Save the Watson Theatre!

posted by masundbe on February 17, 2010 at 7:45 am

WATSONTOWN, PA — Save the Watson Theatre, a non-profit initiative is running a Kickstarter campaign soliciting monetary pledge donations to purchase and preserve the 70 year-old, single-screen movie theatre in Watsontown, Pennsylvania. From February 15 – March 15, 2010, donors can make pledges on http://www.kickstarter.com/ (search: Watson Theatre) or directly through http://kck.st/bxp6MQ This is a pledge drive, and donors are not required to issue any funds unless the entire project goal is achieved. With less than 300 single-screen movie theatres remaining in the United States, it is vital to small cities and towns across the country to preserve the legacy of the theatre as a cultural cornerstone of the community.

The Watson Theatre is located at 131 Main Street, Watsontown, Pennsylvania, a location that has been home to a theatre since 1912. The current Watson Theatre opened in 1940 and closed in September 2009. The Save the Watson Theatre project was launched by area native, Matthias Sundberg in February 2010 to raise funds to purchase the theatre and its equipment to establish The Watson Theatre Foundation, a non-profit community organization. Future projects include special programming such as a featured filmmaker series, midnight movies, and a local filmmaker showcase, as well as film festivals, and community film classes on history and technique.

However, the future of The Watson Theatre Foundation projects hinges on the purchase of The Watson Theatre. From February 15 — March 15, area residents, film professionals, amateur filmmakers, movie enthusiasts, architectural preservationists, and cultural advocates are encouraged to pledge donations on the Save the Watson Theatre Kickstarter page, show support and spread the word on the Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr pages.

About Save the Watson Theatre

Save the Watson Theatre is a non-profit initiative founded by Matthias Sundberg, editor and producer of original online content at Channel Frederator, a cartoon website. He is a native of Watsontown, Pennsylvania and spent nearly every Saturday of the late 1980’s and early1990s at the Watson Theatre. Sundberg is confident that the preservation of The Watson Theatre as a non-profit community space will benefit the greater central Pennsylvania region and the cultural legacy of film and film history in the United States. For more information about Save the Watson Theatre or The Watson Theatre Foundation, please contact Matthias Sundberg at 412.999.1125 or via email at

Contact Info:

Matthias Sundberg, Save the Watson Theatre

34-06 45th St., #2F, Astoria, NY 11101

Phone: 412.999.1125
Email:
Web: http://thewatsontheatre.com

Kickstarter pledge drive: http://kck.st/bxp6MQ

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Watsontown-PA/Save-the-Watson-Theatre/297736718955

Twitter: @watsontheatre

Theaters in this post

• Watson Theatre