Last Word Our Time at the Sunrise by Sundi McLaughlin
W
hen I moved to Southern Pines eight years ago, one of the things I found most intriguing was the Sunrise Theater on Broad Street. I have to say, I was a little intimidated to walk through its well-loved doors and it took some time for me to eventually find my favorite seat up in the balcony. I may have walked past it a few times – checked out the marquee, looked at the paper calendar fluttering in the breeze – but eventually my man and I made our way to a Thursday movie and settled into a delightful weekly rhythm. I mean, a movie with cold beer, hot popcorn and some delicious chocolates after a hard days work…how can you go wrong? A year later I fortuitously ended up working right next door to the Theater where I opened up a little shop and named it Mockingbird. One day a customer stopped in and we started talking about the Sunrise. I asked how they chose the movies and told her how I really would love to be involved with it all somehow. Well as it turned out I was speaking to Loretta Aldridge, who at that time was the chairwoman of the film committee that runs the movie portion of the Sunrise Theater (SunFlix). A few months later there was a vacant seat on the committee and before I knew it I was the chair of the SunFlix. What I didn’t realize at the time, but what is now one of my favorite things about the Theater, is that pretty much everyone who works the events you see at the Sunrise are your neighbors. We are a family of volunteers who try and make our town shine a little brighter. The theater is organized and run by a board of directors, which is helmed by our current president Craig Pryor. Craig calmly sets our course and navigates us through any tough decisions while always keeping an eye on the big picture. Next, of course, we have our amazing employees who keep the theater running smoothly while working side by side with our dedicated group of volunteers. From there, the different programs are broken down into subcommittees with each subcommittee chair residing on the board.
We have Jennie Whitehead running The Met Committee. She is in charge of the Opera, National Theater and the Bolshoi Ballet programming. The Ballet is new this year and is doing really great as a Sunday matinee event. Next we have Anthony Parks (owner of the Ice Cream Parlor). He’s the chair of First Friday. He has been organizing this for years and has become a pro, which is so joyfully obvious if you happen to have been taking part the last few years. SunEvents is helmed by Herb Cameron, whom you can thank for Blues Crawl, Murphy Family Christmas and Night of Bluegrass, just to name a few. Any live music usually has Herb in charge. Sunstage is our newest baby. We are doing our best to put together a group of thespians that can pour their heart and passions into this newest venture of live stage productions, which will be acted, produced and directed by local talent… maybe even you! And then there’s SunFlix, which is where I come in. Our committee views hundreds of movie trailers a year and then vote on our top choices. From there, I lobby L.A. to get the best films possible for a one-screen theater, which is two miles away from a Ten-Plex…don’t get me started…. Of course none of this would be possible with out the unrelenting drive of Executive Director Jessica Harrelson, whose tireless efforts are always keeping us looking forward, staying organized and raising the bar. With the constant growth of the Sunrise, the need for volunteers has become greater. We are always looking for people who are excited about the theatre. My hope is there will always be the next generation or recently transplanted newcomer to pick up where the ones before left off. The Sunrise is a place that is constantly seeking to do better. Not everything works, but what I love is our willingness to try. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of something larger than you and to know that everyone is working towards the same goal. I’ll see you at the Sunrise!
Sundi McLaughlin is vice president of the Sunrise Preservation Group and chair of the SunFlix committee at the Sunrise Theatre. She is also owner of Mockingbird in downtown Southern Pines. Visit sunrisetheatre.com.
34 | SAND& PINE MAGAZINE June/July 2015