‘The Big Screen’
Seven years in the making, Concord’s downtown Red River Theatres opens

Hippo Press
October 18, 2007
By Heidi Masek

Allegedly, there’s a line in the 1948 Western Red River that says: “There’s three times in a man’s life when he has a right to yell at the moon: when he marries, when his children come ... and when he finishes a job he had to be crazy to start.”

The people who worked long and hard to bring a two-screen nonprofit movie theater to downtown Concord have probably earned the right to yell at the moon.

“When you work so hard for so long, it’s really amazing to see it in the physical world finally,” said Emily Rice, chair of the Red River Theatres board of directors, after she and her colleagues at the Orr & Reno law firm had a photo op with the marquee they sponsored. (The huge tarp covering it blew onto the staff during the unveiling.) After seven years of effort, Red River Theatres opens Friday, Oct. 19, to show a “broad array of local, national and international film and to encouraging community participation in the world of film arts, all at affordable prices.”

Trailhead
Red River, a film starring John Wayne in which cattle drivers face peril when they choose an untried path to bring their herd to market, is one of Barry Steelman’s favorites. Steelman ran the one-screen Cinema 93 in Concord for about 30 years, 24 as owner. The strip mall he leased in was converted to big box stores in 1998. In 2000, a woman named Hope Zanes came to his Cinema 93 video store on Pleasant Street and told him she missed his theater. She offered to donate to a new version. Steelman didn’t think opening a nonprofit art house would be quick or easy, hence the name Red River.

It was a long process indeed, but the effort picked up many hard-working volunteers along the way. Eventually Red River was matched with a property redevelopment effort and became a tool for building Concord’s downtown, nightlife and cultural scenes.

Red River’s board investigated the possibility of using the historic Concord Theater, but renovation costs would have been too high. Another option appeared.

The Sears and Roebuck across from Pleasant Street remained empty after the store moved to the Steeplegate Mall in 1990.

“There was a lot of concern among [downtown] merchants about losing a big anchor,” city project manager Mike Walsh said. There was a “seedy sports bar,” and then a Massachusetts developer died halfway through renovations. With a half-demolished building four blocks from the Statehouse, the city took action in 1999 and started a public-private partnership to rebuild, investing $16.4 million. Organizers convinced the current owner to foreclose on the mortgage. The city bought it, demolished the building and cleaned up the site. Portsmouth developer Michael Simchik signed on, and Capital Commons is now a six-story office and retail space with a 510-space municipal garage attached. Red River signed on to lease the basement and was able to design its interior from scratch. Of course, there were moments when they thought they wouldn’t have the money for that, either.

Having the building in use during the day and evening was key to the city’s goals, said Concord City Manager Tom Aspell. The city needed an anchor that would draw people downtown. Red River is also a tool to make downtown more attractive to residential development, Aspell said.

Ray of hope
“I don’t think it’s a magic bullet for anybody. But it will be a very big positive step,” said Michael Herrmann, owner of Gibson’s Bookstore. “When before we had an empty lot, or a lot of disruption from construction, now we’re going to have some really cool neighbors and people will slowly but surely come to realize this is about the most interesting neighborhood in town. So we look forward to big things.”

“If you look at any community that has more cultural activity ... there’s greater civic awareness, greater community engagement, all the things that build a sustainable community. It really isn’t just a cliché to say all cultural organizations benefit when new ones come into the community,” said Ric Waldman, marketing director of the Capitol Center for the Arts. The presenting house was the result of another major effort to put a cultural nonprofit on South Main Street.

“Concord’s the kind of place that needs something [like this],” said city resident Ann Marie Oszust, 27. She hopes to see Red River used to show work by locals. “We have a lot of talented people in Concord,” she said.

“I think it’s a wonderful story,” Simchik said. He pointed out that people raised a lot of money in a short time to build the nonprofit theater. “It shows the dedication of the people of Concord,” he said. The screening room is named The Jaclyn Simchik Memorial Theater.

The building is about 60 percent leased. Centrix Bank is on the street level, while A.G. Edwards, Inc., McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, P.A., Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP and a day spa, Michaeljohn, have leased space above.

Back at the ranch...
The brand new two-theater cinema with a screening room and community art gallery did not come into being without a few bumps and some serious elbow grease.

Steelman helped organize community film events to keep the Red River name out there. The Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival was launched. Red River partnered with New Hampshire Technical Institute to show films on Friday nights (eventually, NHTI broke off and continued Friday night films separately). Fundraising continued and the state’s Community Development Investment Program awarded $300,000 of tax credits to sell. Red River sought grants and offered naming rights. Businesses and individuals offered matching donations.

