On Screen at the Dietrich by Ronnie Harvey
I’m always amazed when I look at all of the moving parts that are happening at the Dietrich Theater on any particular day. Today is a Monday after a busy holiday weekend and the typical hustle and bustle of the theater is in full swing around me. I am counting the money from our fantastic family films that have been raking in audiences and am also scheduling for the upcoming weekend while simultaneously downloading all of our previews for the Summer Film Festival which is fast approaching. Mary is figuring out the logistics for the Magic Show coming up this Sunday (more to come on that later I presume) and figuring out our new calendar so that we can better communicate with each other about important meetings and scheduling for all of our various spaces. Erica is hard at work finalizing the RFP for a new computer network for the facility while fielding more phone calls and emails then I hope to ever receive. Yoga happened, All Star Players Camp happened, movies are currently showing and Lily taught Sarah and Margie how to access a doc so they can start working on a history project for our 25th anniversary. It’s just never ending here and that’s just the way we like it.
The movies never end either, and we are always trying to make room for new films when we find the space. This weekend is a prime example of that. Along with Moana, we are now going to be showing Young Washington just one week late. We intended on showing it for opening week but we only have enough space and when films are performing a certain way, we can’t get rid of them as soon as we would like to. It’s the nature of the business. I’m constantly working on trying to figure out what is going to hit and what is going to miss and where those available spaces are to make room for new product as often as I can. Young Washington comes highly requested, but we only have available room for one week so if you plan on coming...make those plans quick and get down here before it's gone. What better way to continue celebrating America 250 but with another great movie.
As you are reading this, Summer Fest Preview Day has already come and gone but you still have time to check out all of the great movies that are included in this year's lineup. Our Summerfest kicks off July 17th and runs through August 6th. That gives you plenty of time to check out our offerings and come to see one, two or even twelve of the fabulous films we have lined up. The ones I’m most looking forward to are The Christophers starring the incomparable Sir Ian Mckellan, Tuner which has been getting rave reviews across the board and The A.I. Doc because it is so timely and important given our current circumstances when it comes to artificial intelligence. Let me know what movie you are most looking forward to and I hope to see you for a movie or twelve.
Mary, are you also struck with how much is going on at any given time, and what do you have coming up that is keeping you so busy? The readers are dying to know.
Live at the Dietrich by Mary Turner
Ronnie, it never stops amazing me how much our little team pulls off and how much we always have going on. I’m constantly surprised by it. But honestly, summer especially in this place absolutely buzzes. The two seasons where the building feels like it’s in nonstop motion are summer and winter, and I guess the saying really is true, there’s no rest for the wicked. Still, it’s such a joy to see happy kiddos coming and going to all the various camps, and all our patrons ducking in to beat the afternoon heat with a cool, cozy matinee.
And speaking of those fun summer camps that the kiddos race through our doors to get to, we still have a few coming up that have room. Our Acting and Theatre Creation Camps, running July 20–24 and July 27–31, still have openings, so if you know a budding little actor between the ages of 6 and 12, give me a call at 570‑836‑1022 x3 to get them signed up. We also have summer art classes with space available, including Drawing and Painting as well as Pottery and Sculpture. If you’ve got a young artist ready to dive in, give me a call and I’ll get them registered.
And as Ronnie mentioned, Summer Fest is almost here, which, I won’t lie, adds to my stress levels a bit. If you didn’t know, I’m also the one who has to get all those movies loaded and ready to go in our projectors. When festival season rolls around, I’m juggling around 25 films, sometimes more once special events get tossed into the mix. And the movies you see on our big screen aren’t anything like watching at home. It’s not a simple “pop it in and hit play.” Each film has to be loaded, built, checked, and coordinated. With the very limited memory space on our projectors, it becomes a whole puzzle of knowing which films need to be loaded for which days, which ones can be removed, and how to keep everything running smoothly without the system having a meltdown. Honestly, there is shockingly so much that goes into the logistics on the movie side of the festival that I could probably fill my entire column just explaining it. But I’ll spare you the boredom and simply say: I am equally excited for the film festival as I am stressed. And if you’ve ever come in and experienced a technical hiccup, just know I’m up there sprinting around, sweating, and trying to solve the issue as fast as humanly possible. It’s the chaos of the movie business, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Speaking of running around like a squirrel on espresso, that’s exactly what you’d see if you stopped in toward the end of the week while Erica and I are gathering and checking off our lists for everything needed for River Day. It’s such a wonderful event for the community, so make sure you come out to Riverside Park on July 18 from 1–7 p.m. to enjoy the environmental displays, fun and educational presentations, and of course the great music. There’s truly something for everyone - face painting, rock painting, mural painting, and even digging for archaeological artifacts. How cool is that?
And I’ll be honest, I’m personally excited for the food. We’ll have three food trucks and, of course, an ice cream truck. You can grab Caribbean favorites like jerk chicken from Sammy’s Caribbean Food & Lemonade Stand, or go classic with a cheeseburger or chicken sandwich from Momma Bear Boice. If you’re craving something decadent, Wicked Pissah Lobster Company will be serving up their melt‑in‑your‑mouth lobster. And to help cool you down, the Ice Cream Truck 1961, the one you sometimes catch rolling through Tunkhannock playing its cheerful tune, will be there ready to dish out your favorite sweet treat. I hope to see you there!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little corner of the column, and I hope to see you at the Dietrich!
