The Plaza Theatre: 2016

Friday, September 16, 2016

Alice In Wonderland

As you may know, our blog post titles have been reflecting the movie titles of movies that have been released since The Plaza was built in 1948. This post's title of Alice In Wonderland comes from Disney's release of the movie in 1951.

We have not updated our blog in a while, and have been focusing more on short updates through Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, but we have not forgotten about our followers!

We have been really busy updating our little theatre. If you have not already seen the work that has been done, you may remember when it looked like this:

We have been working really hard over the last few weeks to bring our little theatre back to life. We have given it a mini face-lift to get things started until the inside renovations can begin. We started with painting the trim, doors front boards and the sign:

The Boards

Trim/Doors/Sign

At this point we had chosen to point over the old sign. When the sign goes back up, it will not include the "2001", but it will reflect the "established in 1949".

Finished sign and some flowers

Once all that was completed, all that needed to be done on the outside was the dome at the top of the theatre space. White was an obvious choice - it really makes it POP!

It has been a surreal time lately with life and working on our little theatre. We cannot wait to be able to show everyone the finished product. It is incredible to think that all of this work is going to bring this building back to life and create happiness for so many people.

Next on our list is renovation of the inside of the building; cleaning, accessible bathrooms, flooring, seats, concession stand - I can smell the popcorn already!

We will keep everyone posted on news and updates as they happen.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Annie Get Your Gun...

Annie Get Your Gun came out in May of 1950... does anyone remember that movie? I'm sure many do. Going to the movies is usually about the experience - otherwise we would all stay at home and watch our movies. It is a great way to spend birthday parties, anniversaries, first dates, girls night and many other special occasions.
So, we are trying something a little different this week.

We want to know...

We would love to see what everyone thinks! You can select more than one answer, and we would love to hear stories in the comments below!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Introducing

Introducing...

As a second post to the blog, we have decided to introduce the new owners of The Plaza Theatre, while honouring the past as well. It has definitely been a pretty busy week with the long weekend and starting up our new website. We also have some news coming up in June - so stay tuned!

Manon White

Manon grew up in the Nipigon, Ontario area. She moved to Southern Ontario for close to 30 years, raising 2 children and starting her career in the movie industry. She recently moved back to the area, purchasing The Plaza Theatre with her partner Ron Hilts. Manon's film industry background includes; driving for the transportation department, craft service, and research, for many movies, television shows, mini-series and documentaries. [LinkedIn]
Manon has strong roots in the Nipigon area and wishes to recreate something great with The Plaza; in hopes to bring back all of the fond memories that she and others enjoyed when our little theatre was a buzzing hub in Nipigon.

Ron Hilts

Ron Hilts is originally from the Southern Ontario area. He and Manon moved to Nipigon in 2014 and purchased The Plaza Theatre in early 2015. With 2 children himself, and while continuing his career in the film industry, Ron is now venturing in a new project. Ron has an extensive background in the film industry, with experience as a driver, co-ordinator and captain of the transportation department. [LinkedIn]
While he did not get to see the Plaza Theatre in it's early days, he has a passion for anything to do with film and is eager to make new memories for himself and the people of Nipigon.

Here is a great article about the original owner of The Plaza, Nester Erechook, who built The Plaza Theatre in 1948! He is quite an amazing man, and has built many theatres in Ontario.

We should have our new website up and running very soon. Feel free to send us an e-mail with any questions, or sign up for updates!

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Spring in a Small Town

Welcome!

This is the official blog for The Plaza Theatre in Nipigon, Ontario, Canada.

First off, we would like to thank everyone for their generous support in our mission to bring The Plaza Theatre back to life. It has been wonderful to see the support from our community, and we look forward to many great things to come!

For those who may just be visiting our blog for the first time, or who do not know about our mission, you can check out our links at the end of this entry to follow our progress.

"Spring in a Small Town" is a movie that was released in 1948... The Plaza Theatre was also built in 1948. The title was fitting for our first blog entry because spring is upon us and, though it does not have anything to do with the premise of the movie, it reflects our little theatre as a sign of re-growth in the small town of Nipigon, Ontario.

A Brief History & Look into Our Mission:

This is "The Plaza Theatre" in Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, a small community in Northwestern Ontario.
This image is from 1948. It looks a bit different but just the paint and solid doors on the front entrance have changed physically in this photo of it.

The photos prove that our little theatre was a thriving business in its prime.
The inside is quite rustic and in need of new restrooms, and the 451 seats have been removed. The stage is still very solid, and the screen is in perfect condition. The projector is there as well and in need of repair, the sound system and lighting will need to be upgraded. Heating, air-conditioning and ventilation also need improvements. We are hoping to raise money to renovate this theatre back to being the memorable experience it once was, for all the years since 1948. We are about to start the renovations, but we do not have the funds that are needed to complete the full project.
We have been applying for funding through the government, but with the arts and the establishment not open for a very long time, it is very hard to find the funds that we would need.
At this time the funds we have will be able to cover for the start of the clean up and now we wouldn't be able to complete the men's and women's washrooms. A new concession stand needs to be built, and the seats alone are very expensive. All of which are things that we do not have funds for. The equipment and furnishings are expenses we cannot cover at this time.
Once this Theatre is back up and running, the line up of entertainment is endless, it will be busy with movies, music, comedy and something that sits close to our hearts, our youth will have the ability to create art, to have a drama club, of their own.
Much needed for this community. We would be so grateful for the help that you would give us financially, that once finished, the people it would employ for years to come, is also very much needed in this community.
We are reaching out to the people that have love for the arts and understanding of how important it is to build this happy environment once again. Our goal is to be open for business by New Years Eve 2016/Jan 1st 2017.

We hope that you follow our journey and check back often for updates! We have some pretty exciting news coming up, and will update everyone as details become available.

As promised, here are our links for social media:

Follow us on Twitter: @theplazanipigon
Follow us on Instagram: @theplazatheatrenipigon
Like our Page of Facebook: The Plaza Theatre

We also have a GoFundMe set up to help with the much needed renovations. We have had many generous donations and offers to volunteer so far. Let's make this happen!!