What’s Right With This Picture?

The other afternoon before dinner, I approached the gorgeous historic theatre with my family, walking under the beautiful marquee. After standing in line briefly at the box office, we purchased our tickets to a popular current film at a member’s discount.

The membership to the non-profit theatre had been a Christmas gift from my mother – one I had requested. My recent experience with Baltimore City’s inept and clueless handling of The Senator Theatre had made me all too aware of just how precious the other historic theatre in my life actually is.

We strolled into the outer lobby of the theatre, where an usher took our tickets. We stood in line for concessions, and were quickly served fresh popcorn with real butter, delivered in paper buckets and not bags. Passing through another set of doors, we strolled into the glittering inner lobby of the theatre, all of its gilding and original decorations looking stunning, as they always have for many years now.

Walking into the fully restored original auditorium, we found an open row of seats in front of the overhanging balcony. The gilding on the ceiling shone and dazzled as the organist played live music on the theatre’s period organ before the show.

My family and I had arrived at the most stunning entertainment venue in Southeastern Michigan – the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan – for a matinee showing of “The King’s Speech.”

The Michigan Theater was built in 1928 by the W.S. Butterfield Company, a regional theatre chain. It is now owned by a non-profit that uses memberships and donations to supplement its ticket sales and keep the restored theatre in prime condition. Hundreds of historic theatres across the nation are best served by non-profit ownership, which can raise the funds to keep the expensive buildings as beautiful as they were designed to be. Theatres like the Michigan often receive around 40% of their funding from donations and memberships, not ticket sales – an important consideration in today’s economic climate of dwindling attendance for films in theatres.

The Michigan’s schedule is a mix of high-quality, critically acclaimed new films, classic films, live music and other special events, and even the occasional blockbuster. Laurie Anderson and Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt will all appear there in January. Lewis Black will be there and the theater will also host a Charlie Chaplin film festival in February. Jeff Beck will appear there in March.

All in all, the Michigan is one of America’s prime examples of historic theatre ownership and operation done right. It should serve as a model for what The Senator Theatre should become, if only the input and advice of experts in the field would be sought and heeded.

I’ve described the Michigan in some detail above, primarily because I think Baltimoreans who have not been to a successfully restored non-profit theatre like it have often had a difficult time envisioning such a thing. No such thing exists in Baltimore, after all. In other cities, like Ann Arbor, however, such theatres are magnificent and thriving cultural assets.

Almost every little thing is perfect at the Michigan, but not quite. As I left the theater and looked back at the lit marquee, I noticed that just a few of the tiny little light bulbs surrounding the name of the theater were out. Just a few, and they’re those tiny little pain in the butt light bulbs that were so numerous on theatres of the Michigan’s vintage (older than The Senator). Really a major task to keep them all lit at the same time. The bulbs are tiny and there are hundreds of them, so it’s almost a given that a few will always be out on any theatre of that vintage.

Even so, I smiled to myself as I reflected that if my friend Tom Kiefaber were responsible for that marquee, he would not rest for a moment until each tiny light bulb was lit. Anal retentiveness, thy name is Tom.

Perhaps the lesson here is that, even if a city has the foresight and vision to do the right thing with its historic theatre, and even if it has enough funding to take care of the major restoration, it still helps to have an uncompromising, obsessive person or persons with a real passion for the theatre – people like former Senator owner Tom Kiefaber – if every little thing is going to be truly perfect, at least most of the time.

Sadly, this reminded me that the new for-profit operators of The Senator Theatre have been badly neglecting its marquee and its neon – allowing nearly half of the much larger, less numerous light bulbs under it to burn out over the past couple of months, neglecting to keep the neon behind the glass bricks lit, even allowing the neon letters to go out so that, last time I passed by The Senator at night, the letters read SE—TOR, and not The Senator. Tom Kiefaber would never have allowed this neglect of easily maintained key features of the exterior for even one day, if it was humanly and financially possible to repair them. The new operators have been neglecting these simple repairs for months now.

But unlit neon and neglected changes of light bulbs are not the worst of the new operators’ problems. Attendance at the theatre has not improved much since they took over, although they got a temporary boost from all the publicity surrounding the reopening. That means the basic underlying economic problem is still there.

It should be no surprise that people are not going to flock back to The Senator in attendance numbers to rival the 1940s, but somehow Baltimore City has been slow to grasp this fact. In fact, I recently ran across a Daily Record article from April, 2009, in which then Deputy Mayor Andrew Frank is quoted as saying “At its peak [the Senator] drew 350,000 people a year, and that’s the goal we’re trying to get back to.” Uh, Mr. Frank? There are 365 days in a year. That works out to almost 1,000 people a day. Hate to break it to you, but that’s not happening again with first-run films. NOT. EVER. AGAIN. This is quite a revealing quote, however, that shows one of the totally erroneous assumptions on which the City has based their handling of this matter.

