Madonna Madorin, the new Traer Theatre manager, pictured under the downtown community theater’s marquee on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Madorin was officially hired by the nonprofit theater’s board on Oct. 15 to replace longtime theater manager Mona Larsen who retired in July. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TRAER – The cast is changing at the Traer Theatre.

After 15 years running the front of house (and everything in between!), theater manager Mona Larsen has chosen to retire.

“It was just time,” Larsen said last Wednesday afternoon as she stood behind the movie theater’s concession counter. “I have a full time job and this was my fun job [but] pretty soon it wasn’t as much as it was 15 years ago.”

Although Larsen officially retired in July, she recently joined the non-profit theater’s board and has kept busy helping the new theater manager, Madonna Madorin (Merchant) learn the ropes.

Madorin’s hiring was approved by the board during its Tuesday, Oct. 15 meeting.

Traer Theatre manager Madonna Madorin, right, pictured with retired manager Mona Larsen, center, and theater board president Jeff Jacobs, left, in the box office/concession area on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Larsen retired this past July after 15 years helming the theater; she now sits on the nonprofit theater’s board. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

While the community owned theater has been closed since August during the transition, Larsen said the board hopes to reopen soon.

“Hopefully the first weekend in November. That’s the plan.”

When they do reopen under new management, everything will remain the same, Larsen added, including the theater’s ‘hands down the best around’ popcorn, the $3 admission, and – perhaps most importantly – the need for the community to continue supporting the venue.

“We don’t get funding from anybody. Only our fundraising. [So] it has to be community supported,” Larsen explained. “And people have alway rallied around our theater.”

In recent years, the theater has been fortunate enough to show many first-run movies – which brings in more people – but the cost to do so is by no means covered by ticket sales, Larsen said.

“Just because we charge $3 doesn’t mean we get $3. We have to pay the studio a percentage,” she said before later adding, “But we haven’t raised our prices in 14 years.”

Madonna at the box office

While the prices will not change come Nov. 1, the face at the front of the house will as Madorin takes over as manager.

She will be a familiar face to many in the community whether it be from her substitute teaching work at North Tama or her role as a softball, volleyball, and wrestling coach. Folks might also recognize her from her bartending role at (family-owned) The Junkyard Bar or even from her daughter, North Tama band director/head volleyball coach/The Junkyard Bar co-owner Channing Halstead.

“I’ve got a lot of connections to people to round up help,” Madorin said of her extensive outreach which she hopes will aid in hiring projectionists and cashiers in addition to finding much-needed volunteers.

When asked why she applied for the job, Madorin said keeping a theater in Traer was part of it.

“It’s super important to the community that [the theater] stays here. Sometimes we take things for granted a little bit. So I just kind of wanted to get involved and make sure the community continues to support it.”

Madorin comes by her community involvement quite naturally. Back when she was attending middle school in Vinton in the early 1980s, her late parents, Max ‘Moose’ and Marian Madorin, opened Moose’s Rollarena which was in operation for 18 years before the city bought it in 1999 – rebranding it the Vinton Skate and Recreation Center.

“They did that with their own money for the community back in the day,” Madorin recalled of her parents. “And they had to fight to build it.”

According to an article published by Vinton Newspapers in 2017 in which Madorin and her brother Mike reminisced about Moose’s Rollarena, their dad wanted to build ‘something for the youth of the community.’

“For 17 years they baby-sat kids on the weekend and gave up their weekends,” Madorin said, as quoted by the newspaper. “I just think it was a pretty cool thing.”

Madorin is hoping her work as the new Traer Theatre manager will be equally as cool to her young grandchildren including Stella and Gabe Halstead who attend North Tama Elementary.

She’s also hoping to have everything ready to go by opening night in November – but she’s not too worried, she’s got a seasoned pro on her side in Larsen.

“Mona said she won’t leave me hanging until I know what’s going on.”

The Traer Theatre is located at 516 Second Street in downtown Traer. Starting Nov. 1, showtimes return Friday through Monday at 7 p.m. with doors open at 6:15 p.m. for tickets, seat reservations, and concessions.

Upcoming films tentatively scheduled to play at the Traer Theatre include The Wild Robot, Nov. 1-4; The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Nov. 8-18; Here, Nov. 22-25; and Moana 2, Nov. 29-Dec. 2.

For more information on the Traer Theatre or to volunteer, check out the theater’s Facebook page or refer to the website: http://thetraertheater.com/.