SIDNEY — Several companies are hard at work getting the Historic Sidney Theatre ready for the return of the marquee. The marquee was removed in December 2016 to be restored.
“The marquee was taken down by Wagner Sign Company of Elyria, and pieces of it just crumbled. They will be restoring it with pieces that were salvageable, though,” said Sarah Barr, executive director of the Raise the Roof for the Arts (RTR) foundation.
Even though the marquee won’t finish being installed until mid-September, the work continues in earnest. Most days residents will see vans or trucks from the various companies responsible for the infrastructure to support the marquee.
“Workers have replaced and painted the infrastructure to hold the sign. The roof for the sign will be replaced next. Soon the sides of the marquee will be placed. The last piece will be the blade, the piece that says Sidney on it. I think that will be here around the middle of September,” said Barr.
Barr and the members of RTR believe that the arts are important to a community and have worked to make them accessible to the public, even during the renovations.
Block parties have been held in the lot behind the theater this summer. The next one will be Blessid Union of Souls on Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m. This event is free.
This summer, movies were shown for children and adults. The theater sees more of that returning.
“We aren’t able to show first-run movies because we don’t have a digital projector. Will that happen in the future? It’s hard to say. We have a lot of other things to focus on before that would happen,” said Barr.
The theater had all new exterior windows installed recently, along with updates in the lobby.
“Once the marquee is installed, we’ll basically have an all new facade. The marquee will still have the blue and gold color scheme. The gold will be metallic, though, and the blue, I’m told, is called Naval Blue. It will be grander,” said Barr.
In the interest of keeping the arts alive at the Historic Sidney Theatre, a production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” will be offered this weekend. The production is based on the story by Hans Christian Anderson and on the Disney film.
The musical is directed by Laney Shaw with choreography by Carrie Blust. The cast ranges in age from 4-15. The play will be performed today, Aug. 19, at 2:30 p.m. It was also performed Friday night. Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for students.
The Historic Sidney Theatre is located at 120 W. Poplar St. For more information call the theatre at 937-498-1921 or visit its website at www.sidneytheatre.org.
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