With only five features to his credit – he is currently in post-production on his sixth – Alexander Payne has already established himself as one of the leading voices of American cinema. With an eye for landscape that matches Terrence Malick’s, a satirical wit comparable to that of Billy Wilder, and a love for the lives of everyday folks that is rarely seen on screen, Payne’s voice is distinct, necessary, and unforgettable. And so we’re pleased to welcome him back to the Dryden Theatre as he joins us to celebrate our reopening with a special screening of his Academy Award-winning film SIDEWAYS this Saturday, March 2.
 

 

In addition, Payne – an inveterate cinephile with a deep knowledge of film history – has selected four of his favorite films to screen on Tuesdays in March, ranging from the socially conscious film noir of  TRY AND GET ME! (March 12) to the gentle realism of the Italian classic IL POSTO (March 19). Full details are available over at the Dryden, so don’t forget to get your tickets early and stick around for “Payne’s Picks” as the month continues!

 

 

We’ve been talking about the renovation and upgrades all along the way – check out our series, via Theatre Manager, Kolbe Resnick.
 

The cosmetic renovations in the theatre are officially completed with the hanging of the curtain. The 2 hour operation went smoothly as they fed the metal wiring through the curtain and fastened it to the beam above the screen. The “Austrian Curtain”, as it is called, is one of only 2 that the crew from Reynold’s Drapery has ever seen. A truly unique curtain.

 

 

More on the Dryden Theatre Renovation:
Part I, The Curtain Stays
Part II, Seatless
Part III, Cement, Lighting, and Accessibility
Part IV, Painting, Listening System and Digital Projection
Part V, Stage and Carpet
Part VI, Seats and Projection Booth

The day has almost come. The Dryden Theatre will reopen its doors Saturday March 2, 2013 for a fresh cinematic experience and new chapter in film and digital technology.

We are thrilled to give away a pair of tickets for our opening night celebration. The evening will  feature a screening of the “comic, tragic, and deeply empathetic” film, SIDEWAYS followed by a Q&A with special guest and Academy Award® winning writer-director Alexander Payne.
Want your chance at being a part of this historical evening? Just follow these simple steps:

1. Become a fan of our Dryden Theatre Facebook page:

2. Then, do one of the following:

-Retweet this post (include both @eastmanhouse and @drydentheatre)

-Or leave us a comment below telling us why you should be the winner!

 

Contest starts today – we’ll pick a winner and announce Thursday February 28, at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Or take no chances and buy your tickets today.

 

We’ve been talking about the renovation and upgrades all along the way – check out our series, via Theatre Manager, Kolbe Resnick.

 

The theater really seems to be coming together. This past week the stage was refinished with a beautiful black matte finish (and will match nicely with the curtain). The texture of the wood is still very much visible and the stage itself looks like new. Along with the staining the electric circuits in the stage were completely repaired and carpeting will be attached along the edges next week.

A new feature you will no doubt notice upon our reopening in March will be the advancement of the first row. The front row on the floor will be much closer to the stage than before allowing for more space between the rows behind and therefore allowing them to yield more leg room. So for those of you sitting in this row on March 2, you’ll be only a few feet from Alexander Payne during his Q&A!

The theater trim has been painted red and the carpet has been laid down on the ground floor. While the painting was a simple task that took about one day, the carpeting of the balcony is a much more arduous process and is expected to take the entirety of next week.The back stairways have been completely carpeted and the noticeable differences include a dampened sound and a much softer feel underneath your sneakers.

The final step of the staircase in the balcony has been heightened and extended creating a landing on the balcony. The result is surprising. This has created more space for the aisle rows near the front and allows for more room to move once you get to the balcony.

I had the privilege of visiting the projection booth in progress. The floor has all new tile and the walls have been repainted. It is exciting to witness the careful preparation for the digital projector and the care that is being taken to keep our film projection equipment in the best possible condition.

We are still inviting anyone who purchased seats to send us pictures of their new home. You can send them directly to me at kresnick@geh.org or you can post them on our Dryden Facebook Page.

More on the Dryden Theatre Renovation:
Part I, The Curtain Stays
Part II, Seatless
Part III, Cement, Lighting, and Accessibility
Part IV, Painting, Listening System and Digital Projection
Part V, Stage and Carpet

 
 

 
 
 

 

Painting: Two very exciting cosmetic improvements have been made in the Dryden in the past week. First, the theater has been painted. The deep purple of the walls is complete with the repainted black ceiling. Once the golden curtain is re-hung the combination will be astonishing. Second, the lights in the coves on either side of the theater were installed. These lights shine from the coves up onto the ceiling along the length of the theater creating a nice atmosphere. Right now the lights are blue and red, but an interesting feature of these lights is their ability to be changed or to rotate on their own.

Listening System: Following 2 days of installation with a team of 6-9 people, the installation of the hearing loop is complete. The new system will now offer the hearing impaired a new option when they visit the theater. Creating a magnetic field in the theatre, individuals with hearing aids can tap into the signal emitted magnetically and hear the film’s audio directly through their earplugs. The copper wire that makes the technology possible was laid down on the floor and taped with double-sided tape. Then, a second wire was run through the theater on top of it (phase 2). On top of the 2 wires was laid a vinyl tape, which will protect any damage to the copper wire once the carpet is laid over it. Special attention was paid to the location of the seats in the theater to avoid the possibility of a bolt being drilled through the wire and therefore breaking the chain that is necessary to create the signal.

 

Digital Projection: In order for digital projection to be possible at the Dryden new port windows in the booth had to be cut. The glass has not yet been installed but the openings that were used by the Century Projectors in our booth for the past 60 years have been expanded to make room for the new Barco digital projector.

Screenings in the Curtis: If you haven’t been to any of the screenings in the Curtis Theatre these past few weeks I strongly urge you to attend. We’re on week 4 and so far they’ve all been very interesting. The programs, curated by students of the L. Jeffery Selznick School of Film Preservation, are run on a loop throughout the day. Films included in the programs are all 16mm prints of short films that are very rarely screened. This weekend’s program is titled “Hollywood Stars in Service: Government Sponsored World War II Films” and features short films by John Ford and John Huston along with stars James Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable, and Ronald Reagan. The programs change each week and are offered every Thursday and Saturday from 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 11:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Screenings are included in museum admission.

New Seats: The new Dryden seats are set to arrive in the next week. We’re all very excited about their installation and the completion of the new theater. If you’ve recently installed our old Dryden seats in your home please send us pictures. We want to be able to share the ongoing life of the seats with everyone.

More on the Dryden Theatre Renovation:
Part I, The Curtain Stays
Part II, Seatless
Part III, Cement, Lighting, and Accessibility