A nonprofit movie theater and community space in Sewickley has a new name but the same family-friendly mission.
The Tull Family Theater, formerly sponsored by billionaire film producer Thomas Tull, is now The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center and supported by the Corry Family Foundation.
“My family felt it was a good fit for our family foundation,” said Alexis Corry Kappel.
The foundation, which began in 2022, honors Kappel’s sister, Lindsay Nicole Corry, who died in 2021 at age 30 after a battle with cancer.
Kappel, who has owned a business in Sewickley and is on the Chamber of Commerce, said her family had visited the theater several times. When the opportunity arose to take over funding and operations, Kappel said it made sense for her family because they are already invested in the community.
“We wanted to give back to the community and we felt that doing that through the theater was a really great way,” she said,
The Corry Family Foundation mission is “to help young adults and children who face life-changing challenges,” according to its website, corryfamilyfoundation.org.
The foundation supports patient advocacy and counseling for young adults who face disease, disability and differences.
The theater’s namesake had suffered from Type 1 Diabetes since she was an infant, her sister said, and used the desire to help other young people cope and manage with the ailment as inspiration for her art.
She volunteered for many years at a diabetes camp for children, striving to help them understand their disease and live rich lives. Meanwhile, she also completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at Carnegie Mellon University.
Though Lindsay would never allow the disease to define her, Kappel said, her family believes the reality of her sickness “shaped her as a person, making her level of compassion for others extraordinary.”
The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center, or The Lindsay for short, is a fitting tribute to her sister, said Kappel, because Lindsay was a photographer and was “really, really passionate about the arts.”
Though there are no signs yet with the new name on the building at 418 Walnut St., there are many signs inside the lobby and on the movie screens.
Last week, The Lindsay was showing “80 for Brady” and “A Man Called Otto,” a film starring Tom Hanks that was shot in Western Pennsylvania last year. Film festivals and other community events are also planned this year.
First Published: February 8, 2023, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: February 8, 2023, 11:18 a.m.