Lydia Weinberger, Arts & Entertainment Editor

In August, the Carolina Theatre of Greensboro sent out a call for volunteers to help prepare for its centennial celebration next year. I felt compelled to answer; what better way to become acquainted with a new city than by gaining familiarity with its artistic institutions? So, I found myself walking down to 310 S. Greene St. in Greensboro, NC, on a rainy summer’s day, where I joined a group of ninety-nine other Greensboro residents to hold paper posters of movies played throughout the Theatre’s lengthy tenure. I got lucky and negotiated with a fellow volunteer for Monty Python and the Holy Grail (a family favorite) and found my place on the double stairway flanking the lobby as the photographer directed our clusters. As payment, I was given a free ticket to any movie of my choosing, and the knowledge that I participated, in some small way, in my new home’s history. 

History

The Carolina Theatre opened on Halloween night in 1927. Originally a vaudeville theatre centered on live performances, by the end of 1928 the Carolina Theatre became the first theatre in the state to install Vitaphone speakers and began playing five films a day. The Carolina Theatre was desegregated in June 1963 due to widespread protests and demonstrations throughout the city during which Greensboro’s student population was integral. 

The Carolina Theatre has suffered several periods of decline, disaster, and restoration. However, through consistent groundswells of community support and a deep desire to maintain and create an affordable performing arts space in downtown Greensboro, it has persisted into the present, welcoming approximately 100,000 visitors in the last calendar year. According to the Carolina Theatre’s mission statement: “The Carolina Theatre strives to be our community’s preeminent local performing arts center.  We provide a high quality, flexible space for performances, gatherings, and films, while serving as an anchor for a vibrant downtown entertainment district,” but, “above all, we want to remain a place where all people feel welcome as they are; a place where people know they will enjoy moving artistic performances; a place where people feel uplifted as soon as they enter; a place people leave with a deeper appreciation for the performing arts.” 

Upcoming Events

The Carolina Theatre has a jam-packed lineup for October, including its Nightmare Off Elm Street Film Series featuring A Quiet Place on October 4 at 7 p.m., Aliens on October 11 at 7 p.m., Ready or Not 2: Here I Come on October 18 at 7 p.m., Hocus Pocus on October 25 at 3 p.m., and Halloween (2007) on October 25 at 7 p.m.  

The Carolina Theatre will be hosting Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Crown on October 23 at 9 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 p.m.). While there will not be a shadow cast at this showing, audience costumes and participation are encouraged, with prop bags included with the tickets. Come on out and honor the late Tim Curry by having a raucous good time!  For more details on dos and don’ts for the event, you can check our Carolina Theatre’s event listing.  

For a full list of upcoming, events broken down by category, visit the theatre’s events page.