ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 TAG: 9702120061
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-12 EDITION: METRO
TESTING, testing, testing: Is there a future for live theater at the Lyric, Blacksburg's historic downtown movie palace?
Tonight's premier of Sam Shepard's ``Fool for Love'' may tell. It will be the first time in decades that anyone's tried presenting live theater at the Lyric. Audience reaction to this experimental outing could help determine if it's to be offered on a regular basis.
There's no predicting that, of course. But whatever the reaction, the efforts of numerous Blacksburg-area residents who've played a role in bringing the 67-year-old Lyric back to life should be newly appreciated.
Shut down in the 1980s and reopened as a movie house just over a year ago, the Lyric stands as a reminder of the loss of such institutions in many downtowns, including the American, the Park, the Rialto and the Roanoke in downtown Roanoke.
Too many landmark theaters fell long ago to the wrecking ball, deserted by audiences for the multi-screen complexes in shopping malls and the 21-inch tubes glowing in every living room.
As with the return of movies to the Lyric, the return of live drama has been passionately pursued. Doug Chancey, a local actor who is both acting in and producing ``Fool for Love,'' envisions the possibility that the Lyric could become a dinner theater, with a resident troupe of actors.
An ambitious dream? Sure. But recall that Roanoke's nationally respected Mill Mountain Theater started in 1964 as an ambitious dream.
Also worth noting is that Mill Mountain Theater's presence in Center in the Square since 1983 has been one of the catalysts for the revival and development of downtown Roanoke's City Market area.
It is not inconceivable that live theater at the Lyric could prove for downtown Blacksburg a cultural shot in the arm, in hopes of which the appropriate byword today is ``break a leg.''
LENGTH: Short : 40 linesby CNB