After three years of darkness, the Nelson Civic Theatre Society is lighting up the big screen to kick off its project to restore the old theatre as a modern multi-use community presentation space.
The Civic is hosting a glamorous James Bond Grand Gala event on Friday, February 22 at 7 p.m. with a reception and screening of the newest James Bond movie Skyfall. Dress up as a Bond Girl, Bond villain, Bond himself, or your favourite Hollywood character. Prizes will be given for best costumes — or just come as yourself and enjoy.
The gala pre-screening reception will dazzle attendees with a welcome drink, showcase appetizers from local restaurants, live music, and door prizes. Because it’s Bond, the reception will include a martini bar. Screening starts at 8 p.m.. This is an adult-only fundraising event, with tickets at $30 available at Otter Books, Baker Street Menswear, and at civictheatre.ca/kickoff
Movie magic continues throughout the weekend as Skyfall will show again Saturday, February 23 at a 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets for both Saturday showings are available at the door, with special Kick-off Weekend pricing at $5 for members and $10 for non-members. There are now 250 comfortable seats installed, with the Civic Theatre’s seat sponsorship program ongoing.
The Kick-off Weekend heralds the beginning of the Civic Theatre’s monthly movie series, satisfying movie-lovers while behind the scenes, fundraising and renovation work aims to transform the aging movie house into a new dynamic theatre. It’s a huge job, but with a membership of 1,300 and growing community support, a new, three-screen Civic Theatre stars in Nelson’s future.
In 2013, movies will cease to be distributed as 35mm film so digitization is a must. Nelson Civic Theatre Society is fundraising for a state-of-the-art digital film projector and surround sound system with a combined price tag of $150,000. The weekend’s films will be shown on the original 35mm projector.
To support the Civic Theatre project, go to civictheatre.ca to purchase a membership, sponsor a seat, or donate towards digital projection and theatre renovation. Donations made to the City of Nelson marked for the Nelson Civic Theatre are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.