The rows of sweepstakes machines inside the Royal Palace Theatre are a means to an end, venue manager Kaine Riggan explains.

The main focus will be booking shows at the former Roanoke Rapids Theatre.

Opening September 12, the first two shows are set for October 11 and October 12. Country singer Chris Young will be the theater’s opening act followed by Lorrie Morgan the next evening. All shows at the theater begin at 8 p.m.

Those acts will be followed on October 27 with Percy Sledge and Clarence Carter performing together.

On November 16 Marty Stuart performs and the following evening, November 17, there will be a Motown Tribute.

On December 1 Keith Henderson will perform his Illusions of the King act, a show that was already booked at the theater.

On December 7 the Oakridge Boys come to the theater for their Christmas Spectacular.

Riggan said he hopes to hear from actor Joyce DeWitt’s management about a December 15 slot where she performs her Waffle House Christmas musical, which would be a fundraiser for the Roanoke Avenue Business Alliance.

This will be the pace of the theater going into 2013, Riggan said at the venue today.

The theater’s website will go live Friday and it already has a Facebook page where a like will earn fans $5 off the price of a ticket.

The September 12 opening will be what Riggan describes as a soft opening that will lead to the first shows scheduled in October.

Workers this morning were busy fine-tuning the sweepstakes machines, bringing in flat-screen televisions and working on the phone system.

Riggan said HSV Entertainment began working on venue as soon as the lease to purchase deal was signed with the city last month.

From this deal, Riggan said, the theater wants to help the city, “The city needs this just as much as the owners do. The city is getting $3 a ticket. That’s going to help a lot.”

The new configuration will allow those who don’t care for the sweepstakes games to enter directly into the theater.

Speaking of the gaming stations, which are located in the lobby and upstairs, Riggan said the proceeds from the sweepstakes games will go to towards booking and marketing shows, something which proved difficult in the past. “The sweepstakes are going to be capable of that.”

Many of the machines are designed to look like slot machines found in Las Vegas or Atlantic City while some are simply computers and keyboards where patrons buy Internet time.

The venue will be open 24 hours a day and seven days a week with three shifts of off-duty police officers serving as security.

Riggan, who has worked at venues in Nashville and helped reopen the Lee Greenwood Theatre in Pigeon Forge, said the hope is the venue will help the community, from the visitors bureau to the city. “We really feel it’s a win-win for everybody. They paid special attention to the community.”

The partners, he said, looked all over the country before deciding Roanoke Rapids was the place to focus on. “They needed the city and the city needed them.”

The theater has been permitted to serve beer and mixed drinks and will offer draft beer. Servers will wait on patrons playing games and will take orders in the theater before shows and during intermissions. “You’re going to be taken care of,” Riggan said. “The 1,500 seats is the focus.”

The theater hopes to cater to many musical tastes, he said. “My question when I stop at gas stations or get a Hardee’s biscuit is who would you be willing to pay $25 to see? We like to say it’s your place to go enjoy.”

The theater is offering a special deal for the Chris Young and Lorrie Morgan show as well as a lodging deal at the Hilton Garden Inn.

The theater is offering a Royal Club where $99 will buy tickets for four shows and front row seats, “Obviously we will do better in 2013 as we book more shows. We’ll have $5 off coupons and are hoping to hit a lot of Virginia and those driving over the state line. I think the restaurants are going to love seeing the traffic in their places of business.”

Tickets will go on sale September 12 and can be bought through the website when it goes live, the Halifax County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the theater box office. The phone number is 252-536-5577.