Clarion Theatre has been a mainstay on Clarion’s courthouse square for decades. But it was 2012 when a major remodeling took place and it became a community-owned and operated facility. Current manager LeAnn Johnson said, “It is staffed mainly with volunteers, and we appreciate their support.” She has been involved in the events and activities in the eight years since the change, first as a board member and most recently as its long-term manager.
The theatre works through a booking agency to secure movies for the Clarion facility. “While our agent books our movies,” said Johnson, “we can submit our requests for movies we may really want. Kids and family movies tend to be the best attended. Disney movies are good. So are faith-based ones. While we show some R-rated movies, it doesn’t seem they are normally that well attended.” Two recent movies with good attendances were Frozen 2 and Jumanji.
Johnson is pleased with the numbers of willing volunteers. “I can’t say enough about the commitment of our volunteers,” she said, “but we can always use more.” If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer, Johnson asks interested people to call the theatre at 1-515-602-6606 and leave a message. They can also go to the theatre's web site www.clariontheater.com and fill out a form under the volunteer tab and email their information. Volunteers are asked to come 45 minutes to one hour ahead of the current movie show time. For their service, volunteers are awarded popcorn, a drink, and the opportunity to watch the movie. They are then asked to help with theatre cleanup following the showing.
The theatre is currently served by a seven-member board including Bobbie Tillman, Jon Ahrendsen, Kaleb Vorwalk, Missy Hansen, John Campbell, Shannon Walker, and Nicole Fletcher. Part-time assistant managers include Rhonda Draeger and Maggie Solis. The management team continues to attempt new things. And 2019 was no exception. “We worked to have a Spanish dubbed or captioned movie one time per month,” said Johnson. “And we hosted ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ on Halloween Night.” Both were pretty well attended. They want to repeat those efforts this year. The theatre also purchased a new server at the end of 2018 and readied it for use in 2019, funded in part by a Clarion Hotel & Motel grant.
Management is looking at trying to get lights for the auditorium so the facility could have expanded use for meetings of all types. “We are happy to rent the facility to businesses, organizations, and schools,” said Johnson. The seating capacity is 180.
Currently movies are shown Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday evenings at 7; with a Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are currently $4 for adults and $2 for children (2D) and $5 for adults and $3 for children (3D). The theatre is also known for its snack bar with its popcorn being sought after for those who aren’t necessarily going to the movie. “We are known to have the best theatre popcorn in the area,” Johnson said.
