Historic Mariemont Theatre to reopen under new stewardship

The historic Marymont Theater will soon reopen under new stewardship after months of being closed. This is Cincinnati Edition on WVXU. I'm Lucy May. Joining me now to discuss what it took to get the theater ready and the indie film scene in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, our syndependent founder and executive director, Allison West, and Mediatrics film founder, Amy Hassebrock. Thank you both so much for being here. Good morning. Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you. What is time, truly? It's all a construct. So, Allison, speaking of constructs and big questions, how do we get here? What are some of the broader economic headwinds that led to the closure of Marymount Theater in the first place? Yeah. Let's see. I learned late last year that the theater might be facing a closure. It really was... I imagine, due to the relationships between the operator back then and the landlord at that time. And then there were some initial discussions between Sendependent and the former operator that kind of led to us stepping in to try to continue to keep the business open. Those conversations didn't really progress the way that we were hoping. And then theater did eventually close. We were really on deck at that point to just try to see this space. remain open and remain vibrant. I've been working in the independent film community in Cincinnati with independents specifically for eight years. And prior to that, I was an independent filmmaker myself here. When you grow up in this community and you understand kind of the creative entrepreneurism of filmmakers, it's really easy to fight for spaces that allow people to tell the stories. They just innately feel like they have to tell to the world. I feel really strongly that if the Marymont Theater had closed permanently, that Cincinnati would have been losing one of our most vibrant cultural assets. And if somebody needed to find a way to keep that space open, we were certainly going to do it. Yeah. Well, and it's such an important... place for that community, too. I mean, just the surrounding neighborhoods, Mariamont and other surrounding neighborhoods, right? You know, the economic strength of communities and cities really has to do with interconnection between businesses and public spaces and civic spaces. And the Marymont Theater is nearly a unicorn of an art space. It's situated in the Marymont Square. It's walking distance for a number of the community members. It's a beloved pastime for people who live in that area. I know that Fairfax and Columbia Township also benefit from that theater. And since the theater has been closed for months, our neighbors there, the restaurants, the businesses have shared how their attendance has declined just because they're now missing this cultural asset that drives business into the area. Yeah. So you talked about why you felt it was important to keep it open. Sindependent decided to take this leap to become, to operate this theater. Yeah. And you reached your goal. We did. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, when we stepped in to keep the building open, we were really unsure what the inside of the space was going to look like or really what the full business plan was going to need to look like. We did step in to figure that out. And so what we ended up needing to do was fundraise a million dollars for a transition to reopen the space. We have achieved that.

Thanks to hundreds. Thank you. It's been really bonkers. Yes, thank you. It's been bonkers, but we have had so much support from hundreds of people who have been a part of this with us. And I tell people a lot of the times it feels like crowd surfing where people are like, yes, go. We got you. You can do it. Kind of being smart about using that support and learning along the way has been a really important part of this process. You know, 50% of that fundraising went to equipment in the space alone, just the things that we needed to be able to put movies back on the screen. Wow. And how will... this theater under your stewardship be different from what Marymont Theater offered before. As you said, it's been an institution for such a long time, means so much to so many people. How will it be different? I think that there are really small but significant changes and what people can expect there. One of the main differences between a for-profit cinema, whether it's AMC or it's a local... for-profit business in a nonprofit cinema is that, yes, we both sell movie tickets. We both sell concessions. We all do private rentals. We do advertising. But any surplus revenue that's generated from that business model in a nonprofit model does not go back into any one person's pocket. You know, I don't make more money. If the theater does well, we invest that surplus into the programs or the building itself or the sustainability of the program. Sin Dependent is really a nonprofit that is about seeing filmmaking and stories have kind of deeper enrichment around them. We support a lot of filmmakers and help make sure their stories are getting made and getting told. We work with a lot of partners throughout the city to... to provide kind of conversations or panels or talkbacks or masterclasses around certain films and themes. We really are about turning strangers into friends through the myriad of conversations that happen when you watch movies. And so we're approaching the space now by... building in panels, building in discussions, building in special events around the movies that were already there, and adding more spaces for people to sit and connect inside and outside of the building. Will it mean showing more independent films even than the previous Marymount Theater iteration did? I think that it means more specialty series, perhaps, because that cinema did program independent films before a wise genre of them. We will continue to do... what was working in that space, what people already loved, and just kind of add a couple of new things along the way. For example, we have a local filmmaker named Joe Katie Porter, who has a film called More Than Honey. It's a short film. We're going to be able to play that before one of our major feature films that were releasing the rivals of Amzai King, which is a Matthew McConaughey film about beekeeping, and kind of pair a local offering alongside something that is a little bit more mainstream. Yeah.

