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Fox Theatre to bring benefit show to the Mars
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Springfield’s Mars Theatre will be one of the stops on the Fox Theatre Institute’s three-day Theatre Revival Tour.


The Fox Theatre Institute will showcase three of its latest theatre restoration projects during its May 2-4 tour to raise awareness for each of the historic venues. The tour stop in Springfield, set for May 4 from 5-8 p.m., will feature a community festival and the Alpharetta-based music group Von Grey. Composed of four sisters, Von Grey recently performed on CBS’ “Late Night With David Letterman” and recorded their last five-song EP with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick DiDia. Von Grey also is scheduled to be featured in the May issue of Billboard magazine.


“I think you’ll really enjoy it,” Springfield Merchants Association President Jamey Stancell said of the Fox Theatre event.


All the proceeds from the event will go toward the Mars Theatre, Stancell added.


Von Grey is part of a FTI program called “Georgia Presenters,” a statewide booking consortium that links arts presenters and artists, theatres and communities. By leveraging its assets through group bookings, Georgia Presenters allows communities to attract a level of talent and performances that otherwise could not be afforded.


The grant from FTI is helping the Mars Theatre continue a multi-phase plan that includes rehabilitating the interior lobby and adding restrooms. In addition to its work with FTI, The Mars Theatre has worked with a team of SCAD students to construct a 3-D model of the building and prepare documentation that will allow them the opportunity to be nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.


The Mars Theatre received a $20,000 grant from the Fox Theatre Institute last September.


“As an anchor in the community, the saving of the Fox Theatre was a critical step in the revitalization of midtown Atlanta,” said Adina Erwin, vice president and general manager of the Fox Theatre. “Thus, the goal of FTI and restoration projects such as these is to serve as a catalyst for stabilizing and stimulating economic development while building stronger communities.”


The Mars Theatre will host an outdoor movie Friday night, showing “Hop” beginning at 8 p.m. The movie is free and there will be children’s activities, such as a coloring contest, face painting, an Easter egg “dig” and a bunny hop race starting at 7:30 p.m. Concessions will be available for purchase.


The other stops on the Theatre Revival Tour are the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts in Toccoa and the Knox Theate in Warrenton.