The Buskirk-Chumley Theater proudly announces its 90^th anniversary reunion. The Theater will host the event on Thursday, December 6 at 5:30, free and open to the public. Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. The audience is encouraged to bring their memories, photos and memorabilia to the event to share with others and to preserve through digital recordings. The memory sharing will be kicked off by presentations by writer/director Angelo Pizzo, football legend George Taliaferro and Professor Emeritus James Madison. The evening will be concluded with a silent auction of BCT Presents posters, autographed by the artists.

On December 22, 1922 the Indiana Theatre opened its doors to Bloomington adding a beautiful new silent movie house to the growing community. This year, on December 6, 2012 the Buskirk-Chumley Theater will celebrate the building’s 90 year anniversary with a reunion that will bring home former Indiana Theatre employees, dedicated patrons and movie and performing arts lovers from across the region.

“We run into so many people that will start a conversation with ’when I was at IU, I saw movies here all the time’,”, says Danielle McClelland, Executive Director of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, “one goal we have had as an organization is to tie these memories together to form a history, a narrative of our growth as a cultural hub. This event will bring all these people together to share their experiences, bond over a shared history and meet friends old and new.”

Present at the reunion and ready to share their memories are legendary football player, George Taliaferro, writer/director Angelo Pizzo (Hoosiers) and Professor Emeritus James Madison.

Taliaferro, the first African-American to be drafted in the NFL and IU All American, will touch on the story of desegregation of Bloomington’s downtown theaters. Outlining what inspired his career, Pizzo will talk about the films he saw here in his youth. James Madison, Thomas and Kathryn Miller Professor Emeritus at the IU Department of History and foremost expert on Indiana state history, will be speaking on the role of the downtown theater.

Besides reunion, the event will also be a fundraiser for the Theater, with items of its recent history going up for auction.  Artist whose autographed posters of will be auctioned off:

-          Joan Baez,

-          Richard Thompson,

-          Booker T Jones,

-          Steve Earle,

-          Aaron Neville,

-          John Hiatt,

-          And many others

In addition to the auction the Theater will release a limited amount of its old cast aluminum marquee letters for purchase by the general audience. Local woodworker and community organizer Steve Swihart will show off innovative ways of framing the letters. The frames will also be available for sale.