Well, Amy, what does it mean for independent filmmakers like you to have venues like this to show your movies? I mean, it's amazing. You know, this is the key. This is what is, that's the hard part about independent filmmaking is distribution and getting your film in front of eyeballs. Having a resource like this locally is invaluable. And, you know, to dovetail on what was just said, there were so many great indies shown at Marymont Theater. I've seen a few of them myself, followed by amazing Q&As with the filmmakers. dating back years and years. And it gets me really excited, you know, to think that we're going to have something like this here. Interestingly enough, however, there is not a lot of crossover between Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati filmmaking. Even though our proximity is so close and downtown provides really one of the best shots in terms of a skyline backdrop, which you obviously would have to shoot from our... Because you're in Cunnington. Right, right. Coveington, Newport, we do shots along Bellevue all through there to get this amazing scenery. But I would really like to maybe take this idea and. work it into something that we could do here in Northern Kentucky to support this filmmaking as well. I mean, these ideas are huge and lofty and a million dollars. Oh my gosh, raising 25,000 for one of our micro budget indie films seems like an endeavor sometimes. But if we could have a permanent place for film on this side of the river too, I think that would be amazing. You know, the arts and cultural center that Cincinnati is. is something that can attract filmmakers really from all over the world. And I've really been pushing for something like that here locally with ArtsWave, working with Rachel Parker, who is in charge of the placemaking grants, and how our unique geography here in Northern Kentucky affords us stunning access to Cincinnati and the skyline as well as all the beautiful buildings and the Italianate architecture and the mid-century buildings that are still intact. It really is a mecca for filmmakers. beyond this area too. We're talking about the reopening of Marymont Theater and the independent film scene in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Do you have questions or comments? Give us a call at 513-419-7100, or you can email Talk at WVXU. Amy, you were talking about how it can be tough to raise $25,000 for a micro-budget movie. What does it take to get these movies made even before you get to the point where you can show them to people at someplace like Marymount Theater?

You know, for us here, I work tandemly with NKY films. So we tend to wear many hats. We are a close-knit group. We're working on our fourth feature film right now, which will be shot here locally next month. We all wear a lot of hats, you know, in addition to being executive producer. You know, I'm also doing things like designing costumes and helping with props and set design. But we have an amazing team of special effects artists. Lizzie Shreiber, she is just a prodigy. She's barely 21 yet and is just doing amazing things. The amount of talent we have here and people that are. you know, renaissance to the core. You know, they can do everything. We got the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, and we are all on board working our tails off. to get these films made. And we do it quick, we do it on time, and we've done it before. You know, a lot of people mistake micro budget for just sloppy or you kind of don't know what you're doing. I actually find it the opposite. These productions are so finite and have to be so detailed and on time and to the penny. It has really become a pretty swift process for us. I'm happy to say, and it's all due to the amazing group of artists. and creators and writers that I work with on a daily, hourly basis these days. Well, we have a caller on the line. Hi, James. Thanks for calling. What's your question or comment? Hi, Lucy. It's more a comment. I'm with Fright Film Competition. We're a locally based filmmaking competition that challenges filmmakers to create a short horror film, 13 minutes, in two months. And we've been doing it now for eight years, and we were so excited to hear about what was going on at the Marymont, because in the past, we had to use facilities that weren't quite the filmmaking experience or the film viewing experience. So we started discussions with them a couple weeks ago, and we hope to be able to both of our organizations make a big announcement about the fall and our premiere, because we have, you know, 280. passionate filmmakers creating films right now for our event. Plus, some of your folks may know of winter film, which has been going on for probably a decade, and everyone knows 48 hours, right? And so we're so excited about the Marymont Theater because this is an exaggeration, perhaps, but, you know, this could become, Marymont could become the Sundance, if you will. southwest Ohio. Wow, that's a pretty high bar he's set for you there. I think it's possible. I could agree with him. And I do want to just compliment all the horror genre filmmakers in the world. Those types of artists who play with that genre sometimes have the best solutions and practical effects to their ideas. To have a bonkers idea that you put into place in this genre and then to see it become fully realized.

