Theatre 1 & Space 57
200 Stuart Street,
Boston,
MA
02116
200 Stuart Street,
Boston,
MA
02116
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Showing 26 - 50 of 101 comments
Just to clarify the above comment (since it confused someone else): The Sack Theatres chain as a whole changed its name to USACinemas before selling out to Loews. They did not change the name of this theatre, which remained the 57 even through its first few months as a live stage in 1996.
A couple of years before they sold out to Loews, Sack changed its name to ‘USACinemas’.
I should say it was Sack/Loews “Cinema 57”.
This was opened by Sack Theatres as the “Sack 57” and later when Loews acquired Sack, it became the Loews 57, which is the name it closed under.
Loews Theatres in Boston in 1956 were ORPHEUM and State.
What was this theatre called when Loews closed it,anyone know?
According to today’s Boston Herald, a live magic show will play at the Stuart Street on Sat. evening and again on July 24 and Aug. 28. But there will be only 55 tickets per show which means that it will not be performed in the auditorium which has the movie screen, but elsewhere on the premises. The “Backstage Magic Show”.
It would be fantastic if archival films were shown there!
I agree one hundred percent!
I would really love for us to start showing more foreign films. We are currently showing Broken Embraces, but it had been at Kendal Square for the past couple months.
I would also love for us to get another functioning projector so that we can start showing archival films. It takes two projectors running the change-over method of projection to show archival films because they are not allowed to be cut and spliced.
Please post ideas here, and I’ll be sure to let David know… we all want to see this theater succeed!
This theatre needs to show films exclusively, not shared with other local theatres, if it is going to draw a consistent audience.
I am currently sitting in The Stuart Street Playhouse lobby.
I’ve been working here since November of 2009 as a projectionist. The Playhouse hasn’t got much business since it re-opened on Halloween of 2009. Fred Wiseman’s LA DANSE being our busiest show around Christmas time.
I have been urging David Bramante (who runs this theater, as well as West Newton Cinema and Belmont Studio Cinema, which his brother runs) to lower his prices, start a membership program, and create a sense of community with the local restaurants and institutions such as Emerson College down the street. Our biggest draws have been with film festival, such as The Boston Jewish Film Festival, The Boston Irish Film Festival, and The Boston Underground Film Festival, which I work as a projectionist for.
Last night we had BUFF, The Boston Underground Film Festival here for their LAUNCH PARTY with a huge draw close to selling out our 400 seat capacity. YELP, Harpoon, and Boloco all helped our for that event.
As a projectionist really interested in the art of exhibition, I am slowly learning what works well and what doesn’t work. The current management style is not working to the best of its ability to draw in crowds to downtown Boston’s only art house theater.
The only other movie theater in downtown Boston being Boston Common Loew’s/AMC.
Today’s Globe has a very small display ad for this movie and theatre (page G17) — but unfortunately also a one-star review that says:
“Irene in Time’’ is the initial first-run feature to debut at the Stuart Street Playhouse, Boston’s newest art house cinema. Both the theater and its audiences deserve much better.
Since they reopened as a cinema I had not seen any movie ads in the Boston Herald until today, Dec. 11. They ran a fairly large display ad for the movie “Irene in Time”. I was surprised to see that they have afternoon screenings on weekdays as well as weekends.
I went to the afternoon screening of Amreeka at the Stuart Street. The theatre is a very clean and pleasant place; the movie was excellent. There was, sadly, only a handful of patrons at the showing. The cinema fulfills a need, since it is such a convenient place to see recent independent and foreign films in Boston’s downtown. I really do hope it succeeds in attracting more moviegoers as they discover the venue. Like a previous commenter, I believe the use of the other space in the theatre for another screen (or screens) would be a big plus.
Answering my own question — I’m going to guess that the last live show was Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra’s A Night At the Rock Opera. I suspect the page that I just linked to won’t be around much longer, but it lists the run as being from April 18-June 27, 2009. I think it ran only on Saturday nights and some Friday nights.
Does anyone recall what was the last live stage production here, and what exact day it closed? This would be useful information to add to the Description above.
I think it was interesting that the Radison gave the theater an open-ended lease so that the operators could take a chance on the space. And there’s still the potential to use the second (empty) theater in the future if it works out.
October 29th article from Boston.com:
View link
I’ve heard this delay was due to installation of projection equipment. All of the film projectors etc. had been removed in 1996 when the cinema first closed, so other equipment for this new operator had to be installed.
Yep, and their website (http://www.StuartStreetPlayhouse.com) now reflects the fact that it is a moviehouse rather than a live stage. I’m not sure if they are going to have one price for a double feature, or separate admissions.
The new opening date of Oct. 30th is also posted on their website. I hope they make that date because if they continue to postpone it , people will lose interest.
Yes, I saw that ad. I was in town for an opera at the Emerson Majestic. I walked over to the Stuart just to check it out, and there was a sign on the door with the new info.
That’s odd . Yesterday’s Globe advertised a double feature of PARIS and THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE>
The opening date has been changed to Friday, October 30th.
At last, an ad in today’s Boston Sunday Globe movie directory:
STUART STREET PLAYHOUSE
200 Stuart Street 617-426-2190
The Stuart Street Playhouse located at the Radisson Hotel Boston
is the city’s new home for foreign and independent film.
The newly revamped Playhouse features a 435 seat single screen movie
theatre and will begin showing films on Friday October 23rd.
Coming Attractions…
Juliette Binoche in PARIS
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
BRIGHTSTAR