Mid-April Memo from Therese Bagnardi, Colonial Owner
Hello, All!  We have two items of good news to report!
First; thanks to a surge of donorship to "Friends of the Colonial" we are now at 25% of our fundraising goal. This means that $25,000. has been raised in community support for the Colonial's conversion to digital projection which was needed to remain operational. Everyone who enjoys the shows offers thanks to the donors! The progress chart may be seen in theatre lobby.
Second; we now have the capability to use these new digital projection systems to bring  different kinds of shows to you!  Our inaugural "More-Than-Movies" Series will run from April 26 to May 27.  Mixed into the show schedule will be three features, each offered many times during these weeks. You will have a chance to see "The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl 1968", the opera "Aida" from Verona Italy, and "Phantom of the Opera" - London production. More details on here on site in another "news" entry and on "upcoming" page.

 Sunday April 21, Monday April 22, and Thursday April 25
Just in time for Earth Day the Colonial Theatre presents the movie "Chasing Ice".
No, it isn't about a traveling hockey team, but about the melting of large ice packs and glacial areas on this great, good earth we call home.Originally a skeptic about climate change, National Geographic photographer James Balog has dedicated himself to telling the story through time-lapse photography of the earth's current "Great Melting". Three showing will be offered; Sunday April 21 at 4:00 (special at this show -- teens admitted FREE and environmentalists on hand for discussion), then in the evenings on Monday April 22 and Thursday April 25 "Chasing Ice" at 7:15.The movie runs 1hr15m. Regular movie ticket prices apply.

Earth Day is on April 22, just as it has been every year since its inception in 1970...remember to celebrate and revere earth in your way.

OFFICIAL TRAILER | WEBSITE 

 For 101 years the Colonial Theatre in downtown Belfast has offered many forms of community entertainment and celebration, but mainly is known for presenting motion pictures. Now the Colonial announces an expanded new program. Thanks to three new state of the art Digital Projection systems the Colonial Theatre can offer great shows from around the world right on the screens of Belfast. A wide variety of performances have been expertly captured on film and made available through exclusive distribution channels.

These include stage performances and musicals from London's West End Theatre District, ballet and opera from the Paris Opera House Companies staged in fabulous historic sites of Europe, concerts from Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as historic Rock n' Roll concerts - from the 1960's to more recent years- now digitally remastered and offered for current enjoyment! The inaugural More-Than-Movies Series will feature three diverse selections repeated several times on a rotating schedule over a 4-5 week period beginning on Friday, April 26.

The first selection will be The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl 1968, considered the iconic concert performance of this influential band, whose enduring significance and legacy is evident once heard. "Hello I Love You" has never been better than this. The premiere showtime for The Doors is 8:30pm on Friday, April 26.

The second offering chosen is the opera Aida, Giuseppe Verdi's epic saga of love and intrigue set in exotic Egypt. This performance is from the palatial outdoor stage at the Arena di Verona in Italy, an ancient coliseum-like structure which celebrates 100 years of operatic presentations with this stunning production. The show also commemorates Verdi's 200th birthday year. The Colonial's first showtime for Aida is 2:30 pm on Sunday, April 28th.

The third feature of this series is Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Broadway's longest running show, enjoyed by 100 million worldwide now in a lavish 25th Anniversary production from the sumptuous Victorian splendor of London's Royal Albert Hall. This special event features over 200 cast members, orchestral musicians and luminaries involved with Phantom over the years. The first showing of this musical will be at 6:30 pm on Monday, April 29th. Several month-long series of this nature are slated to occur throughout the year. With so many types of offerings, there is sure to be something for every taste! Although these shows demand premium ticket prices, two tiers of youth rates will be in effect to better serve the young audience in widening their entertainment and cultural experiences in their home town. And for everyone; if you cannot make it to London, Verona Italy or the Hollywood Bowl for a show, plan on coming to the Colonial instead!

Please do pay close attention to showtimes, since creative scheduling is the name of the game with these features as they are woven in amongst the motion pictures which continue to grace Belfast's screens. See You at the Movies-and-More!

"More-Than-Movies" Series update!   (Series to run April 26 to May 27) Admission prices have been established for the three shows in our inaugural series. Each will have an "Adult" price for those 21 yrs. and up, a "Student" price for those 13 to 20 yrs., and a "Child" price for 12 yrs and under. Each feature has a different ticket range, all showtimes feature consistent pricing, and the 25c per head digital fee will be added at the door as with our movies. No coupons or passes may be used.
"The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl 1968"...Adult $10., Student $8.,Child $6.
"Aida at Arena di Verona"...Adult $16., Student $12., Child $6.
"The Phantom of the Opera"...Adult $14., Student $10., Child $6.

Here are the showtimes established so far. Remember that more showings are planned - the dates & times yet to be determined.
"The Doors" - Friday, April 26 at 8:30, Sat. May 4 at 8:30, Tues May 7 at 7:15. (concert is 1hr30m)
"Aida" - Sunday, April 28 at 2:30, Tues. May 7 at 6:45.(opera is 2hr30m)
"Phantom of the Opera" - Monday, April 29 at 6:30, Tues. May 7 at 6:30.(show is 3hr)
For all the scoop on this exciting series see rest of the info here on Colonial web site.

In the past 30 days $1,000. has been added to the Colonial's digital conversion fund, so we
are now 23% toward our goal. The theatre remains grateful to all who aid in this effort!

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner

As has been our custom, here is my monthly report on the Colonial's Digital Conversion Fund's progress.

These reports are done at mid-month calendar wise since we began this project in mid-June of last year when our installation of digital projectors was completed. 

