Show Day Secrets: The Hidden Magic of The Lincoln Theatre

Lights, Camera, Action: Performance Day At The Lincoln!The curtain rises on a magical performance, and the audience is captivated—but what happens in the 13 hours before that moment? Bob Watkins, Executive Director of the historic Lincoln Theatre, pulls back the velvet curtain to reveal the carefully choreographed chaos that precedes every seamless show.From the predawn theatre walkthrough to the midnight lockup, performance day at this 1929 Mayan revival masterpiece in Marion, Virginia resembles an intricate ballet. "Our patrons come in and observe the performance. They see the show and they think that it just happens," Watkins explains with a knowing smile. "You don't understand everything that goes behind the scenes."The journey begins months earlier with performer contracts, technical riders, and those infamous colored M&M requests. On show day, the loading crew transforms the quiet stage into a tangle of cables, equipment, and possibilities. Sound engineers program digital consoles while technicians place monitors and fine-tune lighting. Watkins cherishes sound check—that magical moment when he sits alone in the empty theatre, experiencing the raw performance before anyone else.Throughout it all, dedicated volunteers serve as the theatre's ambassadors, arriving early for briefings and guiding patrons to their seats. The next time you settle into your seat at The Lincoln Theatre, take a moment to appreciate not just the performance you're about to witness, but the invisible show that's been unfolding since dawn. Visit Thelincoln.org to experience this magic firsthand and join us in keeping the arts thriving in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.To learn more about The Lincoln Theatre visit:https://www.TheLincoln.org/The Lincoln Theatre117 E. Main StreetMarion, Virginia  24354276-783-6092