Bantam Cinema Redux

Back in 1927, when the Bantam Theater—then known as The Rivoli—first opened its doors, patrons sat down to enjoy director Henri Fescourt’s silent film epic, Les Miserables, accompanied by a Wurlitzer organ.

They would not, of course, have settled in for Fescourt’s full seven-hour serial but rather for the much-edited, black-and-white, version then being circulated. This September, when the theater reopens in its sixth incarnation as the Bantam Cinema & Arts Center, a non-profit theater and arts space, viewers can expect an equally spectacular treat, although no decision has yet been made as to what it will be.

“We don’t have an exact date in September yet,” said Executive Director Jodianne Tenney. “We are watching the movie bookings and want to open with something special.”

She said it could be The Sopranos prequel, or perhaps West Side Story or Downton Abby. “We hope to open with one of those and do some kind of special event. Our main focus is to make going to the movies an experience you can’t get at home. That is the direction movie theaters have to go.”

The theater has already seen a long progression of cinematic challenges since opening in the silent film era. Talkies and television, online screening and mobile devices have all forced theater owners to expand the experience to lure patrons through their doors.

Bantam’s cinematic history started in the 1920s. W.S. Rogers of the Bantam Ball Bearing Company recognized the need for entertainment in the hamlet, located some 12 miles from the nearest community with a recreational venue. He set up an auditorium within the company’s walls where patrons could gather to watch the “flicks.”

But it was Domenico Evangelisti, a local grocer, who took the idea a step farther, joining with a partner, Peter DaRoss, to build The Rivoli, topping the brick façade of their cinema with an elegant copper marquee. From its earliest opening, to its shuttering as the pandemic took hold in spring of 2020, it went on to earn the reputation of being the oldest continuously operating movie house in the state.

By then, the theater had been updated over the years by a series of owners, all of whom left their imprint on the business. In the 1960s, it was owned by the Duvall family, which also operated the restaurant next door, now Wood’s Pit BBQ. In 1968, it was sold to Michael Mabry, former head of the Ford Foundation’s Theater Communications Group and Intern Program, who, with his wife Patricia, remodeled the theater and renamed it Cinema IV Bantam.

Next in line was Jim Bohnen, a stage director with Hartford TheatreWorks, who continued running the cinema and added a concession stand, before handing the task off in 1990 to Lisa Hedley, who renamed it Bantam Cinema and upgraded the projection equipment.

In 1997 the single screen auditorium was divided into two; the smaller room seating 89 and the larger 105 persons, allowing two different features to be screened every day.

Hedley began a Meet the Film Maker series, where writers, producers, directors and actors, including Arthur Miller, William Styron, Campbell Scott, Mia Farrow and Joan Rivers appeared to discuss their films.

In 2007, Hedley passed the baton to its most recent management: David Koch, then a location assistant for The Sopranos;, his father, Sidney Koch, a retired investment banker and business woman Elizabeth Merz. Sidney’s wife, Sheila Nevins, an American television producer and head of MTV Documentary Films division of MTV Studios, and Elizabeth’s husband, Ken, a long-time Torrington businessman who has promoted the arts for decades, were active in its operation.

In 2019, the theater was put up for a sale, the announcement coming, ironically, when it was screening the award-winning Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and a Chinese film, The Farewell. Before a sale could be achieved, however, the theater was shuttered during the Covid pandemic.

But all was not lost. A “stock sale” has been negotiated between the owners and The Bantam Cinema & Arts Center, a group of local film enthusiasts who have formed a non-profit. “Ken Merz, who was already an owner, is now a board member,” said Tenney. “Thirteen persons have made substantial contributions. But fundraising is needed for operating costs and some improvements.”

The Board of Directors is committed to restoring the theater in a way that will upgrade the facilities while retaining the cinema’s historic character, she said. All fundraising will be used to fund capital improvements and help with operating and programming.

Several phases of work are anticipated. “We have a long-term plan for renovations,” said Tenney. “Our current goal is to bring integrity to the building with lots of repairs you can’t see—what I call the ‘unsexy stuff’ that will maintain it for another 100 years. On top of that, we hope for new seating, to improve the bathrooms, to put in a new concession stand—that will be in next round. When we bring in the new concession, we have foods from local restaurants and we want to reach out to local breweries. In Phase 3 we would love to bring the façade back to its original, but that is three to five years out.”

In the meantime, the interior is being repainted and seating is being reconfigured in couplets and triplets with tables for snacks and beverages. A liquor license is being obtained.

“We want to keep the cozy feeling of it,” said Tenney, “where you walk in and it feels really special. We will try to have special events—for instance, for Downton Abby we might create a special drink to go with it.”

The new organization is using the same booking agencies used by the Koches and Merzes. “We love independent films and want to maintain the same integrity of booking,” she said. “And we do want to increase programing with schools and families. We’re hoping to partner with ASAP (a school enrichment program) and are looking at matinees for families. We want the younger generation to love it as much as we do—they will be the next generation to preserve it.”

She said a survey will soon be posted on the theater’s website, looking for input from patrons about what they would like to see. To participate in the survey or to donate, please click on the link below.