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August 12, 2016
Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Foreign Press Association Funds Half-Million-Dollar Restoration and Upgrades to the Egyptian Theatre
From BroadwayWorld.com: The American Cinematheque announced today that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has awarded a $500,000 grant to fund maintenance and essential technical upgrades to the historic 1922 Egyptian Theatre, a designated historic cultural monument situated on iconic Hollywood Boulevard. News of this grant comes less than a week after the HFPA announced at their annual Grants Banquet a completely separate donation of $350,000 to help make the theatre capable of screening 35mm nitrate film prints, a grant that was made through The Film Foundation which is coordinating the project.
The Egyptian Theatre has the distinction of being the site of the first-ever Hollywood movie premiere under the supervision of master showman Sid Grauman, who premiered some of the greatest hits of the silent era at the Egyptian, and is the only historic theater on Hollywood Boulevard that has continually operated as a cinema to this day. The American Cinematheque purchased the Egyptian Theatre from the city of Los Angeles for $1 in the mid-1990s, with the stipulation that Hollywood’s most historically significant movie palace, undergo a complete restoration, renovation and adaptive re-use remodel.
“The American Cinematheque is extremely appreciative of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s support of this historic landmark,” said American Cinematheque Chairman Rick Nicita. “It has become a beloved icon of modern movie-goers in the nearly two decades our organization has owned and operated the theater. We are dedicated to preserving this important landmark of Hollywood history where we continue to show movies on the big screen as they were meant to be seen.”
The Egyptian Theatre also serves as the host of the HFPA’s annuAl Golden Globe Foreign Language Film Symposium.
“The Egyptian Theatre is a very special place to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – each year it welcomes our Golden Globe Foreign Language Film Symposium and celebrated foreign filmmakers,” said HFPA President Lorenzo Soria. “We want to make sure The Egyptian Theatre brings charm, culture and education to Hollywood for years to come, and continues to be a home away from home for our foreign filmmakers.”
The scope of the HFPA-funded renovation includes repair from water damage to the main roof and the portico ceiling and walls on the building’s exterior. Inside, water damage to various areas of the ceiling and side walls will be structurally repaired and then restored by historic restoration specialists.
The theater’s 1998 carpet will be replaced by a custom-designed carpet that brings elements from the showpiece of the theater – the ornate ceiling adorned with a scarab and other Egyptian icons – down to the floor. Other interior renovations include replacement of the concession stand and lighting, and recovering of the theater’s seats.
Exterior renovations will include the repair of the twelve palm tree planters and the installation of a new lighting system to uplight the trees as well as the columns that flank the entrance. The historic murals of Egyptian deities on the walls will be repaired and repainted. Terrazzo will replace the existing outdoor carpeting to enhance the grand entrance to the building.
On the technical front, the ten-year-old digital projector will be upgraded to a 4K projector, and the sound system and projection booth electrical infrastructure will be revised.
Sid Grauman (1879 – 1950) was a master showman in the early days of film exhibition and a founder of the Egyptian Theatre (owned and operated by the American Cinematheque since 1998), where the first Hollywood “premiere” (Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks) was held in 1922. He went on to be part of the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre as well. He was a pioneer in the theatrical exhibition of movies and a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, from which he received an honorary Academy Award for his work. His legacy is carried on today through the big screen movie viewing experience provided by the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre.
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August 11, 2016
St. Paul, MN - Century-Old Former Movie Theater in St. Paul Finds New Life
From KSTP.com: A century-old piece of St. Paul history is being saved from the wrecking ball.
Local actor Ryan North and his wife brought the former Garden Theater at 929 West 7th Street in St. Paul. The building was built in 1916 and closed as a theater in 1960.
North plans to turn the building into a 150-seat performance venue for theater, music, film and weddings. It will be called the North Garden Theater.
“It feels great to be able to honor that history and bring part of it back to life,” North said.
A few weeks ago, the city of St. Paul voted to to move the North Garden Theater forward and next month, North hopes to get a liquor license.
A few neighbors have brought up concerns over parking and noise at night, but North says most support the project. North plans to start construction in October and be open early next year.
