Erin Glasnovich has worked at the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg for seven years. She has served as a box office assistant, operations manager, and – for the past 11 months –interim director. Now the word "interim" has been dropped from her title and she is the theatre's new executive director.
“I’m fortunate to have been with the theatre for so long. I’ve observed and learned a lot from previous leadership,” said Glasnovich.
She said previous Executive Director Kevin Maynard “paved a great path for The Orpheum” so she will follow that path and continue to book movies, live shows, and other entertainment that might not be available anywhere else in the area.
For example, the theatre will hold what it is calling a “DocuSeries” that will feature five documentary films in January and February, 2020:
- Three Identical Strangers on January 10
- Miss Representation on January 17
- The Great Buster on January 24
- Say Amen, Somebody on January 31
- Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice on February 7
Admission is $5.00 per movie. A series pass for all five films in $20.
Glasnovich said some of the films were chosen based on patron recommendations.
“When we ask, ‘What do you want to see at the Orpheum or what do you want to come to your community?’ and you communicate that with us, we do take it into consideration. And I think this (the DocuSeries) is a good testament to that,” she said.
For the long-term, Glasnovich said it is important to stay on top of the building’s maintenance needs to ensure it is still around for at least another 103 years. And she wants to reach out to and attract people who have never visited the Orpheum or who have not stepped inside its doors for a number of years.
“The Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg, as with many theatres, was called during its inception ‘A Shrine to Democracy.’ People from all backgrounds and all walks of life could come and feel that they have a place that they can belong and view theatre or view art and experience that together,” said Glasnovich.
She said the theatre is not a one-person operation. She said The Orpheum’s four-person staff and roughly 40 volunteers make it possible for the theatre to hold events.
