Help Keep The Clinton Street Theater Alive

Hey, y’all! As the new owners and operators of the Clinton Street Theater we are looking forward to keeping the spirit of the theater alive and continue to cultivate the space that has meant so much to so many over the years. We are seeking an initial goal of $50,000 from our neighbors, arts community, family and friends to make improvements to the Clinton Street Theater’s projection technology, sound system, website and ticketing system, lighting, and facility fixes. These improvements will allow us to expand our offerings to include live music events, participate in film festivals, screen new foreign films, work with more indie film distributors to expand our programming, and most importantly create a more comfortable experience for our patrons and performers.

Over 100 years old, the Clinton Street Theater is one of the longest continuously running theaters on the West Coast. For the last decade, the previous owners worked to turn the theater into a community space, particularly for queer folks, drag shows, and local theater groups. The Clinton Street Theater has been a venue for art house film, horror, independent, out-of-print and hard-to-find “Church of Film” screenings, and, of course, the longest continuously running Rocky Horror Picture Show with Cabaret! 

Our list of improvements is long, but together we can launch the next chapter of this historic and beloved community space. As owners, we’ll be working nightly shifts in addition to our full-time day jobs because we want to be connected to our community and ensure the success of the theater. 

We’ve pooled our savings to make this happen because we believe that this theater plays an essential part in the fabric of our neighborhood and provides a home for unique performance groups to thrive. We are committed to seeing The Clinton Street Theater continue its history of being a space dedicated to art in its many forms, welcoming artists, performers, musicians, lecturers, and those who celebrate and appreciate the cult, niche, underrepresented, and the avant-garde. 

We love Portland and the Clinton Street Theater. We’ve been working for almost two years now behind the scenes to ensure we can help keep the theater alive. With a little help, we can make the theater a more comfortable venue with expanded live events and film offerings. We hope you’ll help us make the Clinton Street Theater resilient in the coming years and keep this important community space alive.

Thanks for anything you can contribute and we hope to see you at the theater soon!