PLAYHOUSE BUYS POPPER: Gothenburg Playhouse board member Matt Weiss, who spearheaded an effort to buy a new commercial popcorn popper for the Sun Theatre, shows off the popper that debuted in the theatre concession stand last weekend.

The popper cost about $7,000—which was $3,000 under the budgeted amount—that was paid for through a grant and fund-raising campaign led by Pam Buddenberg and Cheri Wilson. Money saved will help buy oil and popcorn, Weiss said. He added that the new popper pops twice the amount of the old one in half the time.