Nonprofit cinema opens fourth theater - 01/15/2010
by Anne Marie Swary
Tropic Cinema enthusiasts can look forward to more variety and longer film runs with the opening of the cinema's fourth theater tonight.
The Tropic, South Florida's only nonprofit, independent film multiplex, has spent the past year and nearly half a million dollars expanding its Eaton Street location.
"The planning started in earnest a couple of years ago when I was on the board of directors, and it was really based on audience figures and what we saw as the increasing interest and increasing need in Key West to see good, independent film," said Matthew Helmerich, the theater's executive director. "So opening a new theater was really about doing our job better -- being able to show more films, rotate our films more frequently, keep the ones that people want to see longer and also open our theater to more civic and community events."
The new theater is particularly special to Helmerich because it is named after his mother, 1950s film star Peggy Dow.
She acted opposite some of Hollywood's leading men, including Jimmy Stewart, Rock Hudson and Dick Powell. She left her brief acting career after meeting her husband, Walter Helmerich, at a premiere party for "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." They married and settled in Oklahoma, where they raised their five sons.
"There was really no 'Hollywood' in our childhood," said Matthew Helmerich. "We'd watch reruns of mom's movies on TV, and we knew it was our mom -- it just wasn't a big deal. She was younger in the movies, of course. And cooler. She didn't seem like the kind of person who would yell at you to clean up your room."
The 50-seat Peggy Dow Theater was constructed in the vacant commercial space adjacent to the cinema.
Most of what makes the new theater so special is hidden from the view of patrons, who won't notice much beyond the cushy new seats, vibrant red walls, colorful carpeting and neon lighting designed to match the rest of the theater's art deco-style decor. However, a bevy of technological innovations and specialized equipment designed to optimize their viewing experience is hidden in the walls, behind the screen, and runs beneath their feet.
"The big challenge about this room is it's on the street, so it has to be purpose-built so people are in a cocoon environment for their viewing experience," cinema board member Corky Irick said. "Sound is like water; it will find a crack and seep through."
The new theater is encased in four layers of insulation to block any street noise, and the room is wired with state-of-the-art sound equipment. Special consideration also went into the air-conditioning system; it quietly keeps the room cool, even when there's a full house.
A closer look at the film screen reveals thousands of pin-sized perforations that allow sound from three hidden, refrigerator-sized speakers to leap from the screen, making it seem as if the sound is actually coming from the actors' mouths, Irick said.
The Dow theater also is equipped with both 35-mm and digital projectors.
The theater was funded with $211,000 from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, private funds and a matching grant from the Helmerich Foundation, run by Matthew Helmerich's father.
Dow is in town for the theater's inauguration. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. today with a cocktail reception, followed by a conversation with Solares Hill film critic Shirrel Rhoades and a screening of Dow's movie "Harvey," which co-stars Jimmy Stewart. Tickets for the special event, which also serves as a fundraiser for the Tropic, are $100.
In a free event Saturday, the Tropic will present four of Dow's films -- at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. She will be on hand at each screening to share her memories of the films and Hollywood gossip from the day.
Success story
The Tropic has become a beloved fixture of the community since it opened nearly six years ago.
Yearly attendance has grown more than 60 percent since its first year in operation, and movie attendance was more than 65,000 last year, said founding Tropic board chairman and current board member George Cooper. Membership has grown from 1,400 to 2,400.
"I thought we were going to have just the space where the lobby is and put a 75-seat theater in the back," Cooper said, recalling early discussions to launch the nonprofit theater.
At the time, the building's landlord was concerned he wouldn't be able to find a tenant for the back of the building, so he negotiated for the Tropic to lease the entire building, and the board decided to add two theaters.
A third theater, named The George in Cooper's honor, was added in 2007.
The Dow theater won't be the last project for the theater this year. In a few months, construction will begin on a new concession stand, which will offer a line of organic products in addition to the popular popcorn, snacks, candy and alcoholic beverages, Helmerich said.
A generator also will be added in light of the island's periodic power outages.
An additional allocation of $75,000 from the county tourism council also will be used to fund this project.
amswary@keysnews.com |
