Lindsey, Borgnine To Be Present For Black Box Theatre Ribbon Cutting Friday

Feb. 29, 2012

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@xt23z.com, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - Celebrated actors George Lindsey and Ernest Borgnine will be at the University of North Alabama Friday afternoon for the ribbon cutting of the new George S. Lindsey Theatre and Ernest Borgnine Performance Hall. The event will be held at 4 p.m. at the theatre, located on the corner of Pine and Irvine streets. Lindsey, a 1952 graduate of UNA and namesake of the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, is known for a variety of important film and television roles, including the character Goober Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show." Borgnine is famous for his roles as Quinton McHale in the television series "McHale's Navy" and as Marty Piletti in the 1955 film "Marty," among many others. He won the best actor Oscar for "Marty." The UNA Collier Library Archives houses Lindsey's personal collection of awards, personal memorabilia, photographs and original scripts from "The Andy Griffith Show," "Gunsmoke" and other programs. The library also houses Borgnine's personal collection of scripts, including the "McHale's Navy" series, "From Here to Eternity," "Marty" and "The Dirty Dozen," among others. Officials broke ground on the new George S. Lindsey Theatre in March 2011. The theatre is located on the back of Norton Auditorium, where it shares the Norton scene shop. Unlike Norton Auditorium, the new black box theatre is designed specifically for professional theatrical use. It offers a transformative stage and allows for a unique, intimate setting with audiences.