TUNE IN TO “PIRATE RADIO” AT TOWNGATE CINEMA
Cast & Soundtrack Rock!

WHEELING, W.Va. (January 26, 2010)- - “Pirate Radio,” a period comedy starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a DJ at an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960s, will rock Towngate Cinema this weekend – January 29, 30 & 31 – with its spirited performances and infectious tunes.

Effectively capturing a sense of era through its real-life atmosphere, dialogue, quirky gang of rockaholics and top notch soundtrack, “Pirate Radio” tells the story of a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing music that defined a generation and standing up to government-owned BBC.

In the mid-1960s, the USA had more than 500 radio stations playing The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks and countless other bands. Brits, however, had shockingly limited opportunities to hear them on the airwaves. The government-owned BBC used to broadcast only 30 minutes per day of rock ‘n’ roll.

Rock rebels quickly figured out a way to get around the censorship. They took to the high seas, dropping anchor in international waters just beyond the government’s reach. Through powerful transmitters, they broadcast a steady stream of rock to the groovin’ masses on the mainland. Parliament is not pleased and vows to do everything in its power to shut it down.

The crew of rogue broadcasters is motley but endearing: Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Bill Nighy as Quentin, the aloof station manager; Rhys Ifans as Gavin, the greatest British DJ who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Nick Frost as Dave, the ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster, and Tom Sturridge as Carl, Quentin’s rebellious god son.

Writer/director Richard Curtis, the hopeless romantic behind “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill,” and “Love Actually,” has given us another captivating love story. This time it’s a romance between the young people of the 1960s and rock music.

Rated R, “Pirate Radio” will be shown at 7 & 9 p.m. Friday, January 29; 4, 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday, January 30; and 2 & 4 p.m. Sunday, January 31.

Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Cinema, which recently added an enhanced and upgraded sound system, is underwritten by the Ogden Newspapers, and all Towngate films are shown for one weekend only. Tickets are available at the door and are $7 for evening and $6 for matinee shows, Oglebay Institute members and seniors. The box office opens one hour before all shows and can be reached at 304.233.4257.

Refreshments are available at Towngate Cinema and parking is curbside or in the nearby Center Wheeling Parking Garage. Located at 2118 Market St., Wheeling, Towngate is easy to find and located just across the street from St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in the historic Centre Market district of Wheeling. Handicap accessible, Towngate also features assistive listening devices for those who ask.

The entire Towngate Theatre & Cinema complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

All Oglebay Institute programs are also made possible by the generous support of the members of the Institute.