Theater Gets $100,000 Donation
Gift pushes cinema closer to goal

Concord Monitor, June 5, 2007
by Meg Heckman

First it was the investment giant. Then the yogurt mogul. Now, Concord real estate developer Steve Duprey has placed corporate clout behind efforts to open an independent movie theater downtown.

Red River Theatres announced yesterday that the Duprey Companies have pledged $100,000 to help outfit the 330-seat cinema that work crews are installing in the Capital Commons development on Main Street. Duprey joins a list of major donors that includes Stonyfield Farm CEO Gary Hirshberg and Lincoln Financial Group.

Duprey's contribution puts Red River about $300,000 shy of the $1.83 million it must raise to cover construction and early operating costs once the theater opens this fall. To raise the rest, Red River is seeking a few more big-ticket donors and encouraging individuals to give through the mail, on the internet or at a series of upcoming house parties.

"We can't have too much community support," Executive Director Robbi Farschman said.

It's been almost a decade since a gang of local film buffs started lobbying for a downtown theater. After ruling out a few other locations, Red River set its sights on the ground level of Capital Commons, the nearly finished building on the former Sears Block.

Movies will spice up Concord's nightlife, but the theater is expected to boost the downtown economy too. A 2002 study predicted that an independent movie house would increase sales around Main Street by $1.2 million a year by increasing foot traffic on evenings and weekends.

This economic boon - plus fond memories of an independent theater near his Florida college - drove Duprey and his wife, Susan, to donate.

"I'm committed to the success of downtown," he said. "I got a tour (of the theater) last week. It's going be a fabulous addition."

Duprey owns Foxfire Property Management, is a partner in several local hotels, and recently developed the former Blue Cross and Blue Shield building on Concord's South End.

He was curious about Red River's efforts for more than a year, but he wanted to make sure it could "get off the ground" before he pitched in.

In return for Duprey's donation, Red River will name the cinema lobby after him and his wife.

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