At The Dietrich

By
Hildy Morgan

Okay. I don’t mean to harp on this. But, if we had four screens, we’d be opening Transformers today (as I write this). Big deal, some of you will say. So bring it in in a couple of weeks. Except in a couple of weeks everyone who wanted to see Transformers will have. The movie business for the blockbusters that keep movie houses in business has changed. There is no time for word-of-mouth to catch up to a movie (which, in some cases, might be for the best) and to bring out people who were leaning in the direction of seeing it but hadn’t made up there minds. The first weekend everyone needs to see it. Now. Right away. Because tomorrow is yesterday’s news.

There are exceptions to that rule, but they’re smaller pix, less flashy and attract an older demographic. Take Walk The Line – one of my favorites from last year. We got it in its fifth week and it performed outstandingly. Then again, it had an actual story to tell – one that was involving and heart wrenching, with a soundtrack that couldn’t be beat! This past year Wild Hogs just kept chugging along because it was so much fun and once again, light fare though it may have been, it had characters you really cared about.

Blockbusters are solely about plot. Nothing wrong with that. It’s why John Grisham or James Patterson are best sellers in the world of books. No characters to really get worked up about. Some live, some die, life goes on – but wow! The special effects! Whoa! That’s the ticket! And the plot. Those twists and turns! Those class A movie stars! They are fun, right atacha, and forgettable. Like an ice cream sundae, they have to be consumed immediately. Can’t wait, or they might melt away.

So although Ratatouille did well, by this coming weekend it will have fallen off. In two weeks it will be so, so over. Now, this coming week we open the latest in the Harry Potter series (a rare bird in that we actually do care about the lead characters in this blockbuster series) so we are saved from having a long, long stretch of the same film running way past it’s prime.

And if we had that fourth screen, we could bring in The Simpson’s as well as Underdog (I’ve chosen Underdog if we can get it because it looks very dear for the kids) and now I have to choose one and hope I made the right choice (and that’s one major toss-up!)

Each time hundreds of people leave our town to go to the Cinemark to the movies, they take their restaurant business with them. They don’t look in the windows of our shops on main street and make a mental note about an item they saw there that they’ll come back to look at. And maybe have lunch. And then maybe go into that other shop they’ve been meaning to see. As the King of Siam would have said, “Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”

The future of the theater is intricately tied in with the future of the town. Take the Dietrich out of the downtown mix, and as cunning as the shops are, as wonderful as the little restaurants are, as pretty as it may be, slowly, but surely, the people will stop coming. Because a town with a working and historic movie theater is a fascinating place to be. Think back to what the downtown was like before the theater reopened and picture how that could happen again.

The Dietrich needs your support – indeed, the town needs your support – so that we can all be assured that in a decade or two the Dietrich will still be a mighty force to be contended with.

Right now, in addition to a few more major donors, we need four hundred people to pledge one thousand dollars over the course of five years. That’s less than $20.00 a month! Give it a thought. Once that’s done, we can start to build. And then we’ll have a new movie for you almost every week! Now, isn’t that a grand thought?

See you at the Dietrich.

Live at The Dietrich

By
Erica Rogler

This summer is simply flying by! I can’t believe Independence Day is here – we hope you and yours are having a wonderful time celebrating. I plan to catch “Rataouille” before the weekend. And next week, we will have the latest Harry Potter movie to look forward to! We will open “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” with a midnight show at 12:05 am on Wednesday, July 11th. Doors will open for the show at 11 pm on Tuesday night and advanced tickets are available now. This is going to be quite a month for Harry Potter fans with the release of this movie and the final book coming out within less than two weeks of each other.

Besides being the release date for the final Harry Potter book, July 21st will be our third annual Celebrate Our River Day at Tunkhannock’s Riverside Park. From 2:00 – 5:00 pm, we invite you to come out and enjoy some great music, kayak and canoe demos, displays by environmental groups and more. We know how popular bluegrass is in the area, so Margie found a fantastic bluegrass band to come in from Wellsboro called Hickory Project. If you love traditional or original acoustic bluegrass music, you don’t want to miss this. To hear a sample of their music, I recommend visiting www.hickoryproject.com. We will also have a live performance by local favorites Al Purdy and John Williams of Brother John.

For River Day, Endless Mountains Outfitters will be hosting a river float. The river trip will be from Mehoopany to Tunkhannock. Once you are on the river, the trip should take about 3 ½ hours. All who are interested in the float are invited to meet at Tunkhannock’s riverside park to shuttle at 9:30 am. The float will be from 10:30 am – 2:00 pm. Reservations can be made for rentals and shuttle by calling David Buck at Endless Mountains Outfitter at 570-746-9140.

Hillside Farms ice cream will be for sale at the park that day, and for kids Riverside Park has a wonderful playground and a Willow Dome for kids to play in. Admission to River Day is free.

For kids who would like to learn more about the river while creating art, the Dietrich is offering “The Art of the Susquehanna” at its Mehoopany satellite location with Steve Colley. Materials from the river itself such as clay, river stones, fossils and more, will inspire students’ projects. This camp will be held the week of July 16 – 20th from 4:30 – 6:00 pm. Call the Dietrich at 996-1500 for more information.

For those young artists and techies out there we still have a few openings for Leonardo Da Vinci camp and Digital Arts Camp.