To make matters worse, the new operators’ poorly-defined, ill-advised, and preservation-insensitive plans for renovation were rightly rejected recently by the Maryland Historical Trust, the state authority that determines the award of state historic tax credits, based on the national standards for historic preservation that have been set by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The rejection of the sub-standard plans is a huge opportunity to revisit the overall plans for the future of The Senator and course-correct a scheme that has gone badly awry from the beginning. Now is the time to do what should have been done in the first place, and consult historic theatre preservation and redevelopment experts, not just about the plans for renovation or restoration, but about the whole overarching plan.

Unfortunately, though, Baltimore City government is poised to bungle this again, as they may just continue to push through the existing plan, which has already gone so badly awry in just a few months. Outside experts need to be brought in, and they need to be brought in now, if we are to avoid the further slow decline and probable eventual destruction of The Senator Theatre.

Personally, I’d advise starting with a little research into the hundreds of theatres like the Michigan, all across the country, that are doing this right.

The County, The Ambler, Bryn Mawr Film Institute, and The Hiway: 4 Non-Profit Theatres in PA

I spoke on the phone today with John Toner, President of Renew Theaters. Mr. Toner is the Executive Director of the County Theater in Doylestown, PA and the Ambler Theater in Ambler, PA and the Managing Director of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute in Bryn Mawr, PA. He sits on the board of the Hiway Theatre in Jenkintown, PA. Each of these four theatres is a non-profit, community based historic theatre.

I got in touch with John Toner because I hoped a historic theatre expert such as himself could shed some light on The Senator’s precarious situation. We discussed the theaters he works with as well as The Senator.

The County and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute have two screens each. The Ambler has three screens. The Hiway has only one. Mr. Toner told me the more screens the better for historic theatres trying to remain in operation.

The single screen of The Senator here in Baltimore could be augmented by expanding the facility. I know various plans for expansion already exist in Tom Kiefaber’s archives. Mr. Toner said he thought some kind of expansion of The Senator would be a good idea.

I asked Mr. Toner if he feels it is important for historic theaters to be owned by non-profits. His reply:

“It’s the only feasible way that I know to make them succeed. I haven’t seen any commercial large seating theatres that are for-profit, (except for the occasional ones that have bands).”

Such theatres are primarily music venues, having left their roots as movie theatres mostly behind. John Toner told me these music venues also typically have over 1,000 seats. He thought that at around 860 seats, The Senator was a bit small to be a for-profit music venue, though it could work as a multi-purpose performing arts center.

Mr. Toner told me, “I don’t know of any single-screen 800 seat movie theatre that’s operating in the United States that’s a for-profit.” He added that it was impressive that Tom Kiefaber has been able to keep The Senator open as a single-screen for-profit movie theatre for as long as he has.

Since Baltimore City’s steering committee recommended against The Senator being a non-profit on the assumption that a non-profit would require ongoing subsidies from the City, I asked Mr. Toner how the non-profit theatres he works with in PA are funded. He told me that in fact NONE of them gets ongoing subsidies from the cities in which they are located. They raise money from other sources, primarily foundation and private money. I learned from these theatre’s web sites that they receive sponsorships from businesses and sell memberships. Mr. Toner also told me that they have received some state money from the State of Pennsylvania, and that the Ambler has received some county money.

I also did some research on the web sites of these theatres, which yielded additional information.

The County Theater building dates to 1938. It was run by a local film society from 1982 to 1992. It re-opened as a non-profit community-based project in 1993. In 1996, they started a capital campaign to purchase the building and do further renovation. This capital campaign exceeded its goal and the non-profit acquired the building in 1997. A major renovation was also done in 1997.

The non-profit is currently sustained by memberships, private donations, and business sponsorships. It received a Keystone grant from the State of Pennsylvania in 1998 and has also received support from at least one local foundation.

Their web site states “As a non-profit we do many additional things like historic restoration, special programming, and educational outreach. Our operations are driven by cultural and educational values. (With our Board of Directors keeping a sharp eye on the bottom line, of course.)”

“Being a non-profit also allows us to accept tax-deductible contributions to help us accomplish our mission.”

And elsewhere on the web site it says “Being non-profit allows us to accept charitable contributions to keep the theater running and to make needed renovations.”

