After half a year of renovation, the Mariemont Theatre is finally reopening. This month, the historic theater will begin showing movies again.
“It feels like we’re standing at the starting line after months of building, and now we finally get to go to work,” Cindependent Founder and Executive Director Allyson West said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve put together, grateful for every neighbor, and so ready to fill these rooms with stories; both on and off the screen! This is the moment it starts to feel real.”
Back in late January, the film nonprofit organization Cindependent took over operation of the theater from Theatre Management Corporation, which operates the Esquire and Kenwood Theatres.
On Aug. 28, the Mariemont will hold a “soft opening” with its first official film lineup. The four films on offer for cinemagoers include the Anthony Bourdain biopic “Tony,” the Ronald Reagan biopic “The Brink of War,” the neo-Western “The Rivals of Amziah King” starring Matthew McConaughey, and the documentary “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World.”
The soft opening date will also launch a month-long series of films from 1938 to mark the year the theater originally opened. Those historical screenings — which include classics like “You Can’t Take It With You” and “The Lady Vanishes” — will feature audience discussions with University of Cincinnati film professors.
The theater will continue with multiple daily screenings during the soft opening period in the run-up to its grand reopening gala on Sept.16, which also kicks off this year’s Cindependent Film Festival.
“Make your plans to start seeing movies again in Mariemont,” says Cindependent Board President Jack Crumley. “Everyone has been working for months to rebuild seats, repair the auditorium houses, install brand new equipment, and give the theatre a fresh new look. That’s all been unlocked by the incredible support of the community, and now it’s time to celebrate!”
For more information on the Mariemont Theatre, visit the theater’s official website.