Islanders are buzzing about the recent burglary at Vashon Theatre, when Grinch-like thieves grabbed not only a state-of-the-art professional digital projector and other expensive equipment, but even stooped to raid the concessions stand and steal a big boxful of Skittles.
It’s a shocking crime, not only because of its brazen nature, but also because it affected a family that has been working overtime to make Vashon a better place.
Since Eileen and Gordon Wolcott bought the theater in 2003, they’ve made costly renovations, upgraded all its equipment and opened up the building for community gatherings, alternative film screenings and other events.
They’ve also been committed to bringing blockbuster movies to Vashon, a strategy that has saved Islanders the time, trouble and expense of traveling to the mainland to see hot new films.
It hasn’t made the Wolcotts rich, though. Movie studios, which are run by rapacious executives who are no more kind-hearted than the Skittle-stealers, charge top dollar for new movies, often demanding more than 65 percent of the gate.
The margin of the Wolcotts’ business is razor-thin and often depends on movie-goers ponying up for a bucket of popcorn or even one of those swell combos that include a soft drink and candy bar.
The Wolcotts, now more than ever, need folks to support the theater. They need Islanders to go to the movies.
That may seem to be a lot to ask of people these days, when almost everyone has a big flat screen TV and a Netflix subscription. But watching a movie at home is not the same thing as seeing it in glorious 35mm, on the big screen.
Film deserves a better venue than your couch.
It’s one of the most vibrant, innovative and powerful art forms ever devised, and going to the movies can be a transformative experience that helps fulfill an ancient, aching human need: to gather together, in community, to listen to stories that help us make sense of our world.
In a dark, cozy theater, surrounded by friends, neighbors and strangers, we can find history lessons, dive into fantasy worlds, take whirlwind trips to faraway lands and learn to think and see the world in brand new ways.
Films can also spark debate and discussion and help us change the world.
But we need to be with other people before any of that happens. We diminish the power of film when we diminish the size of our screens and the number of people with whom we share the experience.
So you won’t only be doing the Wolcotts a favor if you start making their theater one of your regular stops. You’ll be doing yourself and your community a favor, too.
You’ll see films the way they were meant to be seen — in a theater, in community.
And just as Eileen’s movie theater popcorn is 10 times more delicious than anything you can make at home, seeing a film at Vashon Theatre will always be more emotionally and intellectually nourishing than staying at home and catching it on a DVD.
Going to Vashon Theatre makes movie-viewing a special experience, which is what it should be. It’s not something that should happen every day at home, at the touch of a remote control button. So much magic is lost that way.
And if we’re not careful — if we don’t get off our couches and out of our houses and go to the movies — we might just lose the magic of having a hometown movie theater.
Can you imagine that? I can’t.
— Elizabeth Shepherd is The Beachcomber’s arts editor.
Vashon Film Society, a nonprofit organization, is collecting donations on behalf of Vashon Theatre to help the theater replace stolen equipment and sustain its operations. Send checks to VFS, P.O. Box 2061, Vashon, 98070. Sign up for the society’s monthly e-letter at vashonfilm@comcast.net.
