June 13, 2007
Finally, A Good Revue
Sure, the Revue's marquee collapsed in February, but nothing—nothing—could stop the Revue Film Society from accomplishing their mission to re-open the beloved west-end theatre.
Sure enough, earlier tonight, the society sent the following message out to their mailing list, with the huge heading: "Great News About the Revue Cinema." And great it is:
Have you heard the great news about the Revue Cinema? Local residents Danny and Letty Mullin are in the process of buying the building and will be leasing it to the not-for-profit Revue Film Society, the organization we established last summer. We are ecstatic! Last year, the community responded enthusiastically and helped us raise $30,000 [And they only asked for $20,000—Ed.]. This gave us confidence that our vision was a shared one and kept us working towards our collective goal. It has been a long and exciting journey and we are now planning to re-open the Revue Cinema in the very near future.
Yay!
No...wait, shit, there's more.
Though it may look like the hard part of this adventure is over, the work to reopen the Revue Cinema has really just begun. Right now, we need money – urgently. Just to open the doors and get the cinema running, we need another $60,000 for operational and capital needs. Rest assured, the Revue will operate on a non-for-profit model.$60,000? Yikes. If you'd like to be Daddy Warbucks to the Revue's Annie, you can donate online at their website or send a cheque to the Revue Film Society at 365 Roncesvalles, Box 139, Toronto, M6R 2M8. They're also looking for "volunteers...canvassers...help in forging our local partnerships, and more."
In spite of the need for cash and help, the Revue Film's Society website nonetheless proclaims: "West-end Toronto residents and cinephiles, get ready for the August reopening of the Revue Cinema." And goddamn if we didn't get shivers when we read their e-mail body's last lines: "Thank you in advance for your support of our efforts to restore a piece of our collective history to its former glory. See you at the movies."
And as for the marquee? Quoth the RVS: "We managed to salvage the distinctive "R" and the two neon "Revue" signs. It is our hope that a marquee will once again adorn the front of the Revue."
One question remains, then: will the community that poured $30,000 into the theatre last summer be willing to do it—two times over—again?
Photo by gak from Flickr.
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When I lived in California, I worked for the Save the Cerrito Theatre group to restore a gorgeous old art deco theatre in the Berkeley area. We had to raise 4 times that amount to restore what had been vacant and neglected for over 40 years. I unfortunately moved away before it's re-opening last fall, but the grassroots effort succeeded and it was GRAND. It's amazing & inspiring what local residents with love + nostalgia like this can do, and Roncesvalles is a shining example of just that.
The Revue will return, I've no doubt.
It's been a long road from the distressing closure of the Revue last June to this much happier time. Our plan is to have the theatre up and running by the end of the summer. Last year we raised $30, 000 merely on the hopes that we might be able to succeed. Now we've leapt a major hurdle: the theatre is secure, and waiting for us to open it. Toronto is a film-loving city, and the people are warmer and more generous than they usually get credit for. I was amazed by people's generosity last year, and I won't be surprised to see a repeat of it as we gear up for the Revue's reopening.
There is also a substantial need for volunteering, as well. Visit our site (www.revuecinema.ca) for details.