BY ANGELA STATZ
Both the Lucas Theatre and the Trustees Theater will host benefit shows this weekend. The Lucas Theatre’s benefit show will be collecting donations for America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia on Dec. 16. The Trustees Theater’s benefit show will be collecting toys for Toys for Tots and non-perishable items for America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia on Dec. 17.
Lucas Theatre
Instead of paying an admission fee, the Lucas Theatre is asking that every guest bring at least one canned good or other non-perishable item to see their screening of the holiday movie, “Home Alone.” There will be a prize for the person that brings the most items for donation. The prize will be a pair of tickets to the remainder of the Southern Circuit Film Festival.
Bridget Tunstall, the events coordinator for the Lucas Theatre, explained what the tickets would give the winner access to:
“Every film festival, we have a Q&A after the screening and then a reception at B. Matthew’s restaurant.”
The theatre chose to screen the movie “Home Alone” for this holiday event because they are hoping to appeal to a wide audience.
“We were trying to go for something really family friendly,” said Erin Muller, the Assistant House Manager for Lucas Theatre. “We really think that ‘Home Alone’ speaks to the widest audience.”
Giving back to the community in this way is important for the Lucas Theatre to do, because the theatre was created for the community.
“[The community] was such a huge part of Arthur Lucas’ legacy. The original owner of the theatre, he thought it was hugely important to have the community be involved in everything that he did, basically. That’s why he opened the theatre, to give the community something to do,” said Muller.
Trustees Theater
The SCAD Cinema Circle’s screening of “Miracle on 34th Street” at the Trustees Theater will benefit Toys for Tots and America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. In lieu of an admission fee, the theater is asking that community members bring either a new, still-packaged toy or a canned good or other non-perishable items such as soap, diapers and other toiletries.
Although the theatre does a benefit show every year around the holiday season, this is their first year’s show collecting donations for both Toys for Tots and America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia.
“They are both local benefitting organizations that we knew people would be excited to give to,” said Amanda Fretz, the programming coordinator for Trustees Theater.
Sticking with tradition, the Trustees Theater is screening a holiday classic for this year’s benefit show.
“We try and show classic Christmas films or holiday films that people may not have seen on the big screen before or just iconic holiday movies,” Fretz said.
This year’s screening of “Miracle on 34th Street” is a way for Trustees Theater to give something back to the community.
“We just look at it as a way for us to give back to the community…this is a way that we can just open our doors for the community members to come in and do something fun that’s also beneficial to the charities that we choose each year,” said Fretz.
America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
This local food bank receives all of its food and other items purely through collecting donations. According to Russ Toler, the food sourcing representative for Coastal Georgia’s division of America’s Second Harvest, the donations brought in by both benefit shows will be a great help this holiday season.
“It helps a lot. [The theaters] are going to draw a lot of foot traffic,” he said. “It should bring in a great deal of canned goods for us….it’s going to be amazing really, especially [with] both of them going on in the same weekend.”
When: Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.
Where: Lucas Theatre
What: Benefit screening of “Home Alone”
When: Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.
Where: Trustees Theater
What: Benefit screening of “Miracle on 34th Street
