Theater’s future as asset still unclear
The genesis of a meeting Thursday to discuss the Regent Square Theater’s future as a community asset began, simply enough, with a light bulb.
“A light bulb in our projector went out and had to be replaced,” said Germaine Williams, CEO of Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, which owns the art house theater. “Not a big deal; still, it costs a couple thousand dollars.
“We replaced the bulb, but it would not project.”
Turns out, another crucial part of the projector that regulates power has to be replaced. On top of that, the projector was improperly seated in its initial installation, and that will require another repair. So, plan to spend another $4,000 or so.
“It starts to add up,” Mr. Williams said.
The nonprofit theater has been closed since late May, prompting concern from neighbors and area businesses. As of now it’s closed indefinitely.
An announcement about the meeting had been posted recently on Nextdoor.com, a private social network for the neighborhood. In the note, Mr. Williams said, “Ticket and concession sales for a single-screen art house theater are insufficient to cover all expenses.”
“People were reaching out with questions but also a desire to help,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
Although Pittsburgh Filmmakers operates three art house movie theaters, the meeting at Concept Gallery on South Braddock Avenue will focus on the Regent Square venue. As space is extremely limited, an RSVP capacity already hasbeen met.
Of the three singlescreen Pittsburgh Filmmakers theaters (Regent Square; the Harris, Downtown; and the Melwood Screening Room in Oakland), Regent Square is the largest. According to the Filmmakers website, it was built in 1936 and purchased in 1998 by the organization.
In addition to current film programming, the Regent Square Theater generally has a slate of Sunday evening classics, and is scheduled to host the annual Three Rivers Film Festival from Nov. 311.
June and July are traditionally the slowest months of the year for the theater, which figured into management’s decision to step back, do some cleaning and “de-cluttering” inside the theater, and chart a course, Mr. Williams said.
“The theater is situated in the larger community development plans, and we want to sketch out what’s possible, in terms of launching a campaign to raise dollars.”
Pittsburgh Filmmakers has been awarded a $400,000 matching state grant fund for the Regent Square Theater and must begin plotting fundraising plans.
The financial struggles facing Pittsburgh Filmmakers/PCA are not new. In 2015, the nonprofit laid off 20 people — a third of its staff — and former longtime executive director Charlie Humphrey resigned. At the time, the organization had a budget of $5.6 million. The nonprofit went through some reorganization and Mr. Williams took the helm in January, overseeing a smaller staff and $4 million budget.
There are other pressing needs in the organization, too, such as repairing the elevator for the city-owned Pittsburgh Center for the Arts building on Fifth Avenue, another particularly large expense.
But for the immediate future, it will focus on Regent Square. To that end, Mr. Williams said, the community’s ideas are welcome.
“We believe in community involvement — that’s part of our mission. It’s a core part of what we do.”