The Savoy Theater needs your help!

Update: September 18th:

After a long slow summer things are finally looking up with some new events and movies on the horizon, but we are still staring down a deficit and monthly costs continue to exceed what little revenue has come in. There is still some debt remaining from last year's flood so I am resuming our campaign to try to make up the difference.

Following the flood this summer, which we were thankfully spared any further damage, we suspended our campaign so that those who were directly affected could get the relief and attention they needed. During that time I took out a loan with Community Capital to pay the contractors for the work they did last Winter and also cover some other outstanding bills. The rest will remain on credit cards for now as most of the remaining funds have gone to payroll and rent and utilities.

How we got here

Last year as many of you know Montpelier was flooded and our downtown was shuttered for an extended period of time as the community came together to help with the clean-up and rebuilding of our devastated downtown. As a result of the flood, the Savoy lost all of the contents of our second theater space, which was located in the basement. Following a successful Go Fund Me campaign last year along with some small grants from the city and state and some other fundraising we were able to raise enough to keep us going through the rebuilding period, and also put some money aside to go towards the reconstruction process. It was a long road back and we were finally able to reopen the downstairs room this past April.

I am very pleased with the result of the newly rebuilt downstairs theater space. It is more functional than the previous space and feels more like a dedicated theater than before. There is also a stage for performances now making it a more versatile venue and I am looking forward to bringing in some live events possibly, in addition to showing a wider variety of films.

Most importantly, we were able to rebuild in a way that it is ready if there should be another future high-water event with most of the furniture and fixtures easily removable up to the main floor, which was not impacted in the flood last year. The walls are made of a plastic material and the insulation and floors are all removable and can be dried or easily replaced at minimal cost.

Why I love this place and why you should too:

This September marks eight years that I have been the owner of the Savoy and ten years since I first started working there as a projectionist. It has in many ways become a second home to me. I have seen it survive the covid lockdowns, and the flood of 2023, both of which looked like they might have been the end for us. Throughout all of the years it has never been easy to make the numbers work, and yet we are still here and I believe that is because our community loves this theater as much as I do.

Since reopening last September after being closed for nine weeks following the flood we have continued to look for more ways to better serve the community, including hosting many unique screening events and showing films that do not get played in theaters anywhere else in the state. We host school groups and other special programming through the Senior Center. Our theater has a place in the hearts of many people who still remember films they saw here years ago, and I am one of those people! I am still in touch with the original owners and founders of the theater, Rick Winston and Andrea Serota, and it continues to be my goal to bring interesting and unique cinema-based events to our area as well as new independent films that challenge and enlighten, and also entertain.

Please help us stay alive!

Once again I find that we are facing a shortfall and the clock is ticking. I am able to mostly keep up with the bills, and payroll, but the summer season was not very kind to us, with no real blockbusters in the Independent market. We have had some great films and events, but nothing that brought in the kind of crowds we need periodically to keep us afloat.

If you would like to help us continue to be a fixture in Montpelier, please consider making a donation to help us stay alive another year. The film industry continues to struggle and small theaters like ours are becoming a remnant of the past. Please do not let the Savoy become a memory. Our unique theater space has been a fixture in Montpelier for the last 43 years!

If you are already a member or have been a consistent supporter, please consider passing this campaign along to anyone you know who may want to contribute.

Thank you,

James O'Hanlon