Latest news with #CarolinaTheatre
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Historic hotel in Blowing Rock to be demolished
A historic hotel in the North Carolina High Country is being torn down. The Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock, which was built back in 1891, is set for demolition. ALSO READ: Carolina Theatre gets ready to reopen after 47 years During its 133-year history, the hotel's guests included 2 presidents, Annie Oakley, and Margaret Mitchell, who penned a portion of Gone with the Wind while staying at the hotel. On Friday, Channel 9 crews spotted workers trying to salvage some of the wood from the historic hotel. The town of Blowing Rock said the new owner wants to build condos and a forty-room hotel on the site. VIDEO: Historic Carolina Theatre reopens in Uptown
Axios
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
See Star Wars, E.T. and other nostalgic blockbusters at Uptown's oldest theatre
Carolina Theatre is paying tribute to the years it was dark with a film series, screening nostalgic blockbusters from the era following its closure. Why it matters: Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" will lead the series. It was the final movie the theatre showed in 1978 before shuttering for 50 years. Catch up quick: Over the past decade, Foundation for the Carolinas has worked to renovate the 1927 Carolina Theatre. It reopened in March. What they're saying: " We can never get those 'lost years' back," says Sean Seifert, Carolina Theatre's executive director. "But we can recreate the decades gone by with the nostalgia that will always live here." See the movie schedule below. All showtimes are 7pm unless otherwise noted. Sunday, June 8, 2pm: "Fist of Fury" Thursday, June 12: "Rocky II" (1979) Thursday, June 19: "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) Thursday, June 26: "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981) Thursday, July 3: "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" (1982) Thursday, July 10: "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" (1983) Sunday, July 20, 2pm: "Ghostbusters" (1984) Thursday, July 24: "The Goonies" (1985) Thursday, July 31: "Top Gun" (1986) Thursday, Aug. 7: "Beverly Hills Cop II" (1987) Thursday, Aug. 14: "Beaches" (1988) Thursday, Aug. 21: "Batman" (1989) Thursday, Aug. 28: "Ghost" (1990)
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Charlotteans celebrate ‘a piece of Charlotte history' at reopening of Carolina Theatre
In 1989, Joy Sanderson wrote a guest column in The Charlotte Observer asking for someone to renovate and reopen the Carolina Theatre. At the time, Sanderson was a rising junior at Charlotte Christian School. The theatre closed in 1978, so she never experienced a show there, but looking at the vacant venue while eating dinner with her parents at The Dunhill Hotel sparked her curiosity. 'The more my parents told me about it, the more interested I became,' she wrote. 'By the end of the night, I was ready and willing to do anything to get in there.' So when Sanderson was finally allowed inside the treasured and fully restored Carolina Theatre, she let out a joyful 'Yes!' It was a sentiment shared with the more than 100 people who showed up for the historic venue's reopening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday. 'I've never been a real big history buff but this just drew my attention and tugged at my heart strings,' Sanderson said. 'It's a piece of Charlotte that's being re-recognized. A piece of Charlotte history. … Nobody wanted it to be torn down, so it's nice to see that we're actually keeping something and it's not being bulldozed.' When the Carolina Theatre opened in 1927 it was the premier venue for Broadway productions, movies and musical acts, including a 21-year-old Elvis Presley. But when people started venturing to the suburbs to watch movies, the theater closed on Nov. 27, 1978. The final film was Bruce Lee's 'The Fist.' From there, it sat empty and decrepit but never abandoned or unwanted. People like Sanderson, who needed the historic venue to be a future entity, joined others in the fight for preservation. That included Charlie Clayton, who started the Carolina Theatre Preservation Society. And reviving the venue was a fight, Clayton said. 'The city didn't want to keep it. They wanted to sell it,' Clayton said. 'But you have to fight and it's tough. Being tenacious actually worked and it doesn't work in some cases but it worked.' The city never demolished the building. In 2013, the city gifted the building to Foundation For The Carolinas, which began a $90 million renovation of the site in 2018. Looking around the airy entryway with its glass walls, a sparkling light fixture mimicking branches sprawled across the ceiling and a marquee awning lined with globe light bulbs beckoned viewers into the massive auditorium. No words can really decribe how it feels to see the fight pay off, Clayton said. 'There's so many stories here,' Clayton said. 