Pickens Theater Needs Funds to Go Digital

Time is about to run out for the Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center, unless the owners can quickly raise $55,000 for new equipment.

The funds would go towards converting to digital technology. In the coming year, film distributors who provide the Pickens with their films will discontinue the classic 35 mm film in favor of digital.

“The major risk for the future of the JPT is that if we cannot achieve this goal, our business cannot survive on secondary films. We will be forced to convert to an event space only or give up on all the efforts/progress of the past eight years due to technical issues beyond our control,” the Kickstarter page for the Keep the JPT project reads.

Owner Kathy Staab also created a video describing why the transition is so important and how the community can help.

“Digital projection will benefit everyone in the end, but the transition is going to be expensive,” she said in the video.

The page goes on to say that the film industry may be completely converted in the next six months, and that time is of the essence regarding the installation of new equipment.

As of Thursday morning, Keep the JPT: Digital Cinema Challenge has raised $415 with 29 days to go.

To read more about the project or to make a donation, visit the Kickstarter page here.