Detroit's Senate Theater throwing prom with a 'Carrie' theme to raise money for projector
"Carrie" set the bar for prom night scares (not to mention prom dress dry-cleaning bills) when it came out in 1976.
The horror film that made Sissy Spacek a star will be a main attraction May 31 at the Carrie Prom at Detroit's Senate Theater.
In case you're totally unfamiliar with pre-1980s pop culture, "Carrie" was directed by Brian De Palma and based on a Stephen King novel. It's about a high school student (Spacek) with telekinetic powers and a fanatically religious mom (the late Detroit native Piper Laurie) who frequently locks her daughter in a prayer closet.
When Carrie's evening at the prom is ruined by a cruel prank that leaves her drenched in pig's blood, her supernatural powers erupt into a deadly bloodbath. The movie was a box office and critical hit, earning Oscar nominations for best actress for Spacek and best supporting actress for Laurie.
Will those attending the Carrie Prom be encouraged to prom it up? "Oh, please!," laughingly exclaims Lindsay Robillard, treasurer of the Detroit Theater Organ Society, the volunteer nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the Senate Theater.
As the Senate website notes, prom attire is not required, but patrons are strongly advised to "be sure to dress like it's whatever year it is that you definitely didn't peak."
P.S.: For maximum authenticity, you can wear your actual prom outfit from back in the day, if you dare.
The event will feature a live band, non-alcoholic punch at the concession stand (now there's a prom flashback), local art vendors and a photo spot for the taking of prom pictures. According to Robillard, who recently rewatched "Carrie," decorations like streamers and silver stars will evoke the Under the Stars theme of the movie's disastrous dance.
And, of course, there will be an overture just prior to the screening on the Senate Theater's "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ.
A prom court will be crowned during an intermission. "We've got some prizes donated from two of the best places probably to find a prom dress in the city, the Peacock Room and Flamingo Vintage," says Robillard.
The bigger purpose of the party and screening is to raise money for a new projector for the historic theater, one of the few remaining Detroit movie houses from the 1920s. Specifically, the goal is to buy a DCI-compliant projector that meets the quality and security standards of the Digital Cinema Initiatives, a group formed by the major Hollywood studios.
A new projector would allow the theater to "provide a higher-quality experience for Detroit-area film lovers and filmmakers" and "expand the kinds of films we're able to screen," says Robillard.
Older projectors that are not DCI-compliant, like the Senate's current one, are no longer acceptable to distributors of first-run films and numerous classic titles. "We were going to try and play (director Hayao Miyazaki's 1989 animated film) 'Kiki's Delivery Service' last year and they were like, 'Not with that projector, you're not,'" recalls Robillard.
More: 2025 Michigan Shakespeare Festival canceled. What the nonprofit group is saying
The Senate Theater is one of several sites helping to fill the gaps left in the region's art house theater scene left by the loss of the Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township and Main Art Theater in Royal Oak.
And for one night during the Carrie Prom, as the Senate description puts it, it's the place to be "whether your prom was a night to remember or just a nightmare."
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
More: Kid Rock opening Nashville restaurant, takes jab at some old foes back in Detroit
6 p.m.-midnight May 31. Film screening starts at 8 p.m.