'I don't think there was any other group in Charlotte that was as tenacious as we were.' Sandra Gray agreed saying, 'Charlie held on with all of his teeth. Nobody could shake him off.' The theater now boasts 905 seats, 10 laser projectors, including one for 4K movies, and a multimillion-dollar sound system. Monday's ribbon cutting was just the beginning of the celebrations the venue has planned. The theater's first event will be with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, an ode to their long history together. The orchestra held its inaugural performance there on March 20, 1932. Now, 93 years later, the orchestra will return to its birthplace, alongside famed soprano Renée Fleming, on March 28. The following day, Grammy Award-winning musicians Mark and Maggie O'Connor will take the stage in the theater's first ticketed event since it closed in 1978. Lorine Edwards said she's walked past the vacant theater for the past 19 years wondering if it'll ever reopen. Now that it has, Edwards said it's another place people in uptown can explore. 'When we first moved here, uptown had hardly anything. People came here to work and then they went home,' Edwards said. 'The city has been growing since, and I mean the liveliness of uptown on the weekends is amazing. We walk out and there's so much going on that wasn't here before. The theater just adds one more thing to do.' Jasminn McDonald agreed. She dressed up for the occasion, clad in a tiara, triple pearl choker, white elbow-length gloves and a red Regency-era gown. 'I've always dreamed of being up on the stage in front of a crowd of people but because I have autism, my fans are basically at home,' McDonald said. 'But I love the theater…I want to see all the shows.' Want to see more stories like this? Sign up here for our free, award-winning 'Inside Charlotte Arts' newsletter: And you can join our Facebook group, 'Inside Charlotte Arts,' by going here:
Axios
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Carolina Theatre reopens in Charlotte after 50 years
Uptown Charlotte's historic Carolina Theatre is set to reopen after nearly 50 years. Why it matters: The restored 906-seat venue will welcome guests again on Monday, March 24, hosting community events, live music, films, and more. What they're saying: "This is Charlotte's theatre. Plain and simple," says Sean Seifert, Carolina Theatre executive director. "We're the community's living room." Driving the news: Foundation For The Carolinas will celebrate with a ribbon cutting on March 24 at 3pm, followed by a free open house until 7pm. Catch up quick: The City of Charlotte sold the theatre to the Foundation For The Carolinas for $1 in 2012. The foundation spent $90 million and eight years restoring the venue, from recreating murals to replicating the old ceilings. The restoration effort to the 1927 theatre was a complex undertaking, project leaders say. Crews discovered hazards in the building, like old lead paint and contaminated underground water. COVID also delayed the progress and inflated construction costs. What's next: The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra will perform on Friday, March 28, at 7:30 pm. The orchestra — which had its inaugural concert at the theatre 93 years ago on March 20, 1932 — has named the show "A Homecoming." Local bluegrass musicians Mark and Maggie O'Connor will take the stage on Saturday, March 29 at 8pm. Stop by: 230 N. Tryon St. Tickets are sold at Go deeper: Sneak peek inside
Axios
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Sneak peek: $90M restored Carolina Theatre opening soon
After nearly 50 years, the historic Carolina Theatre in Uptown is set to reopen any day now. Why it matters: No one has enjoyed the theatre since it shuttered in 1978. But soon — after more than a decade of planning and restoration — Foundation For The Carolinas will reopen it as a community-first, nonprofit theatre on the corner of North Tryon and East 6th Street. The big picture: With 906 seats, Carolina Theatre will host speakers, comedy shows, films, plays, weddings and live music — think everything from the symphony to "Star Wars" screenings. Catch up quick: The Foundation took ownership of the theatre in 2012 and began construction in 2017. The restoration proved complicated, with costs soaring to $90 million. A mix of public dollars and donors paid for the project. From lead paint to contaminated water, crews kept uncovering surprises that prolonged construction. The impacts of COVID and permitting delays drew out the process as well. What they're saying: "The attention to details makes it look like this," says Sean Seifert, Carolina Theatre executive. "It's worth the extra time and effort ... to get it right." Although the theatre looks vintage, it's equipped with the latest technology, such as a projection system that wraps around the walls and state-of-the-art sound comparable to AMC. "We like to say we're Charlotte's oldest, newest theatre," adds communications director Jared Misner. Flashback: First opened in 1927, Carolina Theatre hosted legends such as Elvis Presley and "The Sound of Music" in its heyday. It has outlasted time in Charlotte — a city criticized for razing most of its history. Zoom out: A 250-room InterContinental Hotel is planned for construction above the theatre, but the project stalled in 2020. Australian investment firm Salter Brothers holds the rights for two more years to start construction. It did not respond to Axios' request for comment. However, if construction were to begin now, the theatre would have to temporarily close again. What's next: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra's spring gala on March 28 is one of the first performances coming to the new Carolina Theatre. More events will be announced soon.
