Since they listed the Crystal Theatre for sale almost two years ago, owners Bob and Kathy Ezra have been intentional about any transition from the get-go. Having been the theater’s stewards for the past 40 years, they don’t want to see it fall into the wrong hands — and they aren’t alone in that. Back in September of last year, the Calaway Room at the Third Street Center hosted a few dozen folks, including the Ezras sitting quietly in the back, who all showed up for the sake of preserving the Crystal.
It was fitting that one of their long-time employees, Will Grandbois, was at the front of the room introducing the Crystal Theatre Alliance (CTA), a nonprofit-in-formation meant to save and sustain the theater for years to come.
“I had several prominent moments of my life in the Crystal Theatre,” Grandbois later told The Sopris Sun — from asking his childhood neighbor to marry him at 4 years old to sharing the theater with his family alone one Christmas Day for a screening of “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” Under CTA, Grandbois will step into the managing role at the theater.
At the September meeting, he was standing alongside Kate Schwerin, CTA’s executive director, who has an extensive background in producing and advertising. She has roots in Colorado, too, with her mother’s side of the family being from here. Her brother and father moved to the Valley back in the early 2000s, and, long story short, the last time she visited she decided to stick around.
The excitement in the room was prevalent. At one point a woman piped in, “I’ll work for free if I can watch movies.” And from the sound of it, she won’t be disappointed.
“There will be many ways to participate and volunteer, and that’s really what’s going to keep the theater going,” Schwerin said during a recent interview. Whether that means popping popcorn, holding down the ticket booth, helping with special events or offering programming, the possibilities to get involved are seemingly endless.
CTA has been laying the groundwork since that September meeting, undergoing a quiet fundraising campaign. At the time of this article, CTA is going public and beginning its crowdfunding phase. The goal is to raise $500,000, including what they’ve already netted, by this fall to purchase the business at $99,000, commit to a multi-year lease and “ensure it’s a sustainable, versatile community resource moving forward.” Schwerin filed for nonprofit status on Nov. 1, but in the meantime CTA is operating under the Third Street Center as a fiscal sponsor.
The backing of the Ezras means a great deal to the CTA partners.
“We didn’t set out thinking of a nonprofit, but it became apparent that that was the model that could have the greatest chance for success,” stated Kathy. “The CTA understands the history of the theater and is committed to being good stewards. We’re very confident in the group involved and the hard work they’re putting in.”
“They’re really part of the team,” Grandbois said of their predecessors. “They’ve put a lot of sweat equity into making this happen in a way that keeps the spirit of the theater alive.”
Schwerin and Grandbois have done their homework, picking the brains of other nonprofit movie theater staff in the region and as far as the East Coast. “This is the direction that we’re seeing broadly,” continued Grandbois. “We get to follow in the footsteps of a bunch of other institutions that have made the mistakes, figured out how to do it [and] found the programming that works.” He added that Carbondale, of course, will be unique, but it’s good to know the model is “tried and true.”
One thing they’ve learned is that diversifying is important, but not at the expense of the reel.
“The Crystal Theatre will become more than a movie house. The Alliance is committed to continuing to play great films but that’s only so many hours of the evening,” stated Schwerin. “Upgrading the space to be a multi-use auditorium will enable the theater to increase its offerings to the community to create a sustainable, long-term model. It will still be the same great movie theater, it will just offer more.”
They certainly don’t plan to compete with live theater venues or host any punk rock shows, but things more along the lines of spelling bees, poetry slams, movie clubs, talk-backs or hosting senior Capstone presentations. The intention is to collaborate with other nonprofits and local businesses to grow along with the community, meeting programming needs and ideas sourced from patrons and partners.
“We took time to really get to know our community, local nonprofits and businesses,” said Schwerin. “There’s palpable excitement for the many ways we can partner together and support each other. We have a great opportunity to become a community hub, open to all, investing in the heart of Carbondale.”
To meet future programming needs, money will be put toward improvements such as lighting, acoustics and a new audiovisual system. Schwerin added that they will have the capability to stream in and out of the auditorium, enabling things like hybrid conferences.
The theater will be a place for all ages and include age-appropriate movies and showtimes so kids can still get to bed on time. Young people, Schwerin pointed out, are, in a way, an underserved part of the community, so making the space for them is important. They also would like to show Spanish-language films and host bilingual programming in an effort to serve that large portion of the community. Grandbois stressed that having consistent times for captioned shows is important in terms of accessibility.
“We’re really excited to bring the freshness that [Bob and Kathy] brought in the ‘80s,” Grandbois stated, “plus with a format that comes with not just our energy but the whole community’s energy behind us.”
“The theater has a life of its own, and, with continued audience support, I think it’s on track to have a long and happy one,” added Kathy.
CTA will host an informational session on Monday, July 14 at 6:30pm at the Third Street Center, and don’t miss a celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Ezras’ first screening on July 19 at the theater — details to follow.
To contribute to the crowdfunding campaign, which will be live on July 3, visit www.tinyurl.com/carbondalecinema To complete CTA’s community survey, find out how to get involved or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.crystaltheatrecarbondale.com/nonprofit