The historic Newtown Theatre has launched the “Balcony Edition” of its Adopt-a-Seat Program to help fund its next phase of renovations.
The renovations, scheduled for July and August, will completely transform the theater’s balcony and basement restrooms. The price tag for this round of renovations is $600,000.
“We have 107 eager seat adoptees!” said theater Executive Director Andrew Smith. “This latest edition of our Adopt-a-Seat program follows up on our very successful campaign three years ago that saw every one of our new first-floor seats adopted.
“By adopting a seat, you will help fund the overall renovation and have your name or business, a short message or sentiment, or the name of another person you wish to honor, engraved on a plaque placed on a seat,” Smith said.
The cost of each adopted seat is $600. For information, or to adopt a seat, visit TheNewtownTheatre.com/adopt-a-seat.
The transformation of the theater’s balcony will be dramatic. Step one will be to demolish the projection booth and remove all of the old seats. The projection booth will be replaced with a much smaller, open-air booth in which the theater’s sound and lighting technicians will work.
Additional balcony improvements will include new hardwood floors, new seats, and improved lighting. When finished, the balcony will have the same look and feel as the theater’s renovated first floor.
“We have already ordered a new, $50,000 digital projector and plan to insert it into the front of the balcony, which is hollow,” Smith said.
Plans call for replacing the current, extremely cramped men’s and women’s rooms in the basement with six private, unisex, single-person toilet rooms. This will nearly double the number of toilets at the theater.
“We are also pushing the facilities further into the theater’s basement, which will create a restroom ‘lobby’ and should greatly improve the flow of foot traffic in that area,” Smith said.
Located on North State Street in Newtown Borough, the Newtown Theatre is a historic, 230-seat theater that dates to the 1800s.
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