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Greater Wilkes-Barre is staking its claim as an entertainment destination.Large-scale venues such as the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township, Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township, and the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre have consistently increased the frequency and diversity of entertainment made available to customers in the Wyoming Valley.And Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s sole movie house, RC Movies 14, brings in popular feature films on a yearly basis.Mohegan Sun ArenaThe venue has been a multi-purpose facility since it opened in 1999.Under the direction of general manager Brian Sipe, the arena continues to schedule programming that caters to a variety of patrons, and, according to Pollstar Magazine, ranked fourth in ticket sales among Pennsylvania arenas in the first three quarters of fiscal 2016.&#8220;It&#8217;s showing tickets are selling in your market,&#8221; Sipe said. &#8220;It&#8217;s somehow proving that the economy works here.&#8221;In addition to housing the American Hockey League&#8217;s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the arena brings in musical acts such as Dolly Parton and Elton John, popular comedians like Louis C.K., and family-oriented shows such as Disney On Ice and WWE Raw and Smackdown.Sipe said his job is &#8220;trying to keep that calendar with such a variation that&#8221; the venue is &#8220;hopefully serving all of our area.&#8221;This year, programming will stop between mid-June and Labor Day for ice rink maintenance, a $1 million-plus project that Sipe said he hopes will quell rink issues for at least 30 years. But in a highlight before renovations begin, the arena will host Canadian rocker Bryan Adams on June 13 in conjunction with the Kirby Center and its executive director, Will Beekman.&#8220;One thing I keep trying to figure out is how can we combine our resources with the Kirby, with the casino &#8230; is there another event we can create that will better serve the area?&#8221; Sipe said.F.M. Kirby CenterAdams was brought into the 1,800-seat Kirby Center for solo acoustic shows in 2001, 2009 and 2013.Working together, Sipe and Beekman, 39, decided Adams&#8217; full band would be suited for a half-house show at the arena, filling 4,250 of the venue&#8217;s 8,500 seats.Arena officials use a motorized curtain system that, suspended from the venue&#8217;s catwalk, cordons off the rear half of the house.The venues, Beekman said, are competing for the dollar, not for individual acts.&#8220;It&#8217;s about playing in the same sandbox and collaborating and communicating,&#8221; Beekman said. &#8220;Brian and I talk a lot. We can do more working together. It shows we&#8217;re coming together for the betterment of the community.&#8221;The Kirby Center draws a wide spectrum of acts, booking everything from the NEPA Philharmonic to stage comedy &#8220;Last of the Red Hot Lovers&#8221; to rock legend Steve Miller and soul royale Patti LaBelle.The downtown theater&#8217;s calendar has been more full in recent years than it was five or six years ago. The Kirby brought 119 shows in during its 2015-2016 season and has 121 on the books for the 2016-2017 season, which ends June 30.Part of that increase in frequency, Beekman said, is having more confidence to book during the summer, when ticket sales are historically lower because of competing venues, vacations and outdoor activities.This summer, the Kirby will host Daughtry, Amos Lee, Frankie Valli, and Donny and Marie Osmond to draw multiple generations of music fans.&#8220;We started getting a better handle on our programming in general and what we can and can&#8217;t sell, and that has made it easier for us to do those types of shows year-round,&#8221; Beekman said. &#8220;We went from having a slow season and a busy season to having a busy season and a busier season.&#8221;Mohegan Sun PoconoRecent programming at the venue has been aimed toward multiple demographics. When LuAnn Fetcho took over as vice president of marketing in November, officials at the entertainment facility already had booked acts as varied as KC &amp; The Sunshine Band, The Guess Who and The Fray.&#8220;The challenge is how do I make sure my mix of offerings is targeted at casino guests as their reward of loyalty, and how do I balance the non-casino guest type of acts?&#8221; Fetcho said.Acts new to Mohegan Sun Pocono this year will include mentalists The Clairvoyants of &#8220;America&#8217;s Got Talent&#8221; fame.Loyal casino guests also can expect a reinvestment in gaming.&#8220;By the end of the year, we&#8217;re going to bring in over 250 slot machines of the newest and hottest brand,&#8221; Fetcho said. &#8220;On our table games side, there are new offerings there with bonus craps and table fusion games.&#8221;In addition to nationally known acts that populate the Keystone Grand Ballroom, local groups take the stage at in-house venues such as Breakers, which is owned by Mohegan Sun Pocono, and in-house tenant establishments like Elixir Bistro Bar and Bar Louie.Fetcho said Breakers provides a combination of gaming and live entertainment, whereas Bar Louie provides a more spacious atmosphere and Elixir offers a laid-back environment and acoustic acts.R/C Movies 14Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s primary place for big-screen entertainment, R/C Movies 14, has seen a consistent flow of patrons who seek the first-run, blockbuster features the facility provides, according to general manager Blaze Kopec.Part of the R/C Theaters chain, Movies 14 offers major studio productions such as &#8220;Logan,&#8221; &#8220;Beauty and the Beast&#8221; and &#8220;Kong: Skull Island,&#8221; but also makes exceptions for films with a particular draw in the market.&#8220;Florence Foster Jenkins,&#8221; which starred <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/features/575103/streep-appears-in-movie-about-wilkes-barres-florence-foster-jenkins" target="_blank">Meryl Streep as a Wilkes-Barre-born socialite</a> known for her poor opera singing, was brought to Movies 14 after it hit other markets just because of its historical significance.Kopec has been with the movie house since it opened in 2006, and he said despite trends in video streaming and television technology, a movie theater still stands as the preeminent way to watch a film.&#8220;This is still a preference for folks,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The calibration we have for audio to the picture, you won&#8217;t get that in your home no matter what. The grandeur, the experience of seeing a movie on the big screen &#8230; I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s going away.&#8221;<style>
