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Historic Warner Cascade Theatre Gala coming in June
posted by
Michael Zoldessy
on
May 21, 2014 at 7:45 am
NEW CASTLE, PA — Anticipating their Grand Opening in February 2015, the historic Warner Cascade Theatre will celebrate two milestones at its Riverplex site in downtown New Castle, Thursday, June 26, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Officials will unveil the Pennsylvania Historical Marker commemorating the Warner Brothers’ first theatre.
Lawrence County Commissioners will present the Cascade board with a check for $22,000, matching the amount raised in their recent Kickstarter campaign.
125 members of the Theatre Historical Society of America, touring the region, will witness this event. In addition, New Visions of New Castle will coordinate an evening Cash Mob in downtown New Castle, for which stores will stay open late.
The Cascade board will have music and other outdoor entertainment, food, and prizes.
The Theatre Historical Society (THS) “documents and celebrates the architectural, cultural, and social history of America’s theatres to increase awareness, appreciation, and scholarly study of these iconic buildings.” (Historictheatres.org). Three busloads of its members from every state in the country as well as Australia, England, and Ireland will attend.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has placed historical markers since 1946 “to capture the memory of people, places, events, and innovations that have affected the lives of Pennsylvanians over the centuries since William Penn founded his Commonwealth. More than 2,000 cast aluminum markers tell the important and interesting stories that are part of the history of Pennsylvania…. Each dedication presents opportunities for Pennsylvanians to celebrate and understand their heritage” (PA Historical and Museum Commission).
Under the heading “Warner Brothers’ First Theater,” the legend on the plaque to be unveiled reads, “An early milestone for the Warners’ film empire was the operation by Harry, Sam, & Albert Warner of a theater here, 1906-07. It seated 99 persons, who could view three movies for a nickel. Sixteen years later, Warner Bros. Pictures was established.”
