Members of the Rees Theater Project Committee invite residents to embark on a Memory Tour this weekend to relive the experience of being at the movies inside the facility.
Officials say this will be the only opportunity to take a peek inside the structure before renovations to the art deco theater begin. The theater was opened by the Stewart Rees family in 1940. The theater has been an icon of the Plymouth downtown area since that time.
The theater has been closed for the past seven years. The ownership of the theater was taken over by the Wythougan Valley Preservation Council in January of this year. The council hopes to restore the feel of a live theater with plans to host live performances, public and private events and an opportunity for people of all ages to experience the importance of the arts.
Attendees of this weekend’s tour will get to see the backstage area and the second-floor apartment – two areas that have rarely been seen by members of the public. The committee reminds those who have mobile difficulties that not all areas of the theater are handicapped accessible. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Free will donations will be accepted at the end of the tour to help the committee complete the first phase of renovations to the façade and the marquee.
The memory tour is Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
