On Saturday evening, November 9, movie lovers gathered at the Old Greenbelt Theatre for the Renovation Reception hosted by Friends of Greenbelt Theatre (FGT). This reception celebrated the unveiling of a new auditorium. The sold-out event showcased the new auditorium, a project that took four months to complete.
The Old Greenbelt Theatre has been in operation for 80 years and was one of the first theaters in the area to show The Wizard of Oz. Unlike other theaters, Old Greenbelt Theatre has shown movies and plays as well as many other special events. So throughout the night audience members were charmed with performances and film. A beautiful medley started the program with the sounds of the score from The City by Aaron Copland. The City was a 1939 film showing the differences between blighted urban areas and the newly-planned community of Greenbelt. This documentary was partially filmed in Greenbelt. Many residents had small cameos in the film, an exciting moment for the town.
While the city and FGT have been making large strides to revamp the theater, the newly renovated main auditorium stands out. The theater’s renovations included a new roof, a new HVAC, a new screen and new surround sound system. But the greatest features are the coordinated new dark red seats, floor and wall coverings – they make the auditorium as elegant as the front concession area and lobby.
Executive Director of the FGT, Caitlin McGrath, started the evening with a warm welcome. McGrath announced that the theme of the night was “community,” in celebration of being back in the theater. McGrath commented, “our goal was to update this auditorium to the same modernized and historical charm of the rest of the theater.” This goal was achieved. The new auditorium had crisp sound and modern visuals.
Mayor Emmett Jordan spoke to the crowd about his delight in the new theater. “This building has always been more than a movie theater,” Jordan said. “Looking back six or seven years ago the journey began when council selected FGT to operate the theater.” Since FGT took over operations, they have been making many new experiences for movie-goers, such as Monday matinees for seniors, family film series and free movies on snow days.
The evening was filled with entertainment. The Greenbelt Dance Studio brought out dancers to perform Sing, Sing, Sing, a dance number choreography by Angella Foster. Maeve Ballantine, Chris Cherry and Aidan Larkin performed a musical medley from 1939 and for the last music number the audience joined in for a sing-along to the Wizard of Oz.
There was a video that recounted the rich history of the theater. There were also interviews of Greenbelt residents that had moved in at the start of the city and an employee of the theater that had been there for years. Both film vignettes highlighted the beauty and importance of the Old Greenbelt Theatre.
The event was catered by local vendors including the D.C. Vegan at the New Deal Café and Cedars of Lebanon.
