Theaters

  • July 30, 2007

    Good News about the Community Theater!

    FAIRFIELD, CT — Just checked, and the Community Theater is back in business quite soon after their close call! Thankfully, hard-working people have done what they could so that the Community did not go the way of the Rialto, Lyric, Globe, Poli, Majestic, Strand, Warner, Rivoli, Beverly, and many, many others who have become just faded memories!

    Thankfully, there are people that care that have banded together to continue to preserve an area landmark!

  • July 25, 2007

    Close call at Community

    FAIRFIELD, CT — Our local paper related the sad news that the Community Theater, a local fixture since it first opened in 1920, and currently run by a volunteer group, suffered an electrical problem this Saturday (7/23/07). A fire alarm sounded, and the article stated that sparks from an electrical panel forced the evacuation of all patrons. The article went on to say that it was not known when the theater would re-open.

  • July 23, 2007

    New movie house opening 2009

    CAMDEN, NJ — Rumor’s been going around stating that Camden, NJ will be getting a new movie house with IMAX this coming 2009 summer season.

    Hope this is true. Camden has been without a movie house for years now. It will be great if it finally happens.

  • July 12, 2007

    AMC vs. Clearview in Morris County

    ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, NJ — Here’s a link to a story that I read in the Daily Record about the tough movie theater competition between two chains in Morris County, AMC Entertainment and Clearview. It’s a well written article by a young 30-ish guy, Matt Manochio, and I told him why I chose AMC over Clearview due to its close proximity to my hometown in Rockaway, where the chain returned to its roots after a five year absence.

    He included some of the people’s opinion about Clearview (which owns most of the theaters in the coutny) and AMC (which owns only two, one of which used to be a Loews/Sony) and put it into today’s article, which is on the front page.

  • July 11, 2007

    Garden Theatre signs theatre company

    WINTER GARDEN, FL — The Garden Theatre proudly welcomes
    Jester Theater as a programming partner for the 2008 season and into the future. The critically acclaimed professional theatre company will produce all of its shows to Garden Theatre audiences, and is set to perform two shows in the inaugural season and three to four shows each year in the following seasons.

    Founded in August 2004, by husband and wife team Jay and Diana Hopkins, Jester Theater Company is an all-comedy group that has been producing full-length family-friendly comedies to sold-out crowds in downtown Orlando and, most recently, Germany. Their top quality original works and world premieres make this an ideal match for the Garden Theatre to open its inaugural programming schedule. The Garden Theatre is proud to announce its first live theatrical run, “The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!" playing February 1-17, 2008.

  • City aims to oust Capitol trustee

    WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA — The city of Windsor, embroiled in a dispute with bankruptcy trustee Stephen Funtig, is seeking his removal as trustee of the closed Capitol Theatre. The city also wishes to remove former city clerk Tom Lynd as one of the creditors directing Funtig claiming conflict of interest.

    The theatre closed last March and the city is accusing Funtig of failing to negotiate an agreement on the theatre’s fate in a timely fashion.

    It is the latest salvo fired in the ongoing saga of the bankrupt theatre which has has remained closed since March, mired in a dispute over its debts and its fate.

    City authorities maintain $1.8 million loaned to the theatre in the mid-1990s gives the city rights to the building following the recent bankruptcy.

    More details are available from the Windsor Star.

  • July 10, 2007

    Changing face of L.A. moviegoing

    The changing face of moviegoing in Los Angeles is profiled in this L.A. Times article including how difficult it is for single screen Crest in Westwood to continue to book movies and how appreciated the new Landmark is.

    Some guys daydream about playing center field for the Dodgers. Others wish they had as much luck with women as Antonio Villaraigosa. But when I’m in my car, trapped in the Westside’s endless rush hour traffic, all I can fantasize about is how good life would be if there were more great movie theaters on my side of town.

    There have been many nights when I could fly and see a movie in San Francisco faster than plowing through the Westside’s snarled traffic to where the ArcLight sits in the distant reaches of Hollywood.

    Luckily, I now have two beloved neighborhood theaters: the sleek new 12-screen Landmark complex alongside the Westside Pavilion and the handsome old Westwood Crest Theater, a 1940-era movie house on Westwood Boulevard. As different as they may appear on the surface, they are fascinating examples of the brave new world of high-quality movie exhibition, a world full of movies aimed at — gasp — people who aren’t dying to see “Transformers.”

    A slide show has wonderful photos including beautiful interior photos of the Crest, Los Angeles and Orpheum.

  • July 9, 2007

    Bethesda Theatre returns as playhouse

    BETHESDA, MD — The Bethesda Theatre is opening again, this time as a showplace for small-scale plays.

    In the ever-expanding constellation of new spaces for plays and musicals in and around Washington, a landmark art deco movie palace on Wisconsin Avenue will open this fall as a home for audience-friendly, small-scale plays and musicals.

    Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, whose president is Robert Nederlander Jr., has a long-term contract to manage the Bethesda space, owned by the Bethesda Cultural Alliance, a new, nonprofit arts group. Nederlander’s idea is to make the Bethesda site the first of a circuit of smaller theaters across the country to which musical revues, comedies and jukebox shows could tour.

    Read the full story at the Washington Post.

  • Theaters of Bristol, England

    There is a website with photos showing the theaters of Bristol, a port city, and its suburbs during the past century. It includes a brief history of venues covered.

    Picturetrail

  • July 2, 2007

    Waikiki Theater reopens as retail complex

    HONOLULU, HI — This art deco beauty is gone forever as a movie house, but at least the new owners have paid tribute by incorporating many original details into the building and loading it with fascinating memorabilia.

    You can see more photos of the Waikiki Theater at
    this website.

    (Thanks to Bob for providing the photo.)