Walking toward the theatre, you look up expectantly at the bright marquee. It reads “NOW PLAYING: CASABLANCA.” Immediately you go to the metal yellow-and-red ticket booth and purchase your ticket. Stepping inside the theatre, you find yourself surrounded by the neon lights and art deco style.

You stop to inhale the aroma of freshly popped popcorn when a friendly usher wearing a vest and bowtie offers to show you to your seat. You oblige and he leads you to your spot in the intimate theatre. The lights dim and you watch the opening credits anxiously, waiting to see the names of stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman…

This scene sounds like it is right out of 1942, the year “Casablanca” was released. However, for Edwardsville’s Wildey Theatre, this is a typical night in 2013.

The original Wildey theatre was built in 1909 and remodeled in 1937. It served Edwardsville until it closed in 1984, and later the theatre was restored and reopened in 2011. The 1930’s art deco style and personable service lives on in the Wildey, and it now serves as a venue for plays, concerts and classic films, like “Casablanca.”

 “We recently screened ‘The Jazz Singer,’ which was first shown at the Wildey in 1927,” says theatre coordinator Katie Grable.

Last month, the Wildey broadcasted the EHS boys’ basketball team at State, giving the community a unique venue to watch the games. This will not be the only high school event to take place in the historic theatre.

“I’m excited to see our own EHS music showcase performance at the Wildey on April 23,” senior Casey Bonham says.

Bonham is a box office worker at the Wildey. She is enthusiastic about her job because she loves the constant smell of popcorn, the sociable volunteer ushers and the customers. It would not be a shock to find her enjoying the theatre when she is not working.

“It’s got a great historical background, it’s cheaper than the normal movie theater, and it plays great classic movies,” Bonham says.

Additionally, Grable says that students have the opportunity to watch films in the same theatre that their parents and grandparents sat in as kids.

Between the nostalgic feel of theatre, the personal service, and variety of unique shows, the Wildey is the place to be in Edwardsville. It provides the perfect escape into the past to enjoy the present with friends and family. And for all the “Casablanca” fans, the film will be playing this month.