The historic Sunrise Theater, on Broad Street in Southern Pines, has recently undergone a major upgrade, with new seats, carpeting, entryway and, best of all, HD (high definition) equipment to showcase not only movies, but offerings from London (The National Theatre) and Live From the Met (live Saturday broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera in New York).

While the Saturday Live From the Met broadcasts are almost sold out, there has been some misunderstanding surrounding the Encore productions, which are shown 11 days later, on Wednesdays. The Encore productions are an exact duplication of what was shown live at the Met. The Sunrise records the broadcasts and repeats them, exactly as they were shown, for the benefit of those people who could not get seats to the Saturday performance. Best of all, you just walk up to the box office, purchase a great seat ($20 per ticket), no hassle and an incredible experience.

The scenery and technology are something most of us could never have imagined. There's no need to worry about the plot; the story lines appear at the bottom of the screen in a nonintrusive manner. In many ways, it's better than seeing a live broadcast.

We need your support if we are to continue to bring you these wonderful theater offerings that you can see locally without traveling to large cities. Start by seeing one Encore production (Dec. 29th at 1 p.m., Jan. 20th and 27th at 6 p.m.) and see if I'm not right. It's an experience you'll never forget.

Nancy Jacobs

Southern Pines