Champaign, IL – The Champaign Park District has announced that due to an issue with travel arrangements, organist Steven Ball is unable to perform at the Virginia Theatre for the News-Gazette Film Series screening of NOSFERATU originally scheduled on Friday, October 14, 2022. The event has been postponed to Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 7:00 P.M., with doors opening at 6:00 P.M. General admission tickets are $10.00 plus a per-ticket processing fee of $2.00 and are available at the Virginia Theatre box office, online at www.thevirginia.org, or charge by phone at 217/356-9063. Presented by The News-Gazette and the Champaign Park District.
Tickets purchased for the originally-advertised Friday, October 14 screening will be accepted at the rescheduled date. Patrons who have already purchased tickets to the Friday screening but who are unable to attend Saturday may contact the box office for a full refund at 217/356-9063.
In appreciation for all who attend Saturday’s screening, the Virginia Theatre will be offering each ticket-holder a gift card good for complimentary admission (for two) to a future News-Gazette Film Series screening.
Maestro Steven Ball will be performing Saturday, October 15, on the Virginia’s restored 1921 Wurlitzer Hope Jones Orchestral Pipe Organ to provide a live soundtrack for this special News-Gazette Film Series screening of a digitally remastered, high definition version of NOSFERATU.
NOSFERATU (1922, Silent, 81 Min) F.W. Murnau’s iconic vampire film tells the tale of the villainous blood-drinker Count Orlok. In this highly influential silent horror picture, the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) summons Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. A classic of the silent era, the movie has been celebrated for its ingenuity and long-lasting cultural footprint (even garnering a reference in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants) and has recently experienced a resurgence of critical praise and interest (see Richard Leskosky’s October 9 review in The News-Gazette, Roger Ebert’s 4-star review, or this recent article in the New York Times).
DR. STEVEN BALL studied at the University of Michigan where he went on to both teach and serve as University Carillonneur and became the Director of the famous Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments. His impressive and varied career includes extensive touring throughout the world as a silent film accompanist, theater organist, and concert organist. He has recently been named Director of Sacred Music at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in St Louis, Missouri.
