Officials seeking renter for Playhouse
Asking for public feedback
NEW CANAAN — Administration Officer Tucker Murphy and First Selectman Kevin Moynihan are actively working to find an operator for the Playhouse, the town-owned theater that Bow Tie Cinemas vacated during the pandemic.
Several emails supporting the revival of the 1923 Playhouse have been arriving in the town's inbox, Murphy said. In a recent joint meeting between Town Council and the Board of Finance, town officials said they wanted to hear from residents as to whether they want to save the two-screen theater at 89 Elm Street.
A Board of Finance meeting on May 10 is expected to discuss the $2.4 million needed for the project— much of which is expected to come from an account accumulated for years of past rents, American Rescue Act funds and a capital appropriation. The total allotment needed is just for updates, not including upgrades, and will be done by the new theater operator. Moynihan expects the project would be financed with $600,000 from a capitol appropriation, $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and $804,000 that is already in an account accumulated from rents.
“We're 98 percent there,” Moynihan said.
After speaking to a number of theater operators, the town is negotiating with two and primarily in executive session. “They are sharing confidential information,” Moynihan said. One organization is identified as Cinema Lab, based in Montclair, N.J., while the other is not named.
Either company in contention would serve alcohol and snacks. Selling drinks and food is “how theater businesses survive these days,” Murphy said.
Town officials believe a thriving theater can be a boon for other local businesses while not be competing with New Canaan restaurants as the theater would be serving appetizers before movie goers could “then go to dinner,” Murphy said.
“A couple of the operators that we've talked to are all about partnering,” Murphy said of their proposed relationship with local restaurants. Local eateries would cook the food that would be served in the theater.
Moynihan is positive about the viability of a theater. “Everybody says you have a gold mine here,” he said, noting that neighboring towns such as Wilton, Darien and Westport have all closed their theaters. The only small town theaters left in the area are Ridgefield and Bedford.
When confronted with an argument that more people watch movies at home these days, Murphy was adamant. “You don't stop going out to restaurants because you have a kitchen,” she said. She also wants naysayers to consider how the 8,560 squarefoot building designed to be a theater would be used if not to show films.
“You're limited as to what you can do there,” Moynihan said. “The town doesn't need any more
restaurants.” A residential property is also out of the question as Moynihan said there is not enough parking.
“The idea is to make the theater really something special,” the first selectman said.
The two town officials suggested local and live programming at the theater, such as running Chamber of Commerce videos that promote the town along with the trailers before a moving showing, having movie producers give talks on their work or showing the Metropolitan Opera live on Sunday afternoons.
A temporary platform
can be installed over the first couple of rows of seating, which could potentially accommodate small panel discussions, interviews or musical performances, Murphy said. Moynihan said the movie operators sign a contract with film companies that stipulates they must prioritize firstrun movies, however, the Playhouse has a second theater that can accomodate alternative programming.
Much of the $2.4 million needed is to make the 100year-old building compliant with the American Disability Act by correcting the slope of the floor, moving bathrooms, making the
upstairs accessible by installing an elevator, removing steps presently located at the emergency exits and making other provisions to enable visitors in wheelchairs to be able to maneuver around the theater. Moynihan also said that the town should address the disrepair to the brick facade and reconfigure the sidewalks to correct poor drainage.
The town may use ARPA funds to replace losses from revenue during COVID-19 such as from parking and recreation, which would go into the general fund. The town could then use those funds if the spending is not in line with
ARPA guidelines, Moynihan explained.
Potential buyers would “take over the entire building,” so the current tenants — the Chamber of Commerce, New Canaan CARES and the Earth Garden shop — would need to leave. The theater rent will more than make up for the lost rental revenue, Moynihan said, but he did not want to disclose possible rent prices “until we have a deal.”
Residents who wish to submit comments regarding the theater can email BOFdistribution@newcanaanct.gov or/and TCdistribution@newcanaanct.gov