The Ambler Theater first opened in 1928. It stopped showing 35mm films about 1970. Starting in the 70s, it operated as a Christian theater, but closed in 1997. It was sold to non-profit in 2001.

It cost $2 million to renovate. The Ambler’s three screens include two small auditoriums in what used to be the rear of the orchestra seating.

The Ambler is currently sustained by memberships and business sponsors, as well as the state and county money that John Toner mentioned.

The Bryn Mawr Film Institute is located in the former Bryn Mawr Theater building, which was originally the Seville in 1926, but was renamed the Bryn Mawr in the 1950s. It closed in 2001. It re-opened as a non-profit in 2005.

The Bryn Mawr is currently funded by memberships, business sponsors, individual donations, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

The theatre now known as the Hiway first opened as a theater in 1913 and had several names and owners over the years, but was known as the Hiway for the longest period in its history. The Hiway was purchased by a non-profit in 2003. An extensive $2.1 million renovation was done, and the theatre reopened in 2007.

In answer to the question of why they are a non-profit, their web site states:

“In the world of the multiplex cinema, it is very difficult for an independent theatre to be profitable. However, a movie theatre is very beneficial to the vitality the surrounding business district and can provide many benefits as a community resource. Because we can not solely rely on ticket sales to cover the operating expenses involved with running the theatre, Memberships and Sponsorships and Advertising from individuals and businesses as well as grants from all levels of government and foundations help off-set the costs related to the day to day business and allow us to provide new and innovative programs.”

(Photos are from the theatre’s respective web sites.)

I haven't gone away.

I just want to quickly assure people that this blog hasn't gone away. After the auction, it made sense to take a bit of a break, and I went on vacation too.

I'm back, and doing research into non-profit theatre models all over the country. What I'm finding out is that, as we knew already, the city's steering committee recommendation that said The Senator can't be a non-profit was absolutely wrong. It not only CAN be, it really HAS to be if the building is going to be restored and maintained to the degree that it should be in the near future.

CAN'T vs. HAS TO. That's a big difference, and one that I'll be exploring soon.

I'll be discussing models for historic theatres throughout the country and more. Stay tuned.

City's Steering Committee Needs Designated Driver

As Tom Harris has pointed out at the Friends of The Senator Theatre blog, Baltimore City's secretive steering committee has made their recommendation, and they say The Senator can't be run as a non-profit. This is nonsensical, because historic theatres all over the country are being successfully run as non-profits. It looks like the steering committee needs a designated driver, because whatever they're drinking is impairing their judgement.

The only reason that Baltimore can't do the same as other cities have done is because Baltimore City is not willing to buy the time to figure out a feasible plan by stopping the foreclosure auction on The Senator.

By the way, did anyone else listening to Dan Rodricks' show on WYPR just now catch the fact that Rodricks and Deputy Mayor Andy Frank sprang the steering committee's recommendation on Tom Kiefaber while he was on the air and had not had a chance to read the recommendation?!!! Does that seem unfair to anyone else?! Smalltimore: The Home of Dirty Pool.

UPDATE: Also please note that this recommendation by the steering committee gives the city its long-anticipated excuse to back out of the "deal" with Tom Kiefaber, since one of the many conditions the "offer" was based on was the steering committee's recommendation that The Senator could be run as a non-profit.

Interesting Exchange Between Bill Henry and Tom Kiefaber

Last night, I attended a meeting of the York Road Partnership, a local community group, because I understood The Senator Theatre was going to be on the agenda.

As the meeting was wrapping up and The Senator had not yet been discussed, Tom Kiefaber raised his hand during the announcements part of the meeting. He announced that there was an enhanced learning event going on at The Senator this morning at 10:15-11:30.

Tom then asked what happens if the city’s steering committee decides The Senator cannot go forward as a non-profit.

Bill said the Mayor would have to determine if it can go forward as a non-profit at that point. He added that he hasn’t been part of any discussion over what happens if it can’t go forward as a non-profit.

That was the extent of the discussion in front of the entire meeting.

The conversation about The Senator later continued outside. It was witnessed by myself, another concerned neighbor, and Adam Bednar of The Messenger (it will be interesting to see what he might write about it).

The conversation was mostly between Tom Kiefaber and Bill Henry. Tom was very clear that he has accepted the city’s offer and is willing to work to iron out the details. He was pressing Bill to explain how the city is going to hand The Senator over to a non-profit and how they are going to determine what non-profit.

Bill stated the steering committee is really just crunching numbers to see if it CAN become a non-profit, and looking at the numbers for various plans that have been submitted to them by interested parties. They are NOT determining how The Senator will be run in the future.