While Red River was fundraising and planning, the Capital Commons project hit snags. Financing problems caused construction delays. It switched from offering residential space on upper floors to office space.

Steelman chaired Red River’s board of directors until about three years ago, when Rice took over. He became an ex-officio member because he could not be on the board if he was going to work for Red River, he said. But last year, news came out that Steelman had left the project. He found he wasn’t being considered as executive director, and the board didn’t want to promise him another role until they hired an executive director.

Steelman told HippoPress at the time that Red River’s characters fall out. “The trail drive is taken away from [John] Wayne and it’s done by the younger man — successfully, but it’s done by the younger man,” he said.

Red River got an executive director, Robbi Farschman, in place 10 months ago.

Now Steelman is back, hired as one of three projectionists, a position that “evolved courtesy of the executive director,” he said. There’s been hardly any mention of the rift and he has no qualms about the arrangement, he said.

Steelman admitted he thought it would have been nice to be in charge when the process began.

“I was seven years younger,” he said. Eventually, he decided he didn’t want the responsibilities at this point in his life. “I’m just as happy to be on sidelines,” he said.

Balancing act
Farschman has about eight years of nonprofit experience. That should come in handy as Red River tries to stay afloat.

Ticket sales will probably cover about 40 percent of operating costs. Organizers are projecting some rental income; they will have to consider renting the main theaters on a case-by-case basis unless people want them during off hours. The screening room will always be available. Nonprofits can use it for $300 for a half day or $500 for the full day. The corporate cost ranges from $500 to $900.

As with other nonprofits, you can become a member. For $40, you get $1 off each admission. Donate $5,000 and you get a year’s free admission for four, 20 guest passes, free popcorn and four free screening room rentals.

To cover the $1.1 million building costs, Red River has offered naming rights to just about everything. You’ll see stars with donor names on the lobby walls, and plaques on the theater seats. The largest theater is sponsored by Lincoln Financial; the smaller is called the Stonyfield Farm Culture Center. There was about $140,000 left to raise as of Oct. 10; you could still name a seat for $500 or acoustical panels for $2,500.

Being neighborly
Red River’s neighbors have been looking forward to the theater’s foot traffic.

“We’re going to tailor our hours to conform to theirs ... people need a place to mill around while they’re waiting for their movie,” Herrmann said. Gibson’s Bookstore will close at 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday instead of 6 p.m., and possibly expand weekend hours, hiring more staff to make it work.

“We purposely wanted to start that way, knowing they were going to be opening,” said Debby de Moulpied, who opened Real Green Goods at 35 S. Main St. a few months ago. The sustainable products shop is open until 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It may stay open until later on weekends if there’s a need.

Pachamama at 1 S. Main St. is open until 6 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. Saturdays. Owner Dawn Whiting said she’s willing to extend the hours if there’s demand.

Capitol Center for the Arts staff advised Red River volunteers, including facilities director Steve Martin, who serves on Red River’s building committee, Waldman said. The Coop is prepping food for Red River while the theater sorts out concessions. Green Concord is planning to lend a hand by organizing recycling during SNOB, said de Moulpied and Harris. Green Concord is a recent effort of various stores to market Concord as an environmentally friendly shopping center.

“We’ll always be glad to help them. I think a lot people are committed to do whatever it takes to make sure the theater succeeds,” said Hermanos owner Bruce Parrish

The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce will promote Red River events. Several members are sponsors, said Chamber president Tim Sink — “It is in our best interest to see that organization flourish,” he said.

Cross marketing
“It will bring traffic down to this end of Main Street, so I think everybody down this end of town is very excited,” said Mark Reingold, owner of Endicott Furniture at 12 South Pleasant St.

“We expect that we’re going to benefit hopefully quite a bit from this,” Foodees owner Richard Weintraub said. He and Kaleidoscope Children’s Museum owner Michelle Carigan are looking forward to the exposure they will gain from being across from the new anchor. Foodee’s will cater Red River events if asked, he said.

The Coop plans to offer $2 meal discounts at their Celery Stick Café when patrons show a Red River ticket from that day.

“We have [a] very attractive, very safe downtown,” Sink said. He thinks Red River will be a draw for residents and builders.

“We’re always trying to get more restaurants downtown” and get businesses to stay open later, Sink said. He thinks Red River will encourage that.

“I think it’s good for both of us. People are more willing to drive [an] hour to go to independent films if there are other things to do there,” de Moulpied said.