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Boothbay Harbor, ME - Rent dispute threatens future of Harbor Theatre
From the Boothbay Register: A steep increase in rent will likely draw the curtain on the Harbor Theatre for good, according to longtime owner and operator Jason Sheckley. Under the current lease agreement with Hermon-based Ellis Commercial Developers, the theater has been allowed to pay below market rent in order to keep the movies running year round. According to both parties, after negotiations stalled this summer the Ellis group has decided to charge the full market rate for the space beginning in the fall of 2017.
“To be sustainable, the theater has always required outside subsidy,” Sheckley said. “Below market rent, support from the “Friends” organization, sale of memberships and advertising has provided that support. With the rent increasing dramatically, the current arrangement just will not work going forward.”
The rent hike — described as prohibitive by Sheckley — would further squeeze the small margins the theater operates on and force Sheckley to increase prices for concessions and movie tickets.
“We would be looking at $14 or more for an adult admission,” said Sheckley. “It’s a huge increase.”
After its launch in 2002, Bank of Maine — the former owner of the Meadow Mall where Harbor Theatre is located — wanted the theater run as a year-round concern.
“We accepted the market rate for rent at that time but soon discovered it was too high for us to make it,” said Sheckley. “The theater can’t be open more than 10 hours a week because of the low winter population.”
The current lease ends on Sept. 30, 2017 and Sheckley has pegged Sept. 4, 2017 as the last day of operation barring a major development. It’s not the first time the theater has faced imminent peril; in 2013, the one-screen cinema was forced to convert from 35mm film to an all digital format. A fundraising campaign led to over 140 donations from the community and the theater was spared.
According to Ellis Development Group owner Tom Ellis, the current agreement is far below market value and the company is simply exercising its right as landlord.
“Any rent that was offered to him was at or below market rate,” said Ellis. “I have an obligation to my center and bank to at least get equitable rates. Again we weren’t even at market rate with his.”
As far as a subsidy, Ellis said it should have been negotiated into the original lease from the Bank of Maine.
“We certainly can’t take a hit like that or subsidize a lease. We wouldn’t be in business long,” said Ellis. “Movie theaters in strip centers in small markets, that’s a very tough situation. You don’t see that very often.”
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New Orleans, LA - Prytania Theater rolls on into second century
From WWLTV.com: It’s 10 a.m. on a Friday morning and a movie more than 50 years old, “The Sound of Music,” fills the theater. Just hours later, it’s a much different scene as the audience for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” fills the seats.
That perhaps best describes the Prytania Theater: iconic, eclectic and enduring.
“People feel comfortable here,” said Robert Brunet. “And in this crazy world we live in today, comfort is a pretty important thing.”
Robert Brunet and his family know a little about the movie business. Led by the family patriarch, Rene, who will soon be 95 years old, the Brunets have been running theaters for 75 years, the last 20-plus at the Prytania, which celebrated 100 years of showing films in 2015.
That’s a lot of big numbers for a theater that’s only ever had a single screen.
“When you step through these doors, it’s like a time machine,” Robert Brunet said. “You go back in history.”
And for many, there’s no other way to watch.
“I love the big screen and everything,” said Virginia Carreca laughed. “They come right to your face.”
The Prytania Theater still has a 35mm camera for film. They can use it, but they don’t anymore. The majestic lobby is from an era long gone, but technologically speaking, The Prytania was one of the first to go 3D, digital and now 4K.
People embrace nostalgia, but it doesn’t feed the family. This 300 seat theater is a small business run by Robert and his family and sometimes it’s feast or famine.
“It’s got a life of its own, we’re not a chain.” Brunet said. “You know, if I have to eat popcorn and hot dogs for dinner I’ll do it.”
It hasn’t been an easy life for this non-descript looking building on Prytania Street. Two major fires, hurricanes, the advent of 20 theater megaplexes and Netflix have put the theater on life support more than once, but here it is: A classic survivor.
Brunet says the owner of the building has put the theater in a trust for future generations.
“I don’t see the Prytania or the Brunet family leaving this business,” he said. “The 200th anniversary, this will still be a single screen movie theater.”
And that makes the Prytania and the Brunets Naturally N'Awlins.
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Laconia, NH - Fundraising continues for Colonial Theater
From The Citizen: The Colonial Theater fundraising efforts and planning are well underway, and recently $30,000 was donated toward the Colonial Theater capital campaign, which has a $2 million goal to raise by the end of the year.
