LOOK HARLINGEN FOLKS! From Xavier Jaramillo (owner of bldg): " I have huge plans for the theatre. The main purpose for restoring the Grande Theatre is to revitalize the downtown area and the entire community through Art. The Grande Theatre was an entertainment hub in its prime and it will again become one of the centers for Art in Harlingen. The Grande was a movie theatre and will be transformed into a live performance venue. The Grande will host plays, musicals, semi-operas, recitals, concerts, open mic night, amateur comedy hour, foreign films, and more. I am composing two original musicals right now and working on the production aspects for them. I am excited to know that they will premier at the Grande Theatre and call global Artistic attention to this area. My vision is to create a space for entertainment that will offer something for people of all ages. Another project that is dear to my heart is the Grande Theatre Youth Outreach Program. Many young talented artists need a functional place to cultivate and nurture their art. Honing in on one’s skills, as a young artist, is an important step in creating dreams and realizing them. The Grande theatre will have a designated Saturday for instruction and will showcase a different Art form (music, dance, singing, acting, painting, photography, writing, poetry, etc.) every month. The monthly classes will be free to participants. In the evening, the participants will showcase, their newly learned skills, at a Gala performance where ticket sales will ensure the continuation of future workshops. When the Grande Theatre was built in 1941, it was state-of-the-art. It is my wish to make the Grande Theatre state-of-the-art again and revitalize it for another 70-plus years. Another project that I have in mind is to capture the history of the Grande Theatre in audio files. Since I have purchased the theatre, many people have come up to me and shared stories about what the Grande Theater meant to them. It is my wish to preserve the history of the theatre through the words, emotions, and energy of those that are retelling their own memories. This project would be an ongoing effort and would be constantly updated. I believe that when we share our lives and experiences with each other - we grow ourselves and connect to our community. It is my wish for anyone that walks into the theater to feel welcomed and excited to be there. Lastly, there were many famous people that walked the stage of the Grande Theatre and I thought that having a “walk of fame” sidewalk with stars in front of the theatre would be a wonderful educational tool and entertainment history preservation tool. I think it would bring awareness to all of the great world class art and entertainment that was showcased at the Grande Theatre. I feel that sharing history, in this manner, would connect the generations. We all go through the same developmental stages and I think it would be fantastic for Seniors and youths to have a common meeting place where they can share stories, memories, experiences and help further the love of Art."
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 05:56:00 +0000
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