Abracadabra: Magician will formally buy North Theatre

In spite of what some people think of Friday the 13th, magician Wayne Alan believes it is a lucky day.

He won a gold medal for Grand Illusion on that day in 1982, and now it will be his first full day as the owner of the North Theatre on North Main Street in Danville.

Alan is officially purchasing the building Thursday. Even though the electricity is out and the weather is dreary, Alan was beaming with excitement on his latest business venture.

“My feeling is Danville is part of a revitalization right now,” said Alan. “And I want a ride on that wave.”

This is not his first theater. Alan bought an older theater before, but it required a lot of restoration. He said the main attraction he had with the North Theatre were the renovations already in place.

In 2004, a board was put together to restore the North. After $2.5 million in renovations including the most modern technology, the theater hosted a variety of local theater, music and special performances for five years. But it later closed due to lack of revenue and was put up for sale earlier in 2011 for $395,000.

In November, the façade of the building attached to the North Theatre collapsed onto North Main Street and city workers had to clean up the mess.

This did not faze Alan, who was aware the front of the building needed repairs. He said there is no infrastructure damage to the building. And even though the building has not been in use for a year, the interior looks brand new and ready to open.

In a way it saved Alan money because he was going to tear down the collapsed part anyway.

He said the first show he will probably present will be his own magic show, which has appeared all around the country. As a magician, Alan has performed on Good Morning America, MTV, with Oprah Winfrey and appeared 13 times at the White House.

He also wants to open up the restaurant at the front of the building and use the apartment space next to the theater. Next to the apartment is a large open room, which he wants to use as well for private events or a gallery.

One event Alan definitely looks to bring in is an illusionist haunted house. He had success with haunted houses before in Baltimore and was already planning on using the basement for state-of-the-art, scare-filled haunted house.

But he is not sure exactly what else the theater is going to produce. He wants to leave that up to residents. Alan is moving to Danville to live part-time between his home in Maryland. He wants to hear from people in the area about what type of shows and events the North Theatre should have.

He hopes people will give him plenty of good ideas and he is confident that the area is the place to be.

“When they build the YMCA looking over the river it will bring a whole new wave to this side of the river,” said Alan.

Even though he is new in-town, he is aware of all the new revitalization projects for downtown Danville and wants to help bring the artistic side of the city to life.

Learn more

Contact Wayne Alan on Facebook at the Historic North Theatre.