POTTSVILLE, Pa. — For the last several months, the seats inside Majestic Theater in Pottsville have remained empty because of the pandemic.
"We were basically closed, locked down until August," Lisa Gillespie, executive director at the theater, said. "We did a kids theater camp, so for those five months, we had nothing. We did nothing."
So, the theater has had to find ways to bring in funds to stay afloat, so it's gotten creative with fundraising efforts. To support this historic spot, people in the community can now purchase bricks to sign and also buy cardboard cutouts to fill up 100 seats or so at the theater along North Centre Street.
"You pay $35, and you can come in and sign a brick," Gillespie added. "It's great for a gift, or advertising, or just an, 'I was here.' A memorial. We have a couple that are signed for people who have passed away. I watch the Phillies; we were talking about how the Phanatic was going around and talking to all the cutouts and how cute it was and our board president said, 'Hey, can we do that at the theater?'"
The answer is yes.
If you want to purchase a brick, you can make arrangements with the theater to come in and sign it, or the theater can sign it for you. As for the cardboard cutouts, it's even easier. All you have to do is email a picture to majestictheaterpottsville@gmail.com.
"Ticket sales are nonexistent, so if we weren't doing that, we'd be in huge trouble, so community support is huge," Gillespie continued.
For more information, head to the Majestic Theater website.