Globe Theatre in Bertram getting vintage restoration by modern means
JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF
BERTRAM — When the new owners of the long-closed Globe Theatre decide to resurrect the 78-year-old building, they went a very modern and high-tech way.Zach Hamiliton and Lance Regier turned to the Internet, more precisely, Kickstarter.
The website allows people to support projects such as restoring Bertram’s Globe Theatre by pledging money. Since the theater has been closed for 30 years, the two owners are hoping people will help breathe new life into the Globe.
But Hamilton and Regier are working under a deadline.
The Kickstarter fundraiser is open until June 14 and, as of June 3, has 41 backers pledging almost $8,800. In order to get any money, the entire $25,000 must be pledged by the June 14 deadline.
While the duo are turning to a very modern approach to raising money, they are sticking true to the Globe Theatre’s roots when it comes to the renovations.
If passers-by decide to peek inside while Hamilton and Regier are working — which many have done — they will see the framework for an entirely new, yet familiar, Globe Theatre.
“When you walk in, we don’t want you to see anything past 1945 or 1950,” said Hamilton, who lives in Liberty Hill.
The two longtime friends built a new addition on the back of the theater for offices, a green room and restrooms. They added a new roof.
They gutted the inside of the theater except for some items and fixtures the two managed to salvage.
Now, a stage stands in the original place. The framework for the entrance and lobby area is up, and above it is a balcony space with a 35mm projector.
Hamilton and Regier both have careers, wives and — for Regier — a baby. With what could be called a project, hobby or sometimes a good workout, the two want to restore the building to host live music and show classic movies.
The two former musicians once traveled together in a band playing small gigs. In 2007, Hamilton saw the building while driving through town and later went to Regier with the idea of buying the theater.
“One of the things that’s cool about the theater is I remember cruising through Bertram in the 1980s on my dad’s lap,” Hamilton said. “I wanted to bring that back, what it must have been like in the 1930s.”
Hamilton and Regier were one of a few groups who had inquired over the years about purchasing the building. After convincing the previous owner they wanted to restore the theater instead of turning it into something else, Regier said the owner agreed to sell the building to them after more than a year of negotiating and discussions.
“He was sentimental about handing over the keys,” Regier said. “He said he would offer to be the projectionist, at least part time, once we get open.”
The two created the Kickstarter fundraiser to raise $25,000 to purchase newly refurbished “vintage” seats.
To find out more about the project or to make a pledge, visit www.kickstarter.com and search for “Globe Theatre.”
jared@thepicayune.com
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The Globe Theatre in Bertram is receiving a makeover thanks to two longtime friends. Originally opened in 1935, the theater closed in the 1980s. Purchased by Zach Hamilton and Lance Regier, the two have a Kickstarter fundraiser to buy vintage-style seats for the theater. Their goal is to open the theater to play classic movies and host musical acts. Staff photo by Jared Fields
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The new owners of Bertram’s Globe Theatre need to have $25,000 pledged by June 14 at Kickstarter.com. The money will be used to purchase vintage-style seats for the theater. For more about the project or to make a pledge, visit www.kickstarter.com and search for “Globe Theatre.”
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