Art house vision
It has as much potential as Woody Allen’s first draft of “Bananas.” Sure, Twenty-Four Frames Cinema on Second Avenue in Cheney needs more work than an aging Hollywood actor, but there’s a group of university and local folks who are working at seeing it shine again.
The Eastern Washington University Student Activities Office has taken on the project of fixing up the building, which has been vacant for two years. The plan is to use it to show movies as well provide a venue for performing arts, cultural events and general meetings.
Rob Brewster, president of ConoverBond, bought the property and building when it closed two years ago. The Spokane entrepreneur has agreed to lease it to the college for a small price.
EWU also has the support – hopefully in the form of financial aid – of Cheney businesses and organizations. If everything moves ahead as planned, a new era of going to the movies in Cheney will begin this fall.
“We are committed to this happening,” said Stephanie Ennis, director of Student Activities. “I want this to be something the city wants and something that’s important to the community.”
The theater, formally Cheney Cinema, also was a pizza place in past years. The interior has an urban look with brick walls and exposed ceilings.
The front room, once a theater, is being used by Brewster for storage. The back room still is set up as a 98-seat theater. The place feels more like Spokane’s Magic Lantern theater, which closed in the late 1990s, than AMC theaters.
“We’re going to leave as much of the funkiness as we can,” Ennis said.
The EWU Student Activities Office and other university and community groups will be encouraged to recommend movies and other activities. Campus and community groups will be asked to make suggestions as well as run their own programs at the nonprofit theater.
Groups would book the theater, run the event, and keep the proceeds. One university employee – such as a projectionist – would work the event.
Ennis said art-house films and other independent films are more likely to be featured than first-run movies.
“We also could get anything from ‘Animal House’ to ‘Monsters, Inc.’ ” she added.
To help EWU generate buzz with local businesses, a newly formed group called the Theatre Advisory Board (TAB) has been formed, and town business people have been invited to join.
“The heart of our community is only as rich as our culture,” said Jackie Olson, a Cheney State Farm Insurance agent and member of the grass-roots group.
The student activities department is considering setting aside money to cover the first three months of rent and utilities. Ennis said it would be $600 a month.
William Ponder, vice president of Student Activities, said the arrangement has not been completed.
Once the theater is running, the university will be able to apply for grants to keep it going.
Brewster said one of his ideas is to convert the front area into a restaurant pub. Less than three years ago, Brewster enhanced the value of the block with the construction of a 127-bed residence building called Brewster Hall, leased by EWU.
The ground floor of the hall is next to Brewster’s Kafka Coffee shop, which has becoming a popular gathering place.
“Cheney is a unique little town that hasn’t recognized its value as a college town,” Brewster said.
EWU’s enrollment for the 2005 winter quarter showed an increase of 171 students over the 2004 winter quarter count, from 9,061 to 9,232. The school has had 13 consecutive quarters of record enrollment, said David Rey of the University Relations office.
Currently there are no movies shown on campus. Six years ago, EWU stopped showing movies at Showalter Hall, which was being remodeled.
Shortly after, Cheney Cinema opened. The university elected not to show movies at the remodeled Showalter, in support of the town’s theater, which eventually closed.
Meanwhile, the Student Activities Office held a name-the-theater contest. Although the winner has not been announced, Ennis said among the suggestions were, TALONS, which stands for The Theater and Lounge on North Second, or The Ship, after silent-screen icon Nell Shipman.
Ennis said the naming committee is steering away from names such as “The Eagle,” or anything in reference to the Eastern Washington Eagles. The city of Cheney, she said, already has several businesses that use the name Eagle.