PR Alert: ‘Big Screen Classics’ schedule mentioned today on The Journal News' web site: View link
Can anyone confirm if this article made it to the print edition?
BTW thanks Nelson, Pete and the town for the free ‘The Majestic’ screening last week; it was a lot of fun.
I just went to the Boston Culinary Group web site to look up show times for Inglourious Basterds and saw that the Lafayette is no longer listed! Google cache shows that it was still there on 8/25. Aside from “regaining operational control”, did the theatre actually change hands again?
On a side note, I believe the show times are 7:40pm tonight and tomorrow night and 1:45pm, 5:00pm, and 8:15pm for the Labor Day weekend—someone correct me if I am wrong here.
Thanks agains to all involved for keeping this Theatre alive and showing classics!
Understood hotwaterbottle but my take is that if you want a viable classics program, the program has to be able to make money and obviously getting more seniors to come will not generate revenue since they don’t pay.
When I went to see Phantom and Wizard of Oz, both shows were sold out (dozens of people were actually turned away for Oz) and the audience was filled with people of all ages. People knew well in advance that those shows were coming and planned to be there.
I know that this spring schedule was cobbled together last-minute and couldn’t benefit from advance PR, but they still could have at least printed one lousy sign and put it on the door!
As far as attendance: I’ve only been in this area for a short time, but in at least one of the previous two years, I received a mailing with the complete classics schedule. I have not seen any such mailings in a while, so it may just be a case where people aren’t showing up because they are not aware of the schedule. I haven’t passed by recently, but at one point a few weeks back there was not even a schedule posted on the front of the Lafayette—I would definitely have gone to see West Side Story if I only knew it was playing!!!
More generally, and beyond the seniors not fillings the seats, if the classics program is going to survive they will need to advertise more than they do now—in addition to a mailing to locals, an ad in the local papers would help.
Also, if any of the local colleges have films studies programs, would there be an opportunity there to tie in required viewing for film studies classes with the classics schedule? That would potentially fill the seats with students and generate interest.
Nevermind: I saw that the link above to the BCG site for the Lafayette posts tonight’s showtime as 7pm.
BTW I just moved up to these parts a few years ago and got out to see Phantom (with Jeff Barker) and The Wizard of Oz. My first experience with the Lafayette was not a first-run feature film but the presentation of the Lon Chaney Phantom with Jeff Barker at the Wurlitzer—I’ll never forget that night. For Oz last year, I brought five family members (including two teenagers) with me and everyone had such a great time—I don’t think anyone will ever forget how special that day was. sigh
PR Alert: ‘Big Screen Classics’ schedule mentioned today on The Journal News' web site:
View link
Can anyone confirm if this article made it to the print edition?
BTW thanks Nelson, Pete and the town for the free ‘The Majestic’ screening last week; it was a lot of fun.
Wow — go Nelson!
I just went to the Boston Culinary Group web site to look up show times for Inglourious Basterds and saw that the Lafayette is no longer listed! Google cache shows that it was still there on 8/25. Aside from “regaining operational control”, did the theatre actually change hands again?
On a side note, I believe the show times are 7:40pm tonight and tomorrow night and 1:45pm, 5:00pm, and 8:15pm for the Labor Day weekend—someone correct me if I am wrong here.
Thanks agains to all involved for keeping this Theatre alive and showing classics!
Thanks for the good news! — Welcome back Nelson!
For those of you who may not know what’s happening to this board since May 23rd: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_(Internet))
For everyone else: sorry for stating the obvious.
Understood hotwaterbottle but my take is that if you want a viable classics program, the program has to be able to make money and obviously getting more seniors to come will not generate revenue since they don’t pay.
When I went to see Phantom and Wizard of Oz, both shows were sold out (dozens of people were actually turned away for Oz) and the audience was filled with people of all ages. People knew well in advance that those shows were coming and planned to be there.
I know that this spring schedule was cobbled together last-minute and couldn’t benefit from advance PR, but they still could have at least printed one lousy sign and put it on the door!
As far as attendance: I’ve only been in this area for a short time, but in at least one of the previous two years, I received a mailing with the complete classics schedule. I have not seen any such mailings in a while, so it may just be a case where people aren’t showing up because they are not aware of the schedule. I haven’t passed by recently, but at one point a few weeks back there was not even a schedule posted on the front of the Lafayette—I would definitely have gone to see West Side Story if I only knew it was playing!!!
More generally, and beyond the seniors not fillings the seats, if the classics program is going to survive they will need to advertise more than they do now—in addition to a mailing to locals, an ad in the local papers would help.
Also, if any of the local colleges have films studies programs, would there be an opportunity there to tie in required viewing for film studies classes with the classics schedule? That would potentially fill the seats with students and generate interest.
Nevermind: I saw that the link above to the BCG site for the Lafayette posts tonight’s showtime as 7pm.
BTW I just moved up to these parts a few years ago and got out to see Phantom (with Jeff Barker) and The Wizard of Oz. My first experience with the Lafayette was not a first-run feature film but the presentation of the Lon Chaney Phantom with Jeff Barker at the Wurlitzer—I’ll never forget that night. For Oz last year, I brought five family members (including two teenagers) with me and everyone had such a great time—I don’t think anyone will ever forget how special that day was.
sigh
Peter, what time is the Star Trek screening tonight?