This donation was by Hali Dearborn and her family, and Belknap EDC Executive Director Justin Slattery said these types of efforts are what will bring them to their goal. He did not provide a dollar amount of where fundraising stood at this time, Slattery was confident that they would reach the goal and said right now “things are on schedule.”
“Fundraising is going very well,” said Slattery. “We are making great progress.”
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San Pedro, CA - San Pedro’s Warner Grand seeking a bigger spotlight with private operator
From the Daily Breeze: Both good news and bad news could await if San Pedro’s historic Warner Grand Theatre goes big time with a professional operator now being sought by the city of Los Angeles, which owns the venue.
City Councilman Joe Buscaino’s motion to hand the operation over to someone who could attract “A-list talent” and produce sold-out shows moved forward Friday, setting the stage for what could be big changes for the 1930s movie palace at 478 W. Sixth St.
Uncertainty remains over how an outside operator might impact the theater’s future, especially in how it serves the immediate community.
The good
The theater is in serious need of improvements that the city says will cost $3.5 million, though some believe they will cost even more. A private operator would be expected to provide those upgrades in exchange for a deal with the city to run the theater.
Among other things, the venue needs alterations to make it ADA accessible. Fire safety measures also are needed, said Fred Allen, vice president of the Grand Vision Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the theater and has been instrumental in raising money for much-needed upgrades to the theater’s seating and heating system over the years.
The city’s $200,000-a-year allocation to run and maintain the Warner Grand is “pocket change in the theater world,” Allen said.
A well-connected operator — both Nederlander and SMG have been mentioned as possible companies that might be interested — would “professionalize” the theater both by bringing in high-profile acts and providing a cash infusion for needed physical improvements.
“To really make that place hum, you’re going to have to spend several million dollars and have a dedicated staff of three or four employees with stage hands,” he said.
Buscaino’s motion, approved by the council during its meeting in Van Nuys, was born when concert producers Live Nation and Golden Voice booked top musical acts at the Warner Grand in 2015.
The theater was packed — and so were downtown shops and restaurants.
The Warner Grand, Buscaino believes, could be a catalyst for the emerging downtown and waterfront districts that are targeted for revitalization. But it needs an operator, he said, that can market it well so it lives up to its potential.
POSSIBLE DOWNSIDES
There are concerns, however, that handing over day-to-day management and operation of the theater will raise prices, black out prime calendar dates and threaten access for the community-based programs that have thrived in the hometown theater.
Youth theater companies such as Encore and Scalliwag, The Golden State Pops Orchestra and the San Pedro Ballet rely on the theater for their productions. The LA Harbor International Film Festival and the San Pedro International Film Festival, along with others, also have become Warner Grand mainstays through the years.
“The Warner Grand Theatre is the ‘main attraction’ in historic downtown San Pedro that brings out many large crowds who also support local businesses,” wrote Stephanie Mardesich, director and Founder of the LA Harbor International Film Festival. The 1,500-seat theater, she said, “is too large for small events and too small for large events. … It is a m“The Warner Grand Theatre is the ‘main attraction’ in historic downtown San Pedro that brings out many large crowds who also support local businesses,” wrote Stephanie Mardesich, director and Founder of the LA Harbor International Film Festival. The 1,500-seat theater, she said, “is too large for small events and too small for large events. … It is a misconception to think that there can be the sort of programming that such stages (as the Greek Theatre or Los Angeles Music Center) command.”
ASSURANCES FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS
Buscaino spokesman Branimir Kvartuc said many of the local groups that now use the theater will be included in the bidding documents, set to tentatively go out Sept. 7 with a selection expected by late this year, possibly as early as Thanksgiving. The new operator will be tasked with working with those groups to ensure community access as part of creating a comprehensive booking calendar, he said. A community advisory group also will be appointed to work with the management as well, Kvartuc added.
A professional operator also could be expected to bring in union labor, Allen said, something that could have ripple effects on grass-roots groups and theater patrons as booking and ticket prices are raised.
Kvartuc said nonprofit rates will be established as part of the theater operation.