is incredibly special. And I just compliment all the horror genre, filmmakers, and enthusiasts of the world and locally for making their ideas come to life. It's incredible. Yeah. Well, thanks for that call, James, and thanks for that comment. Making a horror film in two months sounds scary to me. So maybe that's the starting point for folks. We have a lot more to talk about. We'll continue our conversation after a short break. And later in the program, a new film featuring Ohio residents in Rec. This is Cincinnati Edition. You're listening to Cincinnati Edition on WVXU. I'm Lucy May. In case you missed it, check out Monday's show on disaster preparedness. If your power was knocked out in the storm, you'll want to tune in for tips on supplies and preparations. Go to WVXU.org to find all of Cincinnati Edition's archives. We're back with our conversation about the reopening of Marymont Theater and the independent film scene in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. My guests are Sindependent founder and executive director, Allison West, and Mediatrics Films founder, Amy Hassebrock. You can join the conversation. Call 513-419-7100, or you can email talk at wvxu.org. So, Allison, you talked about how Sindependent had to raise a million dollars. to get to the stage where you could reopen Marymount Theater. What kind of shape was the theater in when you got the keys to the building? Was it more work than you thought it, but then you expected to get it ready? It really was. You know, again, there were conversations with the previous operator about kind of keeping the building open and in transitioning the space. in a way that would really support the community. And that just didn't happen. When we stepped into the theater, we didn't have any projection equipment. A lot of the audio equipment had been removed. A lot of the projection equipment had been removed. And then 60% of the seats had been vandalized as well. So we, right off the bat, you know, we had to... First of all, figure out if those seats could be fixed because if they couldn't, replacing cinema seats is probably another half a million dollars. And so we need to know that first to figure out really what the game plan needed to be. But we put out calls to kind of our volunteer community. And we had... You know, it's really, it's been a very special year, even if it's been very challenging. We had people show up with knee pads in their toolboxes and help us troubleshoot how to sort the pieces back apart, how to put them back together, think about the long-term placement of them, et cetera. So rebuilding the cinema without any of the projection audio equipment, without the seats, without any kind of the back-end infrastructure or point-of-sale systems that we needed, we've been able to have really deep, meaningful, conversations about what does this space actually need? And then what are the costs associated with that? What's possible now? What's going to be possible in the future? And kind of that holistic approach is allowing for sustainable planning here. It has been...

It's a five auditorium cinema. It is a huge building. And cinemas are expensive. So kind of having to continuously look at our business model and look at small changes that will drive revenue that will kind of give us this blend of earned revenue with some philanthropy in the beginning has been really critical to, again, setting this up to. not close again. Yeah, that's a heck of a fixer-upper. So what can people expect to see at the theater when it reopens? What will they experience, Allison? Well, from like a guest experience standpoint, we have been able to do some light refreshing of the space. So we're going to have a patio outside now where somebody could come to the theater and get a glass of wine or a time just out in a beautiful part of town. And then inside certain things, this might be spoiling some fun details, but the floor is now different and the walls are different colors and the countertop is getting... kind of wrapped in some different textures. We worked with the drawing department, which is a really beautiful architecture firm in Oakley, to imagine kind of this 1938 technicolor world. We took inspiration from films of 1938, which is when the theater was originally... built to start to redo this guest experience. And we're limited in what we can fully execute on now. But we really do consider this a phase one of a long-term renovation and revitalization plan. Yeah. Well, I want to hear more about that. But first, I want to get into the nitty gritty. What about hours of operation? Do you have those figured out? What kind of scheduling can we expect? Well, we're going to, with that new patio, we're also going to be able to provide coffee and tea in the mornings. So we'll be open at 9 a.m. for people to... come in and get just some light beverages, some kind of straightforward, simple things right off the bat. Show times currently will be running kind of 11, 1, 4, and 7. There's always going to be a little bit of slight variation around that. We are open seven days a week, 365 days a year. And we'll be able to have those five houses have basically 20 movies a day. Four of them will always be first run new releases, even if they are independent, major studio independent films. That fifth house is where we can really start to do interesting culture programming. We'll have a series of films from 1938. We've got a Mary Oliver documentary playing in there. We can support local filmmakers and local filmmaker premieres and use this audience that's independent has developed. developed over the last eight years to get those eyes on the new projects that people like our filmmaking friend on the line may want to be in touch with. Yeah. What about popcorn? I know there were some concerns about the popcorn situation. Popcorn has been like the number one critical must have.