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<div class="neCaption">The F.M. Kirby Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre brings in rockers like the Steve Miller Band, pictured, along with family shows such as Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_steve-miller.jpg</photo0><caption0>The F.M. Kirby Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre brings in rockers like the Steve Miller Band, pictured, along with family shows such as Alton Brown Live: Eat Your Science. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL043017ExcellingEntertainmentVenues_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The R/C Movies 14 in Wilkes-Barre offers mostly first-run blockbuster features but makes exceptions when a film has a particular tie to the local market. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL043017ExcellingEntertainmentVenues_3.jpg</photo1><caption1>The R/C Movies 14 in Wilkes-Barre offers mostly first-run blockbuster features but makes exceptions when a film has a particular tie to the local market. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL043017ExcellingEntertainmentVenues_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sugar Ray performs at Elixir Bistro Bar at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. Elixir Bistro offers live entertainment to accompany the dining experience. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL043017ExcellingEntertainmentVenues_4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Sugar Ray performs at Elixir Bistro Bar at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. Elixir Bistro offers live entertainment to accompany the dining experience. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Elton-John-Arena-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township hosts iconic musical acts such as Elton John, as well as family-friendly shows like the Harlem Globetrotters and Monster Jam. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Elton-John-Arena-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>The Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township hosts iconic musical acts such as Elton John, as well as family-friendly shows like the Harlem Globetrotters and Monster Jam. </caption3><photoCredit3>Times Leader file photos </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Matt Matteimmattei@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>MOHEGAN SUN ARENA&#8226; Year opened: 1999&#8226; Owners: Luzerne County Convention Center Authority&#8226; Address: 255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre Township&#8226; Phone: 570-970-7600&#8226; Website: <a href="http://mohegansunarenapa.com/" target="_blank">mohegansunarenapa.com</a>&#8226; Price range: WBS Penguins games generally cost between $18 and $36. Average ticket price for concert tickets is $50 to $60, and tickets for family shows start around $15. Premium seating and VIP packages can be available at additional cost. Premium tickets for Dolly Parton and Elton John reached $95 and $150 respectively.&#8226; Notable: The venue&#8217;s first official name was the Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena.F.M. KIRBY CENTER&#8226; Year opened: 1938 as Comerford Theater movie house&#8226; Owners: Nonprofit community theater&#8226; Address: 71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre&#8226; Phone: 570-823-4599&#8226; Website: <a href="http://www.kirbycenter.org/" target="_blank">kirbycenter.org</a>&#8226; Price range: Ticket prices have ranged from $15 to $125 this season depending on artist or production. Next year, the theater plans to offer $10 ticket prices for select shows. &#8226; Notable: The Comerford was renamed the Paramount Theater in 1949 and the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in 1986.MOHEGAN SUN POCONO&#8226; Year opened: 1965 as Pocono Downs race track&#8226; Owners: Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut&#8226; Address: 1280 Highway 315, Plains Township&#8226; Phone: 570-831-2100.&#8226; Website: <a href="https://mohegansunpocono.com/" target="_blank">mohegansunpocono.com</a>&#8226; Price range: Slot machines range from 1 cent to $100. Table games start at $5 and can range into the high thousands. Entertainment is free everywhere except the Keystone Grand Ballroom, where ticket prices can range from $30 to $200 depending on the artist or act.&#8226; Notable: Mohegan Sun Pocono plans to add over 250 new slot machines as well as fusion table games this year.RC MOVIES 14&#8226; Year opened: 2006&#8226; Owner: RC Theaters&#8226; Address: 24 E. Northampton St., Wilkes-Barre&#8226; Phone: 570-825-4444&#8226; Website: <a href="http://bit.ly/2oqZM6C" target="_blank">bit.ly/2oqZM6C</a>&#8226; Price range: General admission ranges from $6 to $9.50 depending on time, day, and the age of the patron. Tickets for select shows cost $5 on Bargain Tuesday. Additional fees are applied for box motion seating and 3D shows.&#8226; Notable: RC Movies 14 recently held a screening of &#8216;Baby Frankenstein,&#8217; a film written and directed by West Pittston filmmaker John YonKondy.</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651 or on Twitter @TimesLeaderMatt.</shirttailMeta></div>

Large-scale venues bring variety to Greater Wilkes-Barre culture, nightlife