Many businesses and organizations are waiting until Red River is up and running before they approach with programming ideas. But it’s easy to see some natural links. Some said they’ll consider renting Red River for events like association or staff meetings.

Missing link
Herrmann expects the new foot traffic to justify expanded hours.

“I think ... we have to give it our best shot…,” Herrmann said. “One piece that we’re still waiting for is the restaurant. But that’ll come. They’re wise to wait for the right restaurant to go in there. But you know, it is frustrating not to have one signed up already.”

Simchick said he’s had “ample opportunities” to sign on restaurants but is being careful. “I’d rather be patient ... and get the right one in there,” he said.

Ann Marie Oszust, 27, who moved to Concord from New York State two years ago, said it’s important to her that the new restaurant is local or at least part of a local chain. As for genre, she’s voting Italian.

Waldman said he’d “hate to see an unimaginative chain restaurant.” He’s hoping for something “befitting” the “cultural image” people are trying to grow, that would offer a “companion experience” to seeing an art film or live performance.

Concord could use a seafood place, said Nan Hagan of Main Street Concord, a downtown revitalization group. A seafood restaurant was one of the businesses that Concord could support, according to Main Street Concord’s market analysis several years ago.

“We want it to be high-end but not so high-end that it scares people off. We want it to be an upscale dining experience by Concord standards. For instance, the model we would love to see up here is like C.R. Sparks ....” Herrmann said. Parrish mentioned Michael Timothy’s and Surf in Nashua, owned by Michael Buckley, and Z in Manchester as examples.

“I think the more restaurants you bring into an area, the better for all of then,” Parrish said.

Simchik said he wants to meet as many of Capital Commons’ needs as possible. Office or bank staff might want coffee at 7 a.m. while Red River patrons might be seeking food at 11:30 p.m. If he divides the restaurant space, the two tenants must be compatible, he said.

“I’m sure no matter what, [it] won’t please everybody,” Simchik said.

Some are wary about coffee and pastry being sold at Capital Commons, pointing out that there are quality places nearby like Bread and Chocolate, Bagelworks and the Coop. Full breakfast or brunch might be welcome. Carigan said families who visit the Kaleidoscope Children’s Museum need a place that will serve family-friendly breakfast, lunch and dinner “with healthy options, not fast food.”

“I’m very sold on Concord. I think people in Concord are sold on Concord. I think downtown is vibrant and becoming more vibrant all time,” Simchik said. But marketing the place to restaurant folks who don’t know the town is “a real task,” he said. He ran into a similar situation while seeking financing for the building originally, he said.

“I have lot of money on the line,” Simchik said, and he thinks it’s important that people understand he’s “100 percent behind Concord.”

Trail’s end
Steelman said this is the outcome he expected, “because it ended up being a community effort. Which is what I had in mind.” From the start, he’d wanted Red River to be a nonprofit with a board of directors so the project wouldn’t hinge on any one person. “I think the community rallied ... and provided the money and wherewithal to do it.... I think people will be impressed. It’s stylish,” he said.

John Andrews and Amy Diaz contributed to this story.

Grazing
Red River to feature brews, vino and local chow

Red River Theatres will sell the traditional popcorn and candy, plus soda to wash it down (of the Coca-Cola persuasion). But you won’t find hot pretzels or nachos with liquid cheese product. Instead, the Red River concession stand will feature fare from local eateries, starting with Concord Cooperative Market. The Coop will also be the featured bakery during the first six weeks at Red River. And you can wash those snacks down with wine or beer. You’re welcome to bring your drink into the theater, as long as you bought it at the concession stand.

Theoretically, anyway.

Hopefully, Red River will get final approval for a wine and beer license by Oct. 19, Farschman said.

There are practical reasons for the sandwiches and bevvies besides the more obvious ones like promoting local business, offering healthier, tastier fare, and offering the novelty of drinking in the cinema. (OK, you can drink at Chunky’s in Nashua and Pelham, but it’s still pretty unique.) For one thing, you can’t get a license to serve wine and beer in Concord without complying with a few rules, which include serving food and having a certain amount of chairs and tables. Eight tall chairs will be placed at a ledge and 12 chairs will be at three bistro tables, on order from Alberta, Canada. The tables will be clustered near the front of the already cozy lobby. They weren’t in the original plan, but the wine and beer income will go far to keep Red River financially viable, Farschman said.

