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By Evan Fitch

Editor’s Note: In this new column, the Tryon Theater welcomes the opportunity to share their feature films with the community, and to share their love for film and the theater experience, in general. 

This week at Tryon Theatre, we are wading into the marshes with “Where the Crawdads Sing.” This film has recently arrived in theaters, to the great satisfaction of many moviegoers. In a similar vein of success, the novel on which it was based is back atop the bestseller list, where spent over a year during its initial release. 

For any fans of the novel, or anyone seeking a faithfully adapted, well-acted story in a beautiful, natural setting (the marshes of our own North Carolina), this is the film for you! It tells a story of love for both community and nature, a story of great personal struggle, and a story of intrigue and mystery to tie it all together. We hope to see you at the theater! 

 

In this inaugural column, we, the Tryon Theatre, would love to take the brief opportunity to tell our story, and speak about our role in the modern scope of arts and entertainment. We are an independently owned and operated theater, and have been serving our community with great films, without any interruption in service, since 1938. 

 

The current owners assumed the responsibility of bringing films to Polk County in 2017. The theater has since been heavily renovated in almost every manner imaginable, to return it to the aesthetic glory of a 1950s art-deco theater, while seamlessly blending in the modern comfort of well-cushioned and supportive seats, and cutting-edge projection technology. 

 

In the modern age of digital streaming, we are aware of our unique position as a brick-and-mortar theater. Before the advent of television, the silver screen was the only source of cinematic entertainment for decades. Even after television’s dominance grew, the movie theater remained the only source of new movies, the well-spring of the premier and the blockbuster. The world of modern streaming services, however, has altered the dynamics of the balance between home and theater. For many titles, a theater release date now is similarly a release date for streaming services. With that in mind, we are no longer providing access to just films, as much as we are providing a more enriching experience of the films. 

 

Access can be found in the comfort of home, but a home viewing cannot provide the experience of the theater: the warm glow of a classic marquee, the enticing aroma of fresh popcorn, crisp cold fountain drinks, and the rich, red, wall curtains and carpet, ensconcing the viewer in the quintessential trappings of “going to the movies.” 

 

When patrons enter our theater, they are transported to a bygone era of the mythical movie-going past, where the silver screen still holds all the magic it once did. For many of our older patrons, we provide them, if only for the length of a film, a step back into their youth. For our younger patrons, we enable them to occupy the space of their cinematic imaginations, a space of nostalgia for a kind of theater that they never actually had the opportunity to know before, but one they can now experience and grow to love. We hope you too can find the perfect movie-going experience with us at the Tryon Theatre!