A theatre that is the heart of a community

A heavy, wet snow fell overnight on Bethlehem, NH.

As the weight of the storm built, the antique marquee of the Colonial Theatre strained against the chains securing it to the building’s facade. Sometime in the night, the marquee finally gave way — collapsing onto the steps and sidewalk.

The 2001 marquee collapse would represent a turning point for this community, and its jewel of an historic theatre.

“That got the whole community to really rally around,” said Bethlehem resident Andrea Knowles, a longtime Colonial Theatre volunteer.

People realized what the community would lose if the theatre — one of the oldest continuously operating movie theatres in the country, having never gone dark for a single season since 1915 — was allowed to crumble into history.

A “Friends of the Colonial” group was formed to save the local icon, and operations were turned over to the nonprofit Bethlehem Redevelopment Association.

Stephen Dignazio came on as director of the nonprofit (and its sole full-time employee). He did everything from setting up projection equipment to selling popcorn from a cart on the sidewalk to writing grants to save the theatre.

Still, the roof needed major repair. The lights flickered in a high wind.

The Colonial had opened in an era when Bethlehem was a posh summertime destination for city-dwellers in search of a mountain respite. The Colonial was featured on colorized picture postcards in the 1920s.

Almost a century later, people in town worked tirelessly to keep the theatre alive. Volunteers did everything from graphic design for promotion to lighting and sound to concessions and cleanup.

“People were very, very happy to see something happening in Bethlehem,” Stephen said.

Something, indeed. The Colonial, in its new iteration as a nonprofit, became a performing arts venue in addition to a movie theatre — hosting world-class acts, from the Carolina Chocolate Drops to Ani DiFranco to Paula Poundstone.

“The idea was to bring the story of America to the North Country,” Stephen said.

As the Colonial gained momentum, new businesses started to blink to life on Main Street: A brewery, an ice cream shop that is a two-time semifinalist for James Beard awards. On nights when the theatre has a show, Bethlehem’s restaurants are packed.

“Main Street really blossomed around the Colonial,” said Andrea.

On a recent summer Wednesday, Bethlehem and its theatre were in full bloom.

In the morning, young children clambered up the front steps with families and in summer camp groups for a weekly theatre performance with the Weathervane Theatre’s Patchwork Players — a troupe of college theatre students from all over the country.

As the little kids laughed along to live theatre, a group of teens worked together finishing a screenplay outside on the patio, to be followed by an acting workshop in the theatre. The White Mountain Cinema Camp is a program of the Colonial, run by film instructors and professionals. The young people produce a short film — from the idea stage through filming and production — followed by a public screening. Tuition is just $75, with financial aid available.

“There is nothing else like this around here,” said 17-year-old Camdyn Richey of Lisbon, an aspiring actor who has attended Cinema Camp for three summers. “And it is such a safe space. All people feel like they can be welcomed.”

Just before suppertime, the house opens for the third time of the day, welcoming a crowd of adults for a screening of the film “The Phoenician Scheme.” Moviegoers arrive under a rebuilt marquee, buy popcorn and drinks in a refurbished concession area and enjoy a facility that has been entirely overhauled in the past quarter-century.

A patchwork of funding supported the Colonial’s revitalization, including federal funds, the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, the Charitable Foundation, local donors and members. The Colonial — which is listed on New Hampshire Register of Historic Places and was named “Best Vintage Movie Theatre” by Yankee Magazine — continued to gain momentum through its audience-peak year of 2019, and the global pandemic.

Brenna Nicely became the organization’s director two years ago. The Colonial has rebounded again since Covid, and is back on track to set a new attendance record this year.

At a time when public arts funding has been drastically reduced, Brenna emphasized the critical importance of philanthropy — and, especially, unrestricted operating support.

The organization’s funding from the National Endowment from the Arts has evaporated, the defunding of the State Council on the Arts dealt another blow and and a tax credit they had planned on for the installation of solar panels is no longer coming. Ticket sales only account for 18 percent of revenues.

“The funding climate is not favorable to arts organizations right now,” Brenna said.

But this nonprofit theatre has cemented its place as a heart of community connection and a driving force for economic development.

“The arts are older than politics,” Brenna said. “The arts will always be here, and they will always be essential.”