More than the Movies at the Dietrich Theater

Acting Camp for Kids, ages 6 -11

Use your wonderful imagination and learn all about acting and theater. Activities covered include acting techniques, theatre games, improvisation, storytelling, play making, character creation and more! Students will create their own characters and stories while learning how to act and how much fun theater is. A casual performance will end the week if time allows.

Camp 2: Monday - Friday, August 6 - 10 from 1:00 -2:30 pm.

Admission $50 per week.

Instructor: Michaela Moore of All About Theatre

Ahoy Matey! Pirates and Treasure: Theater and Visual Arts Camp

Come find hidden treasure and learn the ancient secrets of pirates! Go on treasure hunts, make a pirate costume (boy or girl...yes there were girl pirates...)and make up your own unique play about...you guessed it - PIRATES! Come aboard our ship for a week and join the fun! For ages 5 -12.

Monday - Friday, August 6 -10 from 10:00 am - noon.

Admission: $50

Instructors: Michaela Moore and Amy Colley

Ballroom Dancing for Kids, ages 12 and up.

Learn how to do the merengue and swing dance in this five week introductory ballroom dancing class for kids.

Thursdays, July 12, 19, 26, August 2, 9, from 10:00 - 11:30 am

Admission is free. Call 570-996-1500 to register.

Instructor: Connie Kintner

Decorative Painting for Adults - Summer

Learn decorative painting techniques while creating decorative pieces for your home or to give as gifts. All levels of experience welcome. Preregistration required. Call 570-996-1500 to sign up.

Wednesdays from noon - 3:00 pm through August 29.

Admission: $15 per class plus the cost of the painting surface.

Instructor: Eileen Balboa

Digital Arts Camp, for ages 8 -13

Explore the arts through claymation, robotics and special effects.

Monday - Friday, July 23 -27 from 2:00 - 4:30 pm.

Admission: $50.

Instructor: Rand Whipple, Box of Light Theatre.

Everhart Explorations, ages 5 - 8

Make it a scienterrific summer! Discover facts, features, and fun in the world around us. From atmosphere to illusions, experimenting with the Everhart has never been so exciting!

Mondays, July 9, 16, 23, 30. Ages 5-8: 10:00 -11:00 am.

Admission is free.

Instructor: Everhart Museum Staff

Intergenerational Quilting, for all ages - Summer

"Farmers Market" - Quilting is food for the soul! Fashion a tablerunner or throw for an indoor or outdoor setting made with fruit and vegetable print fabrics, homespuns and more. Learn the basics of sewing and quilting.

Wednesdays through July 25 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.

Admission is $6 per class, materials provided.

Instructors: Ingrid Rogler, Peggy Lane, and Terry Keller.

Leonardo Da Vinci - His Life and Ideas

Da Vinci's interests and accomplishments will be explored as children sketch birds and other animals, try mirror writing, make a lute, and even learn a little Italian!

Monday - Friday, July 30 - August 3 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm.

Admission is $50.

Instructor: Amy Colley.

Move Over Mr. Spielberg, for ages 14 to adult

Learn how to create your own digital films using a digital camera and a computer. Using everything from clay actors to human ones, the class will shoot, edit, score and output several short films in the course of a week.

Monday - Friday, July 23 -27 from 6:00 - 8:30 pm.

Admission is $50.

Instructor: Rand Whipple, Box of Light Theatre.

Open Studio for Painting, Drawing and Pottery

Students of all ages and levels of experience will have the opportunity to work at their own paceand with the medium of their choice.

Tuesdays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. July 10, 17, 24, 31.

Cost: $15 per class or $50 for four classes.

Instructor: Steve Colley

Pottery & Sculpture, ages 13 to adult

This class is designed for students of all levels of experience. Students will work on pottery wheels, learn hand-building and sculpture techniques as well as making molds and casting.

Mondays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, July 9, 16, 23, 30.

Cost: $50 for all four classes

Instructor: Steve Colley

Quilting for Kids, ages 6 and up - Summer

"Secret Garden" - Design and sew a garden quilt. Make this quilt all your own with colorful fabrics. With a seed of imagination, you might find dandelions, bugs and a cat in your garden patch quilt.

Wednesdays through July 25 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Admission is $6/class, materials provided.

Instructors: Ingrid Rogler, Peggy Lane, and Terry Keller.

Under the Sea: Theater and Visual Arts Camp, ages 5 -12 - Filled

Mermaids, sharks and underwater adventures! Ever wonder what it would be like to live uder the sea, be a mermaid or even a shark? Come find out at this salt water camp that is all about the ocean. Create costumes, pottery, watercolors (how appropriate), stories and plays for a week of splashy fun!

Monday - Friday, July 9 - 13 from 10 am - noon.

Admission is $50.

Instructor: Michaela Moore, All About Theatre

Writers' Group

Come and read your work or listen and be inspired. Learn the craft of writing as you write. All genres and levels of writing are welcome.

Thursdays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Meetings are ongoing.

Admission is free.

group format - no instructor

Yoga for You

This class will teach and reinforce the basic yoga poses (asanas)which gently stretch and strengthen the body. Attention will be given to breathing and alignment in postures. Call 570-996-1500 to confirm dates. Please bring yoga mat or beach towel.

Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, Call 570-996-1500 for class dates.

Cost: $10 per lesson. Children are free.

Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor: Melissa Russo