kicking off our 2000 bulbs of light campaign
These are exciting times at The Murphy Theatre.
COVID finally appears to be in our rearview mirror, we’re enjoying back-to-back record-breaking annual membership, growing audience numbers, a wider variety of entertainment offerings, including national acts gracing our stage, and increased participation from our local businesses, the city, county, even the state; all in the spirit of cooperation, to keep this landmark in the center of a historic downtown alive and well.
We have a 73-year old marquee, the fourth one in the life of The Murphy Theatre, and the sign that has lasted the longest by far. Sadly though, it has seen better days. The harsh winters and exposure to other elements has brought us to the point of much needed repairs. We can no longer kick this can down the road, and a simple coat of paint won’t do the trick.
There was a choice. Do we dare take the easy route and simply tear this marquee down and replace it, like others have in the past, or, do we repair this iconic structure, and keep it as true to its current look as much as we possibly can, returning all its bells and whistles while enhancing its functionality to meet the demands of the 21st Century?
Check out some of The Murphy's signs through the years!
Marquee Repair and Restoration FAQ
WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT TAKE PLACE?
WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT TAKE PLACE?
WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT TAKE PLACE?
On-site work began on Monday, July 31 (please excuse our scaffolding!), and work is anticipated to be
completed in October.
WILL THE SIGN LOOK DIFFERENT?
WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT TAKE PLACE?
WHEN WILL THIS PROJECT TAKE PLACE?
OUR GOAL IS TO MAINTAIN THE LOOK OF THIS
HISTORIC LANDMARK!
The marquee will not be larger, and the “blade” (that very cool vertical center piece that says “MURPHY”) will not be taken down and shipped away to be worked on as is the case with most theatre signs similar to ours. Our marquee will be repaired and restored by a local company.
The original bells and whistles of the sign will be restored — some of which many Wilmington residents may have never seen functioning in their prime!
With the energy-saving tweaks we are making to the sign, The Murphy Theatre will save thousands of dollars on utility costs alone annually.
SO WHAT'S CHANGING?
The message panel that we currently change manually on a near-daily basis, the panel you see as you drive past the theatre, will be updated to a digital panel. It will have the same look as the current panel, but it will be cleaner, still with the lines going across the panels, and the letters the same size as we use now, only we’ll be ab
The message panel that we currently change manually on a near-daily basis, the panel you see as you drive past the theatre, will be updated to a digital panel. It will have the same look as the current panel, but it will be cleaner, still with the lines going across the panels, and the letters the same size as we use now, only we’ll be able to change this sign from a laptop, smartphone, or iPad. The panel on the other side will remain as is, but cleaned up and repaired as well.
When you only have one or two shows a month, changing the message from the ladder isn’t so difficult, but quite a different story when you have four, sometimes five different events within one week or believe it or not, sometimes within three days, that need to share that marquee.
In compliance with city code, we will not change this signage any more often than once every 60 minutes. There will be NO flashing graphics, NO scrolling, and NO brightly colored changing images!
The lumens emanating from the panels will be able to be dimmed for later in the evening, something we cannot currently control.