A significant amount of ticket income goes to the movie company. The film distributor usually takes about 70 percent of the gross ticket sales during the first week. The theater’s percentage increases each week, so Red River won’t see a significant return on ticket income until a film’s third week running, Farschman said. So at $8 per ticket, about $2.40 will go to the theater in the first week. That’s less than $400 for a full house in the largest theater. That may not go far toward covering rent, utilities, insurance, staff and other costs. Especially if not every show is packed. That’s why movie theaters charge such astronomical rates for concessions, Farschman said. Red River wants to keep food prices reasonable, she said, “So the liquor license is very important ... without it, [I] might be a little bit worried.”

Finished product
A dream no more, Red River Theatres is a real place

You enter Red River Theatres from a courtyard to the south of Capital Commons into a ramped hallway with lit movie posters. It’s sort of a “public egress” that allows others in the building to access the garage, courtyard and elevator.

A round ticket counter is in the front corner of the lobby. To the back, the concession counter curves outward.

“I just love the carpets,” said executive director Robbi Farschman. Milliken Floor Covering allows clients to customize a design online, which Milliken prints to carpet tiles. Large red dots with wavy blue blocks on a neutral background make up the squares in Red River’s lobby.

Bar chairs will line a wall ledge opposite the concessions, and bistro tables will be clustered near the front. Movie times will be staggered so the cozy space doesn’t get “bottled up,” Farschman said.

The lobby funnels to a metallic-painted hallway leading to the two main theaters on the left and restrooms on the right. The hallway will serve as a community art gallery, initially featuring work from John Stark High School students. The idea is to get regional communities involved, “so people feel like it’s their theater,” Farschman said.

The Lincoln Financial Group Theater seats about 164; The Stonyfield Yogurt Culture Center seats about 113. The Lincoln Financial boasts a larger screen, 29 feet wide by 13 feet tall. Stonyfield’s is 26 feet wide and 11 feet tall. High-backed seats have a rocker function and are “very comfy,” Farschman said.

Architectural firm Sheerr McCrystal Palson of New London worked on the project with Red River, and much of the credit goes to chief designer Anthony Mento, said Eric Palson, AIA, the firm’s president and owner.

Sheerr McCrystal Palson has been involved in projects for Concord Community Music School, Capitol Center for the Arts, the Red Cross and the Audubon Society. The firm was charged with a number of design goals for Red River. A major one was helping people find the place, since its entrance is toward the back of the plaza on Main Street. The architects solved that with a detached marquee.

Because there are no windows, they sought ways to provide light from different places, like lit coves, and used reflective surfaces. The round themes were inspired by the 1914 “Homage to Bleriot” by Robert Delauney with a “lot of color” and “circular forms,” Palson said.

“We worked really hard [so that] you saw a human being as close to the entrance as we could [get],” he said. That’s why patrons enter theaters at the back or top — so the lobby and ticket booth can be at plaza level. The theaters are aligned back to back to share a projector room — the suggestion came from Barry Steelman, Palson said.

The Red River building committee wanted a “really nice” cinema experience, with nice finishes, better concessions, comfortable seats and great sight lines.

“All those things that people gripe about in cinemas ... [they] wanted the opposite,” Palson said. He noted that in the main theaters “your head is always entirely above the head in front of you.”

Designing for “acoustic isolation” in a mixed-use building was another challenge. Three layers of drywall are hung on springs under the concrete in the theater ceilings, Palson said.

In addition to the two main theaters, Red River’s Jaclyn Simchik Memorial Theater is a fan-shaped multi-purpose room that can seat up to 48. A 10-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall screen rolls down for digital projection and the walls are fitted with acoustical panels. Red River plans to use it for event rental and to help launch New England filmmakers whose work is on DVD.

Palson said the opportunity for that space came from the rounded front right corner of Capital Commons, which lent itself to amphitheater layout, he said.

The architects found a massive tracking fire door that allows for a wide, curved entrance to the lobby, and Red River paid to finish the public corridor so that it matches, making the lobby feel larger than it is. The fire door is closed when the theater is closed, and patrons leaving late movies exit back into the corridor.

The Scuffmaster metallic paint, which Farschman noted is “very expensive,” has low volatile organic compounds (which create the fumes that can make your head hurt). Palson said they’ve been using low-VOC paint since they worked on the LEED-certified Audubon project. It’s the same cost, healthier for the clients and allows for faster move-in.

Surprise — we are not in a top 10 market
Why does it take so long for art films to get here, and what the heck do nonprofit cinemas do, anyway?

Adam Birnbaum is the program director for the nonprofit Avon Theatre in Connecticut (avontheater.org). He’s also the movie buyer for 15 theaters, including the Colonial in Keene and Red River.

