Orpheum heads talk future plans
From January 8, 2009:
Article in Champaign daily The News-Gazette about the board of directors of the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum seeking input from area firms about developing a stand-alone museum and revitalizing or selling its current home, the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Champaign. (Remember that the direct link to this article will expire after Wednesday, January 14.)
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Editor’s note: Welcome to “Shaky Ground for Old Theaters in Walking Distance of the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters Week,” folks.
Second announcement first, the article linked above finds our well-meaning children’s museum folks all but admitting publicly that similar educational ventures in other cities (namely, Normal and Decatur) beat the pants off their own efforts in the cramped confines of the Orpheum Theatre. I must concur that the Normal version is quite elaborate compared to our own, and that’s my impression just by staring through the windows from the street.
The scheme is that Orpheum personnel want “best-use” scenarios for what they currently have available – the Orpheum itself, the plot of land south of the Orpheum which features sand boxes, and the vacant lot north of the Orpheum. The concept I like best, per the article, is to construct museum facilities in both lots and restore the Orpheum to its former glory. However, if the museum’s board has a say in what actually plays the Orpheum at that point, then don’t hold your breath hoping for a continuation of her cinematic legacy.
A paraphrase in the article citing the museum’s executive director, Sonya Darter, states that “the theater auditorium could then be updated to become a 500-seat facility where plays, ballet, and concerts could be performed.” Other than eliciting grumbles from my inner Tim Allen despite my generally agreeable disposition towards the performing arts – remember his running gag about despising the opera on HOME IMPROVEMENT? – I immediately tuned in to what wasn’t mentioned. This is potentially significant given what I’ll be discussing in my next post.
If you live in Champaign-Urbana and call yourself a fan of the cinema, you will read my next post.
~ Jason Pankoke