I observed that if the city is going to pay off part of Kiefaber’s loan and then take over The Senator, but the city has not yet determined at that point what to do with it, obviously The Senator is going to close for a while. Bill did not deny that. In fact, he has admitted it publicly and on the record before this.

I also learned other interesting things from what Bill was saying:

The city is most likely going to allow The Senator to go to a foreclosure auction to “clear the debt.” (As Tom Kiefaber pointed out, this does not clear the debt from his perspective, because he will still owe it.) The Senator will therefore be sold to the highest bidder unless this foreclosure is stopped.

The Senator might not be a movie theatre in the future. Various proposals have been presented. It sounds like there is no guarantee it will be any kind of public theatre at all.

Bill reiterated that the steering committee is not going to take public input.

The city is in a position to potentially determine the fate of The Senator only because they guaranteed a loan to The Senator with public funds. To refuse to take public input on something that involves the use of taxpayer money is inexcusable, in my opinion.

The Senator’s Battle for Watchmen

I know some of you who have been watching this closely are probably aware that there was some doubt as to whether The Senator would run Watchmen. From what I’m hearing, it seems that there was a brief period where Warner Bros. rescinded the film booking, due to the city's harsh stance and their alarming comments in the recent Daily Record article, where an elected official indicated that the theatre may close for "a month." That understandably spooked the studio and I hear they pulled the date with a call to the theatre last Friday evening. The resourceful folks at The Senator have once again worked their magic and prevailed. The run is now back on!

The near-miss incident illustrates the fact that closing the theatre, for ANY length of time, would sever the ongoing relationships with the film distribution and exhibition industry.

Tom Kiefaber has observed in the past that The Senator needs the film distributors, but they do not need The Senator. Most single-screens left in the nation don't offer first-run films like Watchmen. The Senator's ability to do so involves many factors, including the two "move-over" screens at The Rotunda. Kiefaber has been candid that the theatre's cash-flow difficulties are a negative factor, but that the distributors continue to work with them based on The Senator's legacy in the industry and Tom's 30-year working relationship with them. If that critical ongoing relationship ends abruptly, the distributors may do what they have done in other situations: they may push what Tom had called the "game over" button in licensing films to The Senator. That would make it difficult or impossible for the theatre to ever offer first-run films again in the future, regardless of who is in control when the theatre reopens.

In this case, even a rumor of a possible closure made WB nervous enough to pull the film, so this factor obviously needs to be taken seriously. Tom Kiefaber has built these relationships over decades, and they are precious. We need to make sure The Senator does not close during the transition, so those relationships can be maintained.

What is not well understood is that Tom's position for some time now has been that he can no longer preserve and protect the Senator and that ownership of the theatre needs to convert to community-based non-profit entity in a manner that keeps the theatre in operation. A seamless process could improve the theatre's present difficulties with "slow pay" to the film distributors, while leaving intact the critical link to the film industry.

At the January press conference, it was made clear that closure may be imminent, which is why the call was made by Tom and the community leaders for the city and state representatives to come to the table with the owner and the business and residential community. The "offer," which the city made public in response, does not indicate that they understand the necessity of keeping the theatre in operation during the transition. Their lack of understanding of the necessity of keeping the theatre open is illustrated by Bill Henry’s public statement in the Daily Record article about the probability of closure. He obviously thinks shutting it down for a month to upgrade is acceptable.

This also illustrates why many in the community are beginning to understand that, debts or no debts, it's important to utilize Kiefaber's lifetime of experience during the transition that he has been trying to bring about for the past few years. He wants a community based non-profit to take over. The community wants that as well. Everyone has been quite clear about this for a while now.

Tom is saying that he's looking forward to moving on, once The Senator is in a "safe harbor." This makes perfect sense to me. His lifetime of experience in the industry, however, and his wealth of connections, many with celebrities, are not something that should be thrown away lightly.

The city, the community, and all of us who are following this should respond quickly to assist in the efforts to keep the theatre in operation. While we are all focused on the theatre's future, it seems that we are really not heeding the owner's attempts to inform us of how quickly the theatre could shut down in our midst. The Senator is in a crisis situation, and we need to respond immediately.

The guy has debts that are increasing while he tries to keep the patient alive. His is a message that all who love The Senator and care about its future must respond to. The debts, which he took on as a consequence of his mission to keep the Senator operating, are now being used to discredit him and affix blame. That may soon lead to the very thing this guy has devoted his life to preventing. A pretty cruel irony, from my perspective. We all need to wake up and smell the popcorn.

Just my opinion.