“We’d like to have a theater that maintains the utmost with respect to quality across the board, and variety, and especially an alternative to what you would get at the multiplexes,” he said. Red River will offer foreign, American independent, documentary and commercial crossover art house titles, and occasional classics, he said.

“Art movies are handled in a much different fashion than wide release,” Birnbaum explained. Your usual Hollywood fare is generally opened nationally on a Friday on somewhere between 1,000 and 4,000 screens, he said. An art film might be placed in one or two theaters in New York or Los Angeles or both for a week, then reviews and box office response are used to determine “how or if” a film is distributed further. Suburban runs outside of New York and L.A. follow, then major markets, then smaller markets.

New Hampshire would be on the smaller market end, in case you were wondering, which means a wait of a few weeks or months after a title is released to Boston.

Boston is one of the top 10 markets. If an art film opens in New York on Oct. 5, for example, it may open in L.A. on Oct. 12, and be distributed to Boston Oct. 19 or Oct. 26, Birnbaum said. If only six prints are going around the U.S., it could take several months for New Hampshire to receive one.

“A combination of factors” determines how long a film runs at Red River, including commercial viability and competitive forces, Birnbaum said. Films will probably run between one to four weeks, he said. Both Birnbaum and the Red River representatives will choose movies. Birnbaum might suggest what’s working elsewhere, and Red River may send him requests.

“He really has his finger on the pulse in New York,” Farschman said.

The theater will be open daily, and usually have two show times on weeknights, five on Saturdays and four on Sundays.

Because the theater is independent, its managers are free to change the schedule as they learn what demand requires. Matinées may be added as needed during the weekdays or in the summer.

Not just a movie
A nonprofit cinema isn’t just about getting a regular stream of artsy movies. Possibilities are almost endless for community film events, education and generally fun stuff.

During the almost seven years Red River has been homeless, its members organized several such events. There was a visit and screenings with Night of the Living Dead filmmaker George A. Romero at the Capitol Center for the Arts. To honor Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Day, Red River partnered with NHTI and the Concord Area Interfaith Council to show documentaries. UNH professor Michael Annicchiarico composed music to perform with the classic silent film Safety Last, created by Herald Lloyd in 1923, for a Red River screening.

If you want to see what others do to get an idea of what community film programming can become, check out the Web sites of the Savoy Theater in Montpelier, Vt. (savoytheater.com), or Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Mass. (coolidge.org). The Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Mass., has also become a nonprofit (brattlefilm.org). There aren’t that many around.

Farschman plans to start programming and developing community partnerships in 2008. She’ll work with the Red River board to book visits from filmmakers, particularly to help New Hampshire filmmakers get their work shown. The theater also plans to partner with schools. A way to promote interaction with schools like St. Paul and Concord High might be to invite their language classes to view French or Spanish films, for example.

Another simple idea is what Farschman is calling “Community Conversations.” A local nonprofit would show a film that relates to its work and host a discussion.

SNOB takeover
Concord’s latest Veterans Day weekend tradition, the Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival, will be one of the first community film events at Red River.

“SNOB has always been a demonstration of what Red River would do once it was open,” chair Michael Eschenbach said. Technically, Red River is SNOB’s parent nonprofit.

Yet SNOB won’t be taking over the whole facility to show its 70 or so films, about 29 of which are made locally or have local connections. Red River has to keep one screen open to keep distributors happy, Eschenbach said. SNOB will also use Annicchiarico Theatre and NH Technical Institute’s Sweeney Hall. Last year SNOB used spaces like the Barley House and Holiday Inn. At Red River, SNOB won’t have to bring in equipment and turn conference space into a theater.

“We won’t have to make popcorn,” Eschenbach said. Dos Amigos is creating a SNOBurrito for the event.

SNOB will probably offer a panel discussion on censorship and media, in a nod to the NH State Library’s Big Read program, which features Fahrenheit 451. Alan Abel will hopefully be on that panel — “He was the original Borat,” Eschenbach said, noting Abel “perpetrated tons of hoaxes on the media.” SNOB is screening Abel Raises Cane, a documentary by his daughter Jenny.

SNOB is planning a horror block this year including Tucker’s Crossing, shot in Holderness, and The House of Usher, based on an Edgar Allen Poe short story.

The documentary Row Hard, No Excuses is about two men who row across the Atlantic. One of the rowers is from Concord.

One of the reasons there’s a “healthy dose” of New Hampshire-made films at SNOB is that “our own high school has a wealth of talent,” Eschenbach said. For instance, Travis Laughlin, who is in film school now, won Best Short at SNOB last year and has entered two new films for 2007.

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