Virginia Theatre (Champaign) facts for kids
Virginia Theatre, circa 2008
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| Location | 203 W. Park Champaign, IL 61820 |
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| Owner | Champaign Park District |
| Type | Renovated theatre |
| Capacity | 1,463 |
| Opened | December 28, 1921 |
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Virginia Theater
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, Illinois |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim, George Ramey |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001201 |
| Added to NRHP | November 28, 2003 |
The Virginia Theatre is a cool place in downtown Champaign, Illinois. It's a theatre where you can watch live shows and movies. Since it opened in 1921, it has brought fun entertainment to the Champaign-Urbana area. Every year, the Virginia Theatre shows movies, hosts plays, and has concerts. It's also home to Ebertfest, a special film festival. The Champaign Park District owns the theatre today.
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History of the Virginia Theatre
The Virginia Theatre first opened its doors on December 28, 1921. The very first show was a live play called The Bat. The next night, two silent movies were shown: Tol'able David and The Boat.
Since then, the theatre has always been a place for movies, concerts, and plays. It has only closed for short times when it was being fixed up. For many years, the Virginia Theatre was owned by private companies. From the 1930s to the 1960s, RKO Pictures owned it. Later, George Kerasotes Corporation owned it. In the 1990s, a group called the Virginia Theater Group bought it. Finally, the Champaign Park District bought the theatre in January 2000.
In 2003, the theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building. It was recognized for providing lots of different entertainment from 1921 to 1953. This included plays, vaudeville shows, concerts, and movies. The building was also special because it was kept in such good condition. It still looked much like it did when it was first built.
Restoring the Theatre
A big part of the Virginia Theatre's story is its restoration. In December 1999, the Champaign Park District received a large grant. It was $900,000 from the State of Illinois. This money was used to fix up the theatre, which was getting old.
Lots of work was done to make the building safe and modern. Much of this work can't be seen by visitors. In 2000, the old curved movie screen was replaced. A new, smaller screen was put in that can be moved out of the way. More restrooms were added in 2001. The box office, where tickets are sold, was updated in 2002-2003. Dressing rooms for performers were also remodeled. New carpet was put in throughout the theatre.
In 2007, the east lobby was remodeled. The main lobbies and the concession stand were updated in 2010. This was possible thanks to a generous gift from Michael Carragher. The old neon sign, called a marquee, was taken down in 2010. It was from the 1930s and was falling apart. A brand new marquee was put up in September 2011.
The Wurlitzer Organ
When the theatre first opened in 1921, a special organ was installed. It was a theatre organ made by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. This organ played music for the silent films. In December 2010, the organ was taken out for repairs. It was put back in the theatre in the fall of 2011.
Events at the Theatre
The Virginia Theatre hosts many different events all year long. Classic movies are shown on the big 56-foot-wide screen several nights each month. The theatre is also a popular place for music groups and comedians to perform.
From 1992 to 2010, the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company (CUTC) performed plays here. CUTC started performing shows at the theatre again in 2016. Since 2015, "That's What She Said" has been a popular yearly event. It's a show where local women share their stories.
Roger Ebert's Film Festival
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Every April, the Virginia Theatre hosts Ebertfest. This is Roger Ebert's Film Festival. It started in 1999 as Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. It has become very popular, and tickets often sell out quickly. The festival was started by Roger Ebert, a famous film critic. It shows many lesser-known films, along with some popular ones.
Roger Ebert passed away in 2013. After his death, people in Champaign decided to raise money for a statue of him. They wanted to build a life-size bronze statue of Roger Ebert in the town. Roger's wife, Chaz Ebert, helped choose how the statue would look. It shows him sitting in the middle of three theatre seats. He is giving his famous "thumbs up" sign. The statue was revealed at Ebertfest in 2014. It sits right outside the theatre.
