(Alamogordo, New Mexico) - By the end of this year, the Clyde W. Tombaugh Theater is scheduled to have the first phase of its facelift finished with the installation of a new all-digital large format projection system. As the era of “wet film” comes to an end in the theater, a classic film, Journey Into Amazing Caves, will be added into the theater schedule allowing movie goers to see it one last time in its original format.
“We will replace the current projection system, which was installed in 1983 when the theater was built, with a new all-digital projection system,” Orwoll said. “The new large format system will let us offer a wider range of film titles and special programming. This will require closing the theater for up to two weeks. The exact schedule and details will be announced, but we hope to reopen well before the holiday season.” The second phase will follow in early 2015 when a digital planetarium system is installed and the projection dome is replaced.
Orwoll expressed his appreciation to the City of Alamogordo and the State Legislature for making the upgrades possible. “It started when the Alamogordo City Commission approved a $300,000 grant to upgrade the theater projection system, with the condition that the State would match those funds. With the help of area legislators and the Department of Cultural Affairs, not only did the state match the grant but exceeded it, making it possible for a complete theater overhaul,” said Orwoll.
The existing theater projector uses a 70mm “wet” film that arrives wrapped on huge spools, weighing roughly 200 pounds. Each has to be hydraulically lifted onto the projector platform. With the new state-of-the-art system, changing movies will be as simple as changing the hard drives the movies arrive on.
Beginning October 1, the theater will alternate Tornado Alley at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m., and Journey Into Amazing Caves at 10 a.m. and 12, 2, and 4 p.m. Caves is a fascinating exploration of exotic environments that host life under extreme conditions. At the heart of Journey Into Amazing Caves is the moving triumph of two tenacious young women who are part of the new movement of extreme athletes and “extreme scientists” – scientists who gather their knowledge and data in treacherous, unforgiving zones of the environment. It is narrated by Liam Neeson.
The Clyde W. Tombaugh Dome Theater is located on the campus of the New Mexico Museum of Space History, top of Hwy 2001, Alamogordo, NM. Showtimes are subject to change without notice. The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org. Like us at: www.facebook.com/NMSpaceMuseum
Information from NM Museum of Space History