ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170030
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ELISSA MILENKY STAFF WRITER
The Lyric Council has hired a part-time executive director to open and operate the 65-year-old theater, which has been closed since 1989.
Sandra Wiedegreen, a research associate at Virginia Tech, received the appointment on Monday. The Lyric Council, of which Wiedegreen has been a member since 1994, is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that has been working to reopen the theater.
The directorship, which entails 12 to 15 hours of work for $14.42 an hour, will be paid for out of the Lyric Council's budget.
"I really wanted a challenge and I just really felt I've had a lot of background, a lot of expertise that I could give to the position," said Wiedegreen, who has served as a Playmakers and Co. board member and a director and producer of several Playmakers shows. "It's kind of like building a fort: It's more fun when you're building it than when it's done."
In December, the Lyric Council signed a long-term lease with the property owner, Blacksburg Realty Property Partnership, that requires the nonprofit group to renovate, maintain and run the theater instead of paying rent. Major renovations for the theater are scheduled to begin during the summer of 1997 following a capital fund-raising campaign. At that time, the theater will be closed and then reopened for full-scale use.
Until then, Wiedegreen said the council plans to show movies at the Lyric every other weekend starting Feb. 10. Band benefits or other special events will be planned once a month. Wiedegreen said she considered showing a romantic comedy on Feb. 10 but feared other theaters would be doing the same in preparation for Valentine's Day.
"Maybe we have to get something opposite and get a horror film," she joked.
Wiedegreen said she will establish an advisory committee to help choose movies, in addition to taking comments from the public. She also will be evaluating how many other staff members must be hired to run the theater, including a projectionist and an educational programs coordinator.
Lindsey West, secretary of the Lyric Council, said the group will re-evaluate the position and the hours in July.
"We all recognized we couldn't do it as a volunteer council if we're going to open a business, which is what this is," she said.
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Wiedegreenby CNB