Fundraiser tonight for theatrical ‘grand dame of downtown’

By Medicine Hat News on November 3, 2017.

Medicine Hat News

Efforts by the Society of Friends of the Monarch Theatre to keep Medicine Hat’s ‘grand dame of downtown’ flourishing continue tonight with a fund-raising event at the Beveridge Building.

A Christmas Wine Tasting at the Cellar, the lower level of the Lnadmark Centre at the Beveridge Building (across the street from the Monarch) will be held from 6-10 p.m. Admission includes samples of a variety of wines, hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, a silent auction and a cash bar. Tickets are $30 each and may be obtained by calling Lorraine Dalla Longa (403-977-1363) or promotion director Bruce Shepard (403-527-5440).

The Monarch Theatre is touted in a press release as “one of the finest examples of ‘art moderne’ theatre architecture in Alberta. It was built in 1911 but extensively renovated in the 1930s at the height of the then new architectural movement. Saved by the foresight of its owners, the Monarch has been brought up to current standards while retaining its historic atmosphere with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers.

The Society of Friends of the Monarch Theatre has been in existence for less than a decade yet has already raised thousands of dollars to keep the ‘grand dame’ open and running as a theatre. The society’s funds has helped to purchase a new digital projector, sound equipment and HVAC system.

Now, they need the community’s help to repair the back wall and, hopefully, raise a new roof.