Scott Foppiano Plays Oriental Theatre

ORIENTAL THEATRE TO SHOW SPECIAL SCREENING OF
SILENT FILM CLASSIC “HABEAS CORPUS” WITH
LIVE ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT

October 17 , 2008

For immediate release:

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. On Sunday, October 26th, the Dairyland Theatre Organ Society, in cooperation with the historic Oriental Theatre, will present a special Halloween screening of the classic Laurel & Hardy silent film comedy, Habeas Corpus. This performance will bring back the golden era of silent film with live accompaniment on the Oriental Theatre’s beautiful Kimball pipe organ.

Scott Foppiano, the 2007 American Theatre Organ Society’s Organist Of The Year, will perform his original score to this 1928 comedy classic in which Laurel & Hardy star as grave-robbers hired by a mad scientist. Mr. Foppiano, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, has performed extensively as a concert organist around the country and has also served as organist and choirmaster at several notable congregations.

He will lend his considerable skills to the Oriental Theatre’s Kimball pipe organ on Sunday, October 26th, to bring Habeas Corpus to life. “The theatre pipe organ is very much like a symphony orchestra,” Foppiano said. “The organist can use a wide range of sounds like strings, flutes, trumpets, and percussion, to support and supplement the action going on in the film,” he added.

The Oriental Theatre is one of a mere handful of theatres in the Midwest that boasts a large theatre pipe organ. Back in the 1920s, theatres small and large throughout the United States installed pipe organs to provide musical accompaniment to the silent films of the day. It will be a special treat for the whole family to experience that golden era of silent film at the Oriental Theatre.

The performance begins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26th. Tickets are $15 at the door, $13 in advance at the box office. Student tickets are available for $10. The Oriental Theatre is located at 2230 North Farwell Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202. For additional information about tickets or the performance, please contact us.

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