. For more information, call 716-847-0850 or visit www.sheas.org.
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The historic building was originally opened in 1926 as a movie theater. Every January, in honor of its humble beginnings, Shea's puts on the presentation of a silent film to "provide patrons with the opportunity to experience Shea's as patrons did during the theatre's early days," said Shea's President Tony Conte. The upcoming presentation will feature the 1925 film "The Lost World," with organ accompaniment played by Bruce Woody.
"The Lost World" was adapted from the book written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912. The film is directed by Harry O. Hoyt and features Wallace Beery in the role of Professor Challenger. The film also features special effects by Willis O'Brien, who also did memorable work on the original King Kong. In 1998, the Library of Congress declared the film to be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and chose it to be preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry.
This film is being presented as part of Perry's Ice Cream Free Family Film Series. This series showcases family-oriented films for the public to enjoy free of charge. And what better place to view a classic film than on one of the largest movie viewing screens in New York State, in one of the area's most historic theaters?"The Lost World" will be shown on Sunday, January 16 at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1 p.m. Free tickets will be made available to the general public the week before the film's showing. These tickets can be obtained at any Wegman's Customer Service Desk in the Erie or Niagara County region, or at the Shea's Box Office.
The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets will also be available during the intermission of regular theatre shows. The tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The Free Family Film Series is sponsored by Perry's Ice Cream, Wegmans, The Buffalo News, Star 102.5 Radio and Univera Healthcare. For more information, call 716-847-0850 or visit www.sheas.org.
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And to think - We could have had a convenient parking lot here instead of this theater. Those damn obstructionists!
- YAWN -
You don't care that this building was saved from demolition?
@STEEL: It's not that I don't care about Shea's, it is your snarky comments about parking lots that bore me.
For the record, there are huge differences between what Bobbie Drapanas did to save Shea's in 1974 and what current "Preservationists" are doing. Bobbie put up $200,000 of her money to take Shea's out of foreclosure from the city. She organized friends and acquaintances to put together another $600,000 to secure and begin restoration on the long neglected building. She didn't stomp her feet and threaten lawsuits or pine away endlessly about what a shame it would be if it were gone. She took action and she took responsibility to get things done. This is a major contrast to what many so called Preservationists are doing today with their lawsuits, news articles, and whining about what others are doing with their buildings. If you want something saved, then buy it and save it, just like Bobbie Drapanas.
You can go back to your regularly scheduled bitching about the suburbs and parking lots.
The results are the same. By your logic the building should have been torn down if this person did not pony up her money. This building would be gone now along with most of this block if you had it your way. That would have been a major shame.
For the record I bitch about sprawl not suburbs.
I don't know...'His way' seemed to work out.
Actually it didn't. The people who saved the theater had to sue to do so. His way would have resulted in a parking lot