*( In case you have not heard of this earlier; I'll explain here. Due to drastic industry mandated projection changes the theatre needed to install all new, and very expensive, equipment to continue to show movies in town. Some  independent theatres such as the Colonial have had to close since profit margins do not allow for this great expense. Others instigated a community outreach program of fundraising such as ours. The more cagey types raised all their needed money up front by threatening closure. We chose a different route. It was determined that we could afford a portion of the conversion expense and would launch two programs; Friends of the Colonial and Quarters for Conversion to raise the balance needed. For the three screens at the Colonial our total cost was $180,000. With the Colonial paying $80,000.our fundraising goal is $100,000. So many love seeing movies on the big screen and many appreciate our presence in the downtown that it seemed help would be gladly given so that the theatre could stay operational. By reading past news/blog entries below you can see our progress month by month, as well as an entry about the exciting installation itself. The quality of our presentations is vastly improved over 35mm film projection ~ and even more so after tweaks to our systems just last week by the visiting company tech fellow. )

So, on with the report!  At this juncture, after 7 months of fundraising we are at 22% of our goal, having raised $22,000. through  the programs mentioned above.  This is fine progress as it keeps us ahead of our loan payments.  In the past month we have had several donors give an addtional amount. We have also had several "gift-donorships" due to the holiday. In addition to The Friends of the Library who gave a very generous donation in November, some businesses in town have realized that their aid is both needed and mutually beneficial. Our gratitude, having been offered privately, is now again given here in this forum! Without community support in this endeavor it cannot succeed!  It is a long term project.  Let us not loose momentum, but instead spread the word to all who love the movies and our community, and who care that this 100 year old institution remain alive to grace Belfast in years to come.

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner

A Warm Greeting to All, from husband Michael Hurley and myself, to Wish you the Best at this Jolly Season!

Don't you just love the fabulous light display on the Colonial's facade? Kudos to Mike and to our top assistant, Jon Tibbets, for that installation each Christmas...and for the decking of Hawthorne in her necklace of light as well!

We also thank the Belfast Fire Dept. for installing and tending the vintage colored light array on High Street - that festive look is much enjoyed by all.

And thank you to Our Town Belfast for arranging all the tree lights, wreaths and lights, bulbs, and events!

It is with pleasure that I report that our digital projection conversion fund is progressing nicely. As of mid December we have been fundraising for six months, and have raised $19,000.towards our goal of the $100,000. that is sought in community support. The Colonial plans to cover the additional $80,000. needed for this expensive upgrade to remain operational.

We are also wrapping up the grand Centennial Year at the Colonial Theatre...the site where film was shown on silver screens for an entire century! What a wonder! Many helped us celebrate this landmark year - it was fun...thank you for your enthusiasm. So, as we head into another year we'll See You at the Movies!

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner

It's hard to believe that the fifth month of our fundraising campaign has ended...doesn't time fly by?

Progress continues to be made thanks to many donors.
A surprise came from The Friends of the Library with generous $500. gift, as you may have read in the Republican Journal article.  Our great thanks to the board for their vision. They saw us as a fellow cultural anchor in the downtown, and indeed they are our "big brother in the story telling business", having been operational 25 years longer than the 100 the Colonial has!

Also this past month Darby's Restaurant has made the Colonial Digital Fund the recipient of their Waldo Table which gives their patrons an option to donate a portion of bill to a fund of Darby's choice.  Many thanks to Darby's for this honor and to those who participated.

These along with donations of many sizes from patrons have boosted the fund by $2,000. this month so we are at 16% of our 100,000. goal.  Perhaps persons will consider making their friend a Friend of the Colonial this season with a gift donorship. It's sure to be a fresh gift idea!

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner

Now most everyone knows that the Colonial celebrates its centennial this year.  Some may not have heard that history has been made industry-wide in another way!  Movies have changed from 35mm film to digital projection, so to stay operational we made the conversion here in June.   Knowing that this expensive procedure would not be within our budget, we established a community outreach capital campaign to assist.  After four months of fundraising for our conversion to digital cinema we are 14% toward our goal of $100,000.

This is from a combined effort of Friends of the Colonial donors and our Quarters for Conversion program.  The new projection systems, which cost us a total of $180,000., have been humming along since their June installation.  We are grateful that our technique of "install first-ask for support after" has been working out!  Some theatres around the country had threatened to close down if funds were not raised by their communities up front.  It seemed a harsh route to go, and truly there was not the time due to the rapid industry change.

So now we thank all who have helped to date, encourage others to do so, and look forward to "Seeing You at the Movies" into the future!

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner

After the third month of fundraising we are at $12,000. which is 12% of our $100,000. goal. This $12,000. figure reflects the combined efforts of Friends of the Colonial donors and the Quarters for Conversion paid at each admission...thank you to all!
Originally we imagined 1,000 households giving $100. each as a reasonable way our goal might be met.  We find wide ranging donor levels to be the reality, allowing all the community to aid in this endeavor to keep the theatre operational.

We value and appreciate every bit of help, from that extra quarter given at the ticket booth to much larger amounts from those who are able.    

Long Live the Movies!

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner

Where do "Friends of the Colonial" live?

Local donors to our digital conversion fund come from 14 towns so far! Besides Belfast, there are Friends in Belmont, Hanpden, Liberty, Lincolnville, Monroe, Montville, Northport, Prospect, Rockland, Searsport, Swanville, Waldoboro & Warren. In addition to the personal notes we have sent, we offer public Thank Yous here!

With extra visitors from away during the past months, we find donations for our digital fund also come from far & wide. Perhaps the theatres in their home towns are less "wicked cute" than the Colonial? States represented are Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia & Washington. Our most far flung Friend lives in the U.K,. and there is one mobile boat-dweller as well. So many types of people seem to enjoy the movies and feel glad that we remain operational.

We are humbled and grateful. Long Live the Movies!

Therese Bagnardi ~ Colonial Owner