Graduate assistants with the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement (CECE) worked with the Town of Stuart, Virginia to conduct a feasibility study regarding purchase and operation of the Historic Star Theatre. First opened in 1947, the Star Theatre screened films and hosted live entertainment, drawing in locals and out-of-town visitors to the historic venue. With the theater newly renovated, the purchase of the historic facility could provide the town with a cultural anchor that would serve as a community-oriented center for concerts, movies, town gatherings, and other events, while simultaneously supporting Stuart’s historic downtown redevelopment effort.
Small town in Patrick County looks to historic theater — and Virginia Tech — to spark growth