We were able to get a new popcorn machine. And then one of the reasons we've had such success this year is because some of the former employees that worked there stayed with the space and have been contributing to this rebuild. They know the popcorn recipe. And so we're happy to be able to share that and help people hold on to pieces of this experience that they've loved for a long time and can continue to love in the future too. Yeah. What about ticket prices? Mm-hmm. So ticket prices are going to be $12 for... the evening and then the matinees will stay at the pricing that they were. I do share with folks that, you know, the ticket prices before were 1075 in the evenings and that $12 change will generate. a significant amount of revenue with just one small adjustment. And so again, as we look at what is really needed to sustain this space, we hope people will be supportive and patient with us as we figure out exactly what needs to happen to make the space hum. Yeah. Do you have an exact opening day yet? Do you know what your first movies are going to be? I do. Drum roll, everybody. Here we go. We are going to have a soft opening date on August 28th. We do actually have tickets available for sale now at merrimonttheater.org. I hit publish on the website this morning before walking over here. Wow. We will, we, the website will continue to have updates on it. Again, We are trying to get this space open now as soon as we can. And that means there are going to be things that we can achieve right off the bat. And there are going to be things that we have to continue touching and revisiting. And so, again, I just humbly ask for patience for all of Cincinnati as you re-embark on this experience with us because we need some time to just dial everything just in perfectly. Yeah. Well, and I know your website has a lot of great information about future phases. But just real briefly, can you tell us what you have in mind with those? Yeah. Really. phase two is a major renovation of the space. Again, we, other than projection and audio equipment, we haven't touched the auditoriums or the houses. The seats that we put back together are actually the improper seats for three of the auditoriums there, which have original 1938 sloped floors. I think that this needs to be a crown jewel cinema for the Midwest. You know, when our friend on the line earlier was like, I think this could be a Sundance level experience. I think he's right. With the artistry we have here in town, with the national and international filmmakers that's independent tends to work with, and with this beloved, beautiful space, if we approach renovations in the future as a way to... create a really intimate special experience in the theaters, and then a really wonderful and efficient guest experience out in the lobby, I think we can look at building a community that will sustain the cinematic arts here in Cincinnati and in northern Kentucky for a really long time. Our phase three is really about expanded programming. We're looking at the future of this independent film festival and where it flows throughout the city. We have a program that's really about education.

and supporting people who want to be lifelong learners of film and media. And we have another fiscal sponsorship program that we're not really doing much with right now, where we partner or work to support filmmakers to help them make and sell their films. So as we start to build, I think these physical changes of the space lend itself to stronger business sustainability, which ultimately lend itself to deeper programming around our mission and the work that we contribute here. Well, Amy, you were talking before about, you'd love to have a venue in Northern Kentucky that's like this someplace to show. What are some of the other challenges of working on location in someplace like Northern Kentucky? I mean, there aren't as many resources as L.A. where there's a ton of filming going on. What are some of the other challenges filmmakers face? Well, you know, it's, you might be surprised. There are so many talented people who work in film around here. And, you know, we have several crew that comes from maybe as far south as Owensboro and even one of our lead actors, Timmy Hart Barron. But other than that, everybody is literally right here in northern Kentucky, Cincinnati area. I truly believe, you know, like the caller said, and as Allison has been saying, we could have a film mecca like that. And I'm so happy to hear that Sun-Dependent is sort of opening this up to be more inclusive, perhaps, for some of these smaller projects. Because there is, you know, what is often called independent film. you know, people have a vision of it and what you see at maybe Sundance or something. Those films often cost upwards, you know, of... a million, five million dollars. And when you're doing that on a much smaller level, but you're still getting really slick, good-looking films with great writing and great acting, there's really no reason that that film shouldn't be seen in the same spaces as some of the larger Indies, so to speak, air quotes. You know, it does feel like there's a huge disparity. in the indie culture in and of itself. So I'm just happy to hear that Sindependent is ready to put their arms around, you know, potentially maybe some of these smaller budget projects that certainly look way glossier than the... you know, the bank statement shows. You know, we do something for 25 grand. These days you get drone footage and you have these slick cameras and it looks like a million bucks. Yeah. You know? So I'm happy to think that, you know, we could have that sort of level of support from.

Such a chic operation, you know, it really does feel unattainable. Well, this has been great. I've been talking with Sin Dependent founder and executive director, Alison West, and Mediatrics Films founder, Amy Hassebrock. Thank you both so much for your time today. And up next, a new film featuring Ohio residents in recovery sheds light on the opioid epidemic. This is Cincinnati Edition.