As the Auburn Schine Theater struggles on the path to restoration, the students of Herman Avenue Elementary School's Chorus will try to speed the process along by stirring up Auburn's memories of the building.
Photos provided
A 1959 postcard featuring downtown Auburn's Schine Theater in its heyday. The Herman Avenue Elementary School Chorus is collecting stories and images of the old theater for a project. In April, they will perform “Once Upon a Schine,” where they will sing songs from popular films shown at the theater and display images from the Schine's past.
A 1959 postcard featuring downtown Auburn's Schine Theater in its heyday. The Herman Avenue Elementary School Chorus is collecting stories and images of the old theater for a project. In April, they will perform “Once Upon a Schine,” where they will sing songs from popular films shown at the theater and display images from the Schine's past.
For its spring concert, “Once Upon a Schine,” the chorus has collected several songs from films shown during the theater's heyday in the 1930s through the '70s. Selections such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Singin' in the Rain” and “The Sound of Music” will be sung as pictures of the building in all its glory are shown during the breaks in between.
“Somewhere around the millennium it occurred to me that all the kids have no idea what went on in the decades before now,” said Susan May, the chorus director.
The performance will thus serve two purposes: To educate the children about an important local cultural landmark and to revisit the memories of it that many people in the area still cherish.
“They need to know what's out there and to value what they have,” May said. “We want to instill some appreciation for what they have in the community.”
To inform their performance, May asked the students to interview people in their lives who could share their memories of the Schines' from before its closure. Fifth grader Troy Parker talked to his grandmother, Ann Riley, who told him about the times that children would try to collect 20 bottle caps to gain entry to the theater.
As they explored the history of cinematic music hosted by the theater, each student found a favorite song among the array of classics from films far older than them.
“I like 'The Ballad of Davy Crockett' because we used to go to a gas station my friend owns and we'd sing that song,” said fifth grader Mike Carberry.
Carberry's father, Bob, remembers the Christmas parties thrown at the Schines' by Alco Products, Inc., that let children watch cartoons all morning before letting them open their presents.
Fourth grader Connor Finizio's father, Patrick, shared with his son that his favorite movie he saw at the Schines' was “Jaws,” and he would often wolf down a box of Goobers while watching the pre-movie cartoons from the balcony.
Select songs will also include some dance components, such as “It's a Hard Knock Life.” Fourth grader Makayla Peters is particularly looking forward to this song as a chance to showcase her dance skills.
Fifth-grade student Matt Netti and fourth grader Mike Gagliardi will also fill in a special spot on the night's talent roster with a rendition of Abbott and Costello's “Who's on First?” routine. The concert will also be narrated with newscasts from the decades of the Schines' existence by second-grade teacher Bob Nodzo, who used to work as an usher at the theater.
“It's a really great tie-in, it gives the grandparents and even the great-grandparents a little bit of memory lane,” he said.
“Once Upon a Schine” will also be nostalgic for Nodzo. He remembers walking through the massive building before movies he saw there, such as “Star Wars” and “The Exorcist,” and marveling at the size of the screen and other features of the building.
“When you walked into the rooms and saw the makeup lights and mirrors, you immediately connected with that sense of people sitting there at one time getting ready to perform,” Nodzo said.
The Herman Elementary School auditorium will also be decorated to try to recapture the appearance of the spacious Schines' Theatre.
“We'll try to recapture the feeling of those astronomical ceilings,” May said.
The chorus has scheduled a special matinee for senior citizens at 1:15 p.m. Monday, April 9. May believes this concert will help reacquaint many elderly Auburnians with their memories of the Schines'. She still seeks to collect memories of the theater from more Auburnians who frequented it during its heyday.
May hopes that “Once Upon a Schine” will also help erode some of the negativity many community members have exhibited about the revitalization of the theater.
“I hope there will be some follow-through; I'm just like the kids,” she explained, “I've never been in it, and I'd like to see it alive again.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
“Somewhere around the millennium it occurred to me that all the kids have no idea what went on in the decades before now,” said Susan May, the chorus director.
The performance will thus serve two purposes: To educate the children about an important local cultural landmark and to revisit the memories of it that many people in the area still cherish.
“They need to know what's out there and to value what they have,” May said. “We want to instill some appreciation for what they have in the community.”
To inform their performance, May asked the students to interview people in their lives who could share their memories of the Schines' from before its closure. Fifth grader Troy Parker talked to his grandmother, Ann Riley, who told him about the times that children would try to collect 20 bottle caps to gain entry to the theater.
As they explored the history of cinematic music hosted by the theater, each student found a favorite song among the array of classics from films far older than them.
“I like 'The Ballad of Davy Crockett' because we used to go to a gas station my friend owns and we'd sing that song,” said fifth grader Mike Carberry.
Carberry's father, Bob, remembers the Christmas parties thrown at the Schines' by Alco Products, Inc., that let children watch cartoons all morning before letting them open their presents.
Fourth grader Connor Finizio's father, Patrick, shared with his son that his favorite movie he saw at the Schines' was “Jaws,” and he would often wolf down a box of Goobers while watching the pre-movie cartoons from the balcony.
Select songs will also include some dance components, such as “It's a Hard Knock Life.” Fourth grader Makayla Peters is particularly looking forward to this song as a chance to showcase her dance skills.
Fifth-grade student Matt Netti and fourth grader Mike Gagliardi will also fill in a special spot on the night's talent roster with a rendition of Abbott and Costello's “Who's on First?” routine. The concert will also be narrated with newscasts from the decades of the Schines' existence by second-grade teacher Bob Nodzo, who used to work as an usher at the theater.
“It's a really great tie-in, it gives the grandparents and even the great-grandparents a little bit of memory lane,” he said.
“Once Upon a Schine” will also be nostalgic for Nodzo. He remembers walking through the massive building before movies he saw there, such as “Star Wars” and “The Exorcist,” and marveling at the size of the screen and other features of the building.
“When you walked into the rooms and saw the makeup lights and mirrors, you immediately connected with that sense of people sitting there at one time getting ready to perform,” Nodzo said.
The Herman Elementary School auditorium will also be decorated to try to recapture the appearance of the spacious Schines' Theatre.
“We'll try to recapture the feeling of those astronomical ceilings,” May said.
The chorus has scheduled a special matinee for senior citizens at 1:15 p.m. Monday, April 9. May believes this concert will help reacquaint many elderly Auburnians with their memories of the Schines'. She still seeks to collect memories of the theater from more Auburnians who frequented it during its heyday.
May hopes that “Once Upon a Schine” will also help erode some of the negativity many community members have exhibited about the revitalization of the theater.
“I hope there will be some follow-through; I'm just like the kids,” she explained, “I've never been in it, and I'd like to see it alive again.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
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