F.M. Kirby Center remains a cornerstone of downtown WB

Jun. 26—WILKES-BARRE — Chances are, most local residents have been to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts for one reason or another.

Concerts, comedians, screenings, plays and awards ceremonies are big draws, and many have even received their high school diplomas onstage at the Kirby. Though it's undergone a few name changes since opening as the Comerford Movie Theatre in 1938, the Kirby Center (as it was named in 1986) remains a cornerstone of downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Even the 14-foot-deep flood waters of Hurricane Agnes couldn't keep the center — at that time called the Paramount Theater — down. It proudly served as venue for the debut of the 'Agnes' documentary this past week on June 23, the 50th anniversary of the flooding.

In more recent times the Kirby Center, like so many downtown businesses, endured the COVID-19 pandemic and is still standing tall as a pillar of the downtown community.

Executive Director Drew Taylor, just notched his 20-year anniversary with the Kirby this month, as he noted to a reporter. He was appointed to his current position in March of 2021, after coming onboard as the director of operations and spending time as managing director.

Speaking on the impact of the pandemic, Taylor said, "The impact on our theater was overwhelming. We closed on Monday, March 16, 2020 and immediately had to cancel or reschedule 21 events and refund over $126,000 in ticket sales." Further cancellations would another $100,000 in refunds as well as money spent on advertising and marketing shows.

Employees worked remotely in what capacities they could. Rescheduling shows, assisting patrons with refunds, applying for grants, paying the bills, and staying engaged with donors were all examples Taylor gave. Some staff members were furloughed, though all were able to return by July of last year. Taylor commended his staff and supporters of the Kirby Center. "It was a true team effort, all for the love of the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts," he said, as they worked to ensure their supporters that, "our stage would once again shine brightly with the quality entertainment they had come to expect."

Taylor also mentioned that the Kirby Center stayed in touch with the Diamond City Partnership and stayed active in discussions of how to help downtown recover from the pandemic and its effects. "My personal feeling was that the Kirby Center would be a springboard in bringing people back downtown once we were able to reopen," Taylor said. This sentiment was realized on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021 when the Kirby was back at full-capacity with a sold-out performance of The Happy Together Tour.

Since then, the Kirby Center has been back to doing what it does best: Bringing acts and entertainment of all kinds (as well as patrons) to downtown Wilkes-Barre and uniting the community under a roof of commonality and familiarity.

"We need to proud of our downtown and see it as so many of our visitors from outside the area do. As our downtown goes, so goes our city," Taylor remarked on the importance of getting folks downtown, perhaps for dinner and drinks and then a show inside the beautiful Kirby Center auditorium.

"Our schedule remains busy with a good mix of performances," Taylor said of current business. "We continue to announce new shows every week and we are building our new season filled with Broadway, headliners, comedians, our Young Peoples Theater Series, and more, all of which will be announced in our Season Brochure that we're planning to come out with soon."

Taylor also wanted to thank the Kirby Members who continued to renew their memberships during COVID, even when the Center was shut down. "They stayed with us and helped more than they know," he said.

Kirby Center Members get advanced information about new shows, prior to general public announcements as well as advanced ticket sales. There are levels to membership, with each level seeing more and more benefits. That said, folks can become members for as little as $50 a year.

"Our Kirby Members help make possible many of the shows that we present," Taylor said. "To learn more about becoming a Kirby Center Member, please call us at 570-823-4599."

For more information on the Kirby Center or to see a schedule of upcoming events, visit the website @ www.kirbycenter.org.