By 1808Delaware
The Strand Theatre in downtown Delaware is celebrating Black History Month by showing four movies on Tuesday nights in February.
Each of the movies stars actor Denzel Washington in a lead or supporting role.
The series begins tonight with a showing of “Glory,” 1989 American historical war drama film directed by Edward Zwick about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the Union Army’s earliest African-American regiments in the American Civil War. It stars Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the regiment’s commanding officer, with Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman as fictional members of the 54th.
On Tuesday, February 14 the 2016 movie “Fences” with Washington and Viola Davis will be shown. The 1999 biographical sports drama “The Hurricane,” again with Washington, will follow on February 21, and the series will conclude on February 28 with Malcolm X, the 1992 epic biographical film about the well-known African-American leader.
Each showing will take place at 7:00 PM, with doors opening a half hour earlier.
Over 1,600 were in attendance on opening night for The Strant Theatre on May 10, 1916, with each lady receiving a “beautiful little favor” on arriving. Showing was “Pennington’s Choice” starring Francis X. Bushman. Prices on opening day were 10 cents for a balcony seat, and a whopping 15 cents for a seat on the lower floor.
The Strand was acquired in 2002 by Ohio Wesleyan University, which in turn created the Strand Theatre and Cultural Arts Association. The 501(c)(3) organization currently owns the building.