- By Adam Shanks | Examiner staff writer
- May 1, 2023 (SFExaminer.com)
If handed the keys — and enough cash — a nonprofit organized to preserve The Castro Theatre believes it can operate the historic venue without ripping out its seats.
The Castro Theatre Conservancy announced plans last week to show hundreds of movies and host an array of events, starting within two months — if it’s given the reins.
And that’s a big ‘if.’
Berkeley-based Another Planet Entertainment announced a deal last year to take over the theater’s management from its long-time owners, the Nasser family. Since then, Another Planet has plotted and plodded forward with its plans to renovate the theater.
But Another Planet’s detractors worry that the theater will be seldom used and instead focus on hosting intermittent — and expensive — live concerts disconnected from the LGBTQ and film-focused programming for which the Castro has historically been known.
The Castro Theatre Conservancy has stepped in with what it says is a better path forward. It promises daily activity, preservation of culturally relevant programming, and operation of the Castro as a community resource that will be financially sustainable without “desecrating” a landmark.
“The Conservancy’s plan shows that we can preserve the intrinsic values and crucial features of the historic building while restoring it as an active business operating 365 days a year,” Peter Pastreich, executive director of the Castro Theatre Conservancy, said in a statement.
Another Planet calls the plan infeasible.
“The Castro Theatre and the Castro neighborhood cannot wait two years for an unfunded and impractical idea. To this day, the Conservancy has yet to show that it has the financial ability and an architectural plan or commitment on how it would renovate the Castro Theatre,” David Perry, a spokesperson for Another Planet, told The Examiner. “In January of this year, the Conservancy, in a letter to Another Planet, said it would take them at least two years to raise a hypothetical $20 million.”
If given the green light by The City, Another Planet will remove the theater’s current seating arrangement and replace it with a retractable floor, which it claims will allow the seats to be removed and accommodate standing-room-only live events.
That has drawn the ire of many advocates for The Castro’s preservation, who worry that Another Planet’s proposal would destroy its historic character as a movie house. However, another Planet believes it can have its movie popcorn and eat it, too, and has promised to continue LGBTQ programming and film screenings.
The Board of Supervisors is mulling a proposed landmark designation that would protect the seats.
Here’s a breakdown of the Castro Theatre Conservancy’s Plan:
Who are they?
The Castro Theatre Conservancy, a nonprofit, was formed in 2020 by people who want to preserve the facility as a movie house.
What type of programming would they host?
Within 60 days of signing a lease to purchase The Castro from the Nasser family, the conservancy claims it will have programming every day. That includes 200 nights of regular film screenings, 52 nights of film festivals, 20 nights of rentals by groups like The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and more.
In the span of a few weeks, the theater might host a drag show, film festival, and dozens of movie showings.
It all adds up to between 7 and 21 events a week, they say.
Will it make money?
The Castro Theatre Conservancy stresses that its goal is not to make money. Still, it will have to pay the bills.
It is making a confident assumption of an attendance of 400 people per average film screening — a figure critics will undoubtedly question given the precipitous nationwide decline in movie theater attendance in recent years — at $15 per ticket, with additional revenue coming from concessions, theater memberships and rentals.
Who will pay for it?
In the near term, the conservancy has not specified a funding source that would cover the costs of its takeover. Nor has it publicly estimated what those costs would be.
“It would not be appropriate to speculate on the price we might pay, or the Nassers might ask, for the theater,” Julie Richter, a spokesperson for the conservancy, told The Examiner. “We have been staying in touch with several potential large donors and feel confident that if we arrive at a fair price with the Nassers, we will be able to pay it.”
In the second year of operation, the conservancy will begin to plan capital projects to repair and upgrade the aging theater.
To pay for the work, the conservancy would launch a fundraising campaign.
Will it happen?
The Nasser Family and Another Planet have not given any public indication that they are willing to sever ties and abandon the project.
