Virginia Theatre (Champaign)

The Virginia Theatre opened December 28, 1921 with a live stage performance of The Bat. The following night, the silent films Tol'able David and The Boat were shown at the theatre. Since then, it has been presenting movies, live concerts, and plays to the Champaign-Urbana community and has only been closed for short periods of renovation by the Park District. Until recently, the Virginia Theatre was privately owned. From the 1930s to the 1960s, RKO Pictures held ownership. Subsequently, George Kerasotes Corporation (GKC Theatres) owned the building until it was sold to the Virginia Theater Group, a not-for-profit organization, organized for that purpose in the 1990s. The Champaign Park District purchased it in January 2000.

The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, based on its historical role in providing a wide variety of entertainment to Champaign and surrounding area, particularly in the years between 1921 and 1953. Of note were theatrical productions, vaudeville, concerts, and motion pictures. Also noteworthy was the building's state of preservation and the integrity of its original early to mid 20th century roots.[2]

A major part of the Virginia Theatre is its restoration. In December 1999, the Champaign Park District received a $900,000 grant from the State of Illinois to restore the then run-down theatre. Extensive work was done to bring the building up to current code, most of it not visible to the general public. In 2000, the curved movie screen that had been in place for decades was replaced with a smaller screen (50-foot wide viewable image) which can be flown offstage.[3] Additional restrooms were completed in 2001. Box office renovation, dressing room remodeling, and carpet replacement took place in 2002-2003. The east lobby/storefront was remodeled during 2007, and the main lobbies and concession stand were renovated and redecorated in 2010, thanks to a considerable donation from Michael Carragher.[4] The decaying 1930s-era neon marquee was removed from the theatre on November 16, 2010, and it was replaced with a newly designed marquee in September 2011, in spite of opposition from many community members and historic preservation advocates.[5]

In 1921, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company installed a theatre organ to provide musical accompaniment for silent films. That 2/8 (two keyboard, eight ranks of pipes) instrument[6] was removed by Buzard Pipe Organ Builders[7] of Champaign in December 2010 for renovation,[8] and it was reinstalled in the Fall of 2011.

The Virginia Theatre hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year. Classic films play on the 56-foot-wide screen several nights every month. The theatre is also a popular venue for touring musical acts and comedians. From 1992 until 2010, the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company, or CUTC, performed plays at the theatre. CUTC once again performs shows starting in 2016. Since 2015, That's What She Said, an annual presentation by The She Said Project, has been a popular event at the theatre providing a spotlight on local women's stories.[9]

A statue of Roger Ebert giving his "thumbs up" outside the Virginia Theater.

Every April, the Theatre is host to Ebertfest: Roger Ebert's Film Festival. Beginning in 1999 as Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, it has become a very popular event with festival passes selling out well in advance. Founded by Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, the event hosts several less known films as well some popular films.

Following Ebert's death in 2013, organizers in Champaign announced plans to raise $125,000 to build a life-size bronze statue of Ebert in the town. The composition was selected by Ebert's wife Chaz and depicts him sitting in the middle of three theater seats giving his trademark "thumbs up" gesture. The sculpture was unveiled at the 2014 Ebertfest, and sits directly outside the theater.[10][11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Theatre (Champaign, Illinois).

• https://thevirginia.org/the-virginia-experience/history/ - History of the Virginia Theatre
• http://www.thevirginia.org/ - the Virginia Theatre and Event Schedule
• http://www.ebertfest.com/ - Ebertfest
• http://www.cutc.org/ - the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company Homepage

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