In a dicey economy, with people spending less, two guys decide to open an indie movie theater in a slowly revitalizing downtown strip that is far off the beaten path.
Are they crazy or what?
“We’re committed, or either we ought to be committed,” jokes Philip Dvorak, the co-founder of the Mos’ Art Theatre, which celebrates its grand opening Saturday in a strip shopping center along Lake Park’s main commercial drag.
Dvorak and his fellow operator, Albert Rossodivita, have taken the former teen rock hangout, the Kelsey Club, at 700 Park Ave. and turned it into a spacious 150-seat movie theater.
They plan to show indie, classic and children’s movies in high-definition digital or Blu-ray on a standard-size movie screen.
Former clubgoers will recognize the big ceiling-to-floor interior fence, which divides the lobby and theater. But there is a new feel: The lobby is painted in warm coffeehouse colors, art hangs on the walls, and chairs and sofas are scattered about in hopes of creating a hip destination for more than just movies.
The partners already have initiated plans for a summer drama camp, and a four-day presentation of the show Willy Wonka Jr. The theater also will be open for meetings, birthday parties, etc.
As for movies, they are looking at an eclectic mix. For the past week or so, in a shakeout run, the theater has been showing the new indie film Gigantic, with Paul Dano, John Goodman and Zooey Deschanel. Starting today is another romantic comedy, Sherman’s Way.
Upcoming is a mix of offbeat indies such as the highly touted Anvil, classics such as Casablanca and children’s movies.
The theater owners are very excited about being in downtown Lake Park, which has been attempting to spruce up its image by adding community-friendly touches and committing sheriff’s deputies to patrolling the downtown district. The area definitely looks better, but there are still plenty of empty spaces.
Will people seek out a handcrafted theater in downtown Lake Park, which is off the main roads? Dvorak and Rossodivita hope that by making the space inviting, they will encourage people to return more often.
“We really want to be part of the transformation of this community,” says Dvorak, whose background is in mental health counseling (hence that earlier “committed” joke).
Dvorak and Rossodivita, who is also pastor of the Vintage Worship church, which meets at the theater on Sunday mornings, first came into contact through youth religious missions. Both married with children, they were looking for something to do that was community-oriented. And they loved movies.
(For the record, their faith isn’t part of this operation. Gigantic, for example, is rated R.)
They got a decent lease on the theater (in gratitude, they named it after their landlady, Sue Ellen Mosler), pooled their money and took a chance. Dvorak, whose wife had health issues, also was looking for another source of income.
“I’m 30 years old,” Dvorak says. “When am I going to have the opportunity to take a risk like this again?”
While Dvorak declined to say how much they have spent on leasing the theater, renovating it and engaging a film booker, he says they need to be profitable within six months. They hope to eventually make enough money to set aside a percentage of their profits to go to local charities.
Ticket prices are cheaper than average. Admission for night showings is $6, matinees are $5, and students and seniors get in for $4. There is free Wi-Fi, a large, open lobby and a more unique space than your cookie-cutter multiplex (even a few sofas to sit on in the movie theater area).
Now, they are waiting to see who shows up. They are spreading the word on Facebook and Google, working out deals with the local Chick-fil-A (each ticket has a free sandwich coupon on the back), and buttonholing anybody they meet to come on by.
“We want people to hang out, play checkers, drink coffee, watch movies,” Dvorak says. “This is all about two guys having a dream and taking a shot.”