What can we do if we want to support The Senator immediately? Go to the movie this weekend. Take all your friends. Email your friends and ask them to go.

Stay tuned to this blog for future developments, as things are happening fast.

I also want to recommend Tom Harris's Friends of The Senator Theatre blog and there's also a Friends of the Senator Theatre google group, started by Richard Tryzno Ellsberry.

Press Releases from The Senator Community Trust LLC

The Senator Community Trust LLC is a new community-based organization with a mission to preserve and protect the historic Senator Theatre. The group put out two press releases in the past 24 hours. I'm just going to quote them.

********************FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***********************

Baltimore Community Organizes To Support Historic Senator Theatre

Community and business leaders announce the formation of The Senator Community Trust LLC
to ensure the survival of the cherished historic landmark Senator Theatre.

Baltimore, Maryland, February 25, 2009 – A group of local community and business leaders announced today that they have organized to realize the goal of community-based non-profit ownership and preservation of the historic Senator Theatre.

Recognizing the need for the community to take the leadership in implementation of the vision to establish The Senator as the premiere community-based entertainment and educational venue in the area, the group has formed The Senator Community Trust LLC, which is now in the process of seeking non-profit status.

This vision is based on extensive feedback during a series of public meetings that began in early 2008.

“We’re encouraged by the city’s willingness to get involved. We take that as a very positive sign of their belief in this transition to community-based entertainment and educational facility,” says Sean Brescia of Clearpath Management, who has stepped up to help coordinate the goals of Senator management and The Senator Community Trust.

Brescia adds, “We are grateful for the city’s support of this vision and identification of economic development funds that could be allocated to help with the stabilization and transition process, and look forward to continuing this dialogue with them as we proceed.”

Efforts to preserve and protect the historic Senator Theatre have garnered national attention, most recently when actor David Arquette drew attention to the issue on his MySpace blog. Arquette writes, “Why do I care? Because I’ve seen it, I’ve walked through its sacred halls, I love it and I want my daughter to see it, wander through it in awe, and love it as I do someday soon.”

About The Senator Community Trust LLC: To foster the vision of the Senator Theatre as a community-based non-profit organization, a group of local community and business leaders has organized The Senator Community Trust, LLC. The Senator Community Trust has as its mission the preservation, protection, and restoration of Baltimore’s cherished landmark, the historic Senator Theatre. The Senator Community Trust is working with theatre management toward community ownership of the theatre building.

Contact:

Sherry Holland-Senter
The Senator Community Trust LLC
P.O. Box 39781
Baltimore, MD 21212
senatorcommunitytrust@gmail.com

Sean Brescia
Clearpath Management
1000 Fell Street, Suite 623
Baltimore, MD 21231
443.708.3084
sbrescia@clearpathmanagement.com

# # #

and...

February 25, 2009

************FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE************

Ace That Assessment: Senator Theatre Offers “Edu-tainment” Program for Area Schools

Baltimore, Maryland, February 25, 2009 – Beginning today for the next two weeks, The Senator Theatre will be hosting a series of “Test Preparation Shows” to area school children through a program sponsored by Amped Up: Family Amphiteater. The program is part of the developing vision of The Senator Theatre as a venue for educational, cultural and entertainment events.

The Senator Theatre management team has recently expanded the theatre’s offerings to demonstrate the Senator Theatre’s future as the premiere multi-purpose entertainment venue in the area, working with Sean Brescia of Clearpath Management to showcase a wide range of local musical talent. Through the “Test Preparation Shows,” the Senator Theatre is also demonstrating its potential as an enhanced learning destination for students.

A motion picture screen used for entertainment purposes can serve as a "graphic interface for enhanced learning" when utilized for educational purposes. Another key aspect of the experience has to do with the special purpose, controlled environment nature of the facility itself. Attention is seized and distractions are minimized in this unique enhanced learning environment that represents a scaled up version of the illuminated screens that they have been conditioned to direct their attention to from early childhood.

.
About The Senator Community Trust LLC: To foster the vision of The Senator Theatre as a community-based non-profit organization, a group of local community and business leaders has organized The Senator Community Trust, LLC. The Senator Community Trust has as its mission the preservation, protection, and restoration of Baltimore’s cherished landmark, the historic Senator Theatre. The Senator Community Trust is working with theatre management toward community ownership of the theatre building.


Contact:
Sherry Holland-Senter
The Senator Community Trust
senatorcommunitytrust@gmail.com

Michael Amrhine
Amped Up!, Inc.
A+ Assemblies, LLC
info@2ampedup.com
877-226-7338

PDF versions can be downloaded here:

SCT announcement
Edu-tainment at The Senator