Plans for Lincoln Theatre Still Unclear; Dragon Tattoo Showing
U Street’s Lincoln Theatre now under the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Michelle Lancaster. Follow her and tell her your news on Twitter @MichLancaster or email her at [email protected].
The Lincoln Theatre on U Street will officially be transferred to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities on January 1. The hope is that the theater can find a business model that makes it operation sustainable, along with a new executive director. The historic venue at 1215 U Street NW came under fire earlier this year due to the fact that few events are scheduled and it has no permanent theater company in residence — and, obviously, it is not paying its way.
In a hopeful sign, the Lincoln is has a four-week engagement starting tonight. The theater has a four-week partnership with Landmark Theatres to show The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; it runs through January 18. You can view the schedule and purchase tickets online.
On Tuesday, DC Mayor Vincent Gray held a press conference (along with the executive director of DCCAH) to talk about the Lincoln’s future. If you were expecting details on what the Theatre’s programming will be in the next year in order to be somewhat financially stable, you clearly have not lived in DC for very long.
No, as Washinigton City Paper reports, the mayor and the executive director discussed vague plans to run movies, shows from the Arena Stage and Kennedy Center — along with the notion that programming will be consistent with the diversity of the U Street community.
Questions ducked include how it will be financially stable and if it will be a ‘white theater.’ While I’d like to have heard some concrete plans, I can’t blame them for not engaging those two hot items head on, either.