Senate Theater
6424 Michigan Ave., Detroit
$15 at SenateTheater.com.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Senate Theater throwing 'Carrie'-themed prom to raise money
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sean Penn Reacts (30 Years Later) to Madonna Calling Him the Love of Her Life
In her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare, Madonna declared that Sean Penn was the love of her life. And more than three decades later, the actor is sharing his thoughts on it. In an interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast posted Monday (May 12), Penn said that his superstar ex-wife was 'very sweet' for her remarks in the Alek Keshishian-directed doc when asked whether he recalled what she'd said. 'I do,' he told Theroux. 'Look, she's been a good friend for a lot of years.' More from Billboard Madonna Teams Up With Shawn Levy and Netflix For a Limited Series Based on Her Life: Report Twenty One Pilots Fans Jumped Into Veronica Mars Mode After Someone Took Off With One of Josh Dun's Bespoke Drums Palm Tree Festival to Debut in St. Tropez With Headliners A$AP Rocky & Swedish House Mafia The two-time Oscar-winning actor went on to reflect on his four-year marriage to Madge, with whom he also co-starred in 1986's Shanghai Surprise. After their divorce in 1989, the exes stayed friends. 'It didn't take us long to realize that we had mistaken a good first date for a wedding partner,' Penn said. 'It didn't take us long to recover after we got divorced, maybe a year, in a friendship. I have a lot of fond memories of it – it's not all jail.' The actor added: 'But there was a lot of alcohol and she'd be fairly accusing me of that.' Following her split from Penn, the 'Material Girl' singer would go on to marry Guy Ritchie in 2000 before they separated in 2008. Penn was married to Robin Wright from 1996 to 2010, followed by Leila George from 2020 to 2022. Penn's thoughts on the Truth or Dare documentary come just after a report that a long-awaited biopic about Madonna's life is finally in the works. According to Deadline, the star has teamed up with Shawn Levy for a Netflix limited series about her life and career. Madge is also currently working on new music with producer Stuart Price, who worked on her Billboard 200-topping 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor. It's been about six years since the 'Vogue' singer last dropped a proper album, releasing Madame X in 2019. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China says Trump and Xi hold telephone call amid tariffs spat
US President Donald Trump has spoken by telephone with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, China's state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday. No specific details about the content of the conversation have been disclosed but it comes amid the ongoing trade spat between the two countries. The White House has yet to confirm the phone call. On Wednesday, Trump stated on his online platform Truth Social: "I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!" This is the first known phone call between the two presidents since Trump took office again in January. In recent months, Trump has been non-committal when asked about any potential conversations with Xi, leaving open the possibility of direct exchanges that may not have been disclosed. But typically, governments publicly announce such calls between heads of state. Since retaking office, Trump has pursued a hard-line trade policy against China, significantly escalating the long-standing dispute. The US president has imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, raising them in several steps to a 145%. Beijing has responded with counter-tariffs. Although both sides agreed in mid-May to pause the escalation and temporarily lower some tariffs, tensions have recently flared again, and the underlying disagreements remain unresolved. Meanwhile, the US Senate is preparing a new sanctions package against Russia, which, according to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, is aimed at countries that continue to purchase Russian oil, gas, and other energy products. China would be particularly affected by the proposed measures, which come after Moscow failed to stop its over three-year war on Ukraine.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jury deliberations begin in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial
NEW YORK (AP) — Jurors started deliberating Thursday in Harvey Weinstein 's New York sex crimes retrial, tasked with deciding — again — a case that encapsulated the #MeToo movement. The seven-woman, five-man jury is considering two counts of criminal sex act and one count of rape, each relating to a different accuser and a different date. In this case, the criminal sex act charge is the higher-degree felony. The jury got the case after a juror was replaced by an alternate after she couldn't come to court due to illness. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty. Nearly eight years ago, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against the Oscar-winning movie producer propelled the #MeToo movement. Some of those accusations later generated criminal charges and convictions in New York and California. The New York conviction from 2020 was subsequently overturned, leading to the retrial before a new jury and a different judge. Jurors heard more than five weeks of testimony, including lengthy and sometimes fiery questioning of Weinstein's three accusers in the case. Jessica Mann said he raped her in 2013, when she was trying to build an acting career. Miriam Haley accused him of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006, when she was looking for work in entertainment production. Kaja Sokola, who wasn't involved in Weinstein's first trial, told jurors that he forced oral sex on her, too, during 2006. At the time, she was a teenage fashion model trying to break into acting. 'They all had dreams of pursuing careers in the defendant's world, the entertainment industry,' prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told jurors in her closing argument Tuesday. She contended that Weinstein let the women think he was interested in their careers when what actually interested him were their bodies, and "he was going to have their bodies and touch their bodies whether they wanted him to or not.' Weinstein chose not to testify. His defense called other witnesses, including some former friends of Sokola's and Mann's. Weinstein's attorneys argued that all three accusers consented to Weinstein's advances because they wanted help with their Hollywood aims. All three stayed on friendly terms with him afterward, a point the defense emphasized. 'It's transactional, folks. Yes, he wants to fool around with them, and yes, they want something from him,' defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said in his summation Tuesday. The Associated Press generally does not identify people without their permission if they say they have been sexually assaulted. Sokola, Mann and Haley have agreed to be named.