“If you look around at city-owned theaters, almost all of them are managed by a nonprofit organization that has some relationship to the community,” Allen said, adding that it also would call for a more robust commitment from the city for capital improvements, staff and maintenance expenses.
In his motion, Buscaino praised Grand Vision for raising more than $1 million for theater improvements over the years, in addition to creating programming and assisting with booking events.
Because of its history, the Warner Grand is considered one of downtown San Pedro’s gems.
Harkening back to Hollywood’s golden age, the Warner Brothers theater, which cost $500,000 to build and opened in 1931, almost didn’t survive when it fell on hard times. The city stepped in to purchase it in 1996 for $1.2 million.
“I have to say it is quite heartbreaking to feel like our work on caring and loving the building may have to stop if a big corporation takes over,” Liz Schindler Johnson, executive director of the Grand Vision Foundation, said in a written statement Friday. “No matter what, we must ensure that the building’s historic integrity be preserved and that any changes be properly vetted by the community and historic preservation professionals.”isconception to think that there can be the sort of programming that such stages (as the Greek Theatre or Los Angeles Music Center) command.”
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Ansonia, CT - Photographer hopes to spur rebirth of former Ansonia Opera House
From the New Haven Register: A photographer with an eye toward keeping historic Valley locations alive through his lens will have his latest work published this fall.
Emery Roth II, though not a Valley resident, took photos inside the former Ansonia Opera House downtown, which have been selected for publication in “Seeing in Sixes,” an art photography book due out this fall from Lenswork Publishing.
Roth’s set of six images, titled “The Dressmaker’s Daughters,” will be featured.
“I’m proud and honored,” Roth said.
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August 8, 2016
Asbury Park, NJ - Lost theaters of Asbury Park: The return of the Savoy
From the Asbury Park Press: An Asbury Park treasure is coming back.
The Savoy Theatre on Mattison Avenue is in the process of being renovated by its owner, Sackman Enterprises. The Savoy, purchased by Sackman in 2014 for $2.47 million, was built in 1911 as a stage for live entertainment. When it reopens for business, it will be the oldest operating theater in New Jersey.
“It was built before there was any sound and lighting systems, so the acoustics are made for not having a sound system,” said Morgan Sackman. “It has a well-built balcony, and it’s a place where there’s not a bad seat in the house.”
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Stoughton, MA - http://patch.com/massachusetts/stoughton/state-theater-renovation-funds-restored
From the Stoughton Patch: After a veto from Gov. Charlie Baker, funds for the State Theater have been restored.
State Senator Bryan Joyce recently announced that the state legislature has overridden the governor’s veto, restoring $50,000 in restoration funds for the State Theater. The building has stood in Stoughton Center for 86 years and opened in 1927 as a venue for movies and travelling vaudeville-style performers.
The funds will go to updates and repairs needed to restore the building.
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Medford, OR - Historic Holly Theatre on track to begin construction in 2017
From the Mail Tribune: Although the Holly Theatre will spend its 86th birthday with floors uncarpeted and air unconditioned, organizers have high hopes for the historic building in the year ahead.
Randy McKay, executive director for Jefferson Live!, which manages the building, said the planning stages are nearly complete for the theater’s restoration project to get underway in earnest. After months of effort and recent meetings with sound, lighting and theatrical rigging companies, McKay spent last week finalizing various design plans for the building on Sixth Street in downtown Medford, with the intention of turning estimated costs into actual ones. Preliminary fundraising figures, which McKay said will be updated Monday, show a total of $2,963,750 raised from approximately 1,700 donors, achieving more than two-thirds of a $4.3 million goal.
When construction begins, monthly tours of the historic theater’s four floors — peppered with drawings, historic photographs and renderings — will come to an end.
“If anybody wants an opportunity to take a tour, they’d better hurry,” McKay said.
McKay plans to announce 2017 construction dates for the interior of the theater, pending continued fundraising success. The construction efforts would begin in the fall, however, with formal requests to bid on the various pieces of the project.
“I am pretty certain we’ll announcing something in the fall,” McKay said.
McKay, who has been involved with two California theater restorations prior to the Holly, says the momentum built from volunteers and the community will carry the theater to its completion.
“Once a project is this far along, it’s a foregone conclusion,” McKay said.