Denis Theatre Foundation working hard to reach goal
A rendering of what the Denis Theatre lounge area will look like then the new theatre opens.
The Denis Theatre Foundation is diligently working to raise funds to renovate the Mt. Lebanon theatre.
The Denis Theatre Foundation is working as hard as any producer trying to secure funds for their next big Hollywood blockbuster. The foundation is in the middle of a campaign to raise $290,000 by Dec. 31, 2015. Once raised, an anonymous donor has pledged a matching gift of $145,000.
“Our goal is to meet and beat this challenge before the end of the year and then use that as momentum,” explained fundraising chair Dr. Betty Jo Hirschfield Louik. Once completed, the foundation is eyeing a final push to cover construction costs, which is being planned for mid-2016. Bernie Bishop Pirollo, a consultant working with the foundation, said, “We need this [$435,000] to get the hammers going. An additional $600,000 is what takes us to the final stretch.”
And how does the foundation plan to raise the necessary funds?
“We are pursuing individuals offering major gifts, asking donors to add stretch gifts, we’re working on proposals to local family and private foundations and looking at government funding from the county and states,” said Hirschfield Louik.
In addition, there are a events planned this year to benefit the fund. “Hot Night in the City” takes place Aug. 19 at Wigle Whiskey in the Strip District; The Walnut Grill in Mt. Lebanon is hosting a movie trivia night Aug. 25 and on Sept. 12, the foundation is planning “Carnival on The Common Block Party” at Clearview Common on Washington Road.
While it’s hard to begin programming without a theater, the Denis Theatre Foundation hasn’t let that stand in its way. Showing how a neighborhood theater can make a difference in the community, the foundation is already working with the Artists for Alzheimer’s/I’m Still Here Foundation and has launched the Pittsburgh premier of the national program “Meet Me at the Movies and Make Memories,” celebrating the wonder of film for those with memory loss, their loved ones and care partners. The program takes place at the Mt. Lebanon Library.
“It helps continue and multiply the vitality taking place in the community. A theater is a destination,” Hirschfield Louik said as to why it’s important for the Denis to reopen. “There’s something about going out with your friends to a theater you can’t get at home by yourself.”
Clearly the sense of community that the theater will bring is important to the foundation. Bishop Pirollo sums up the feelings of attending an independent film at a local theater as opposed to a chain with stadium seating: “It’s kind of like being a member of a public radio station. You don’t know everybody, but you’re a part of everyone sitting around you and you have some underlying common ground with everyone watching the film.”