Park Theatre Will Screen Two Sidney Poitier Films In Honor of Black History Month

The Park Theatre will honor Black History Month with a tribute to actor Sidney Poitier (1927-2022). The tribute will be screenings of two of his most acclaimed films, In The Heat of The Night (Saturday, February 17 at 7pm) and Lilies of the Field (Sunday, February 18 at 4pm). Both films have been restored and will play on The Park’s giant screen in the theatre’s 333-seat Eppes Auditorium.

Poitier won huge critical praise for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963). When traveling African-American handyman Homer Smith (Sidney Poitier) stops by a farm in rural Arizona, he is welcomed by a group of Roman Catholic nuns who have emigrated from Germany. Sidney Poitier won the Best Actor Oscar for the film. He became the first African American to win the Best Actor Oscar.

In The Heat of The Night (1967) was another critical success for Mr. Poitier. The film won 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture. The film tells the story of Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) who is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer.

Tickets for each film are $10 ($9 for seniors, children, students, teachers & active military). They can be purchased at the box office or in advance online at the theparktheatre.org. The box office telephone number is (603) 532-8888.

The Park Theatre performing arts center is located at 19 Main Street in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire, just 90 minutes from Boston. There is a bar lounge, and the facility is fully accessible.

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