If you could conjure, a la Dr. Frankenstein, the ideal person to resurrect a landmark local theater left for dead, you’d likely land on someone just like Jennifer Carlson.

A standout leader at Phoenixville’s Colonial Theatre, Carlson arrives at the Anthony Wayne uniquely equipped for a challenge she calls “Herculean”: raising millions of dollars, overseeing the overhaul of a derelict movie house while honoring its history, and building a loyal audience with the right mix of movies, programs and performances.