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The Little Theatre, Rochester, NY

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Availability:	Open to the Public
Filed Under:	Conventions/Festivals/Events > Film Festivals Paranormal Hot Spots > Haunted Theaters Theaters
Added By:	Tom G
Added On:	October 09, 2009 - 04:11 PM UTC
Last Modified:	October 10, 2009 - 12:31 AM UTC
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Address
240 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14607, USA

Information
The Little Theatre For nearly a century, this theater in the city of Rochester, New York has provided the public with a venue in which to view Independent American and foreign films, as well as other forms of art and entertainment. The Little Theatre (also known simply as "The Little"), with its five movie screens, regularly allows audiences an opportunity to view obscure films they might otherwise not have opportunity to see on a large screen (if at all), including foreign and independent horror films that fall outside the mainstream. The theater also plays host to a number of film festivals, including the new 25-Hour Horror Feast that makes its premiere on Halloween of 2009. Fittingly for a theater hosting a horror film festival, there are stories that The Little Theatre may also be haunted. The House of Silent Shadows The Little Theatre was conceived out of the "little cinema movement" of the 1920s, a trend that led to the construction of a series of small cinemas in which films outside the American mainstream would be shown. Rochester architect Edgar Phillips designed the Art Deco-style theater that was able to seat an audience of 300 people. Owned by Mr. And Mrs. Francis Kirk Remington, The Little opened for business on Thursday, October 17, 1929. The first film to be shown there was Cyrano de Bergerac (1925). A three-man orchestra sat in the theater's balcony and played live music as a soundtrack for the silent film. The theater's initial insistence on showing only silent films when "talkies" (movies with sound) were taking over the mainstream led to The Little's original slogan, calling itself "The House of Silent Shadows." Exactly one week after The Little Theatre opened eventually became known as Black Thursday (October 24, 1929), the first of a four-day collapse of the American Stock Market known as the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Born of the Roaring Twenties and only a week old, The Little found itself struggling to survive in the era that became known as The Great Depression. In early 1931, Mr. And Mrs. Remington were approached by Albert A. Fenyvessy about allowing his daughter and her husband to take over their struggling venue. Fenyvessy owned/managed a few Rochester Theaters, including The Capitol Theatre (that former theater is now known as the Fenyvessy Building). Albert's daughter, Florence Fenyvessy Belinson, had managed one of her father's theaters and was up to the task of updating The Little to survive. Florence and her husband, Ben, had The Little Theatre wired for sound but maintained the theater's tendency towards films of artistic or educational nature that generally didn't find play in mainstream movie theaters. On April 15, 1931, The Little showed its first film with sound, Outward Bound (1930). The film, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., is a supernatural drama dealing with a group of people on a boat who discover that they are actually souls on their way to their final destinations in the afterlife. The plot of that film was recycled into the 2008 horror film, Ghost Voyage. The coming decades saw a decline in business resulting in The Little's purchase by the Jo-Mor chain of movie theaters and a transition to more mainstream fare. By the time it was purchased by William Coppard, John Blanpied, and Pam Blanpied in May of 1982, The Little was the only movie theater remaining in downtown Rochester. Coppard and the Blanpieds took The Little back to its roots of showing foreign and independent films. Their renovations included expanding The Little into the former tire store that had been next door and adding two more movie screens. By the end of the 1980s, William Coppard had bought out the Blanpieds and became the sole owner of the theater. The Little Theatre continued its expansion into surrounding structures during the 1990s, adding two more screens and a cafe. Further updating brought in better sound systems and seating for the individual theaters. The original theater is now known Little 1. The 1990s also saw a boom in popularity for foreign and independent films - ironically this was a bad thing for The Little Theatre. As more mainstream theaters began showing films that would have only seen play at art house theaters such as The Little, customers who would have gone to The Little instead began going to the multiplexes. In order to survive, The Little was turned into a not-for-profit corporation in 1998 (gaining its official not-for-profit status in 1999). William "Bill" Coppard remained on board as Executive Director until his retirement in 2005. The Little Theatre continues to soldier on, and is now one of the oldest active art house movie theaters operating in the United States. Haunting of The Little Theatre There are some who believe that The Little Theatre may have a regular audience member from beyond the grave. Over the years, staff members of The Little have witnessed doors that have opened and closed seemingly on their own. On multiple occasions, staff have also overheard a disembodied voice calling out the name "Ann." Who the potential spirit might be and why they are calling out to some one named Ann is unclear. Interestingly, The Little has a connection with another Rochester landmark that is reputedly haunted. During the early 1980s, a pair of stained glass windows were installed in an apartment that was part of The Little Theatre property. The windows had originally been two of the twelve stained glass windows that adorned the top floor of the Powers Building on Rochester's Main Street. The owner of the art gallery that occupied the top floor of the Powers Building was apparently living in the apartment at The Little at that point in time and had the windows transplanted following their cleaning and repair. The remaining ten stained glass windows were left in place at the Powers Building. The Powers Building and the Powers Hotel were built by Daniel W. Powers in the late 19th Century. During his lifetime the fifth floor of the Powers building housed the largest private art gallery of its time in the United States. The stories of haunting at the Powers Building include disembodied sounds of footsteps in its hallways and electronic devices turning on and operating without the assistance of an apparent operator. Some believe the ghost to be that of Daniel Powers. The building's elevator (the first hydraulic elevator built in Upstate New York) is specifically a source of stories. It is said that the elevator is haunted by the ghosts of people who died in accidents involving it malfunctioning from time to time. It is unclear as to whether there is any truth to the tales of death caused by the elevator in the Powers Building. Apparently there is a confirmed death by elevator at the former Powers Hotel (which is still connected to the Powers Building next door to it) however. It is said that in 1894 a laundress named Annie Keily was cut in half in a gruesome accident involving the hotel's elevator. Her employer, Daniel Powers, followed her in death three years later on December 11, 1897 after suffering from a brief illness. Horror Films at The Little Theatre Luckily for horror movie fans, The Little Theatre does not discriminate against the genre in its mission to show independent and foreign films. In 2002, The Little was one of very few movie theaters in New York state to show the Don Coscarelli horror comedy Bubba Ho-Tep, starring Ossie Davis and Bruce Campbell. Fans traveled from across the upstate area and even across the border from Canada just for a chance to see the limited-release film on the big screen. In recent years, The Little Theatre has also shown foreign horror films such as Night Watch (2004), Day Watch (2006), The Host (2006) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006). Over the decades of its operation it has also shown films by genre favorites such as David Cronenberg and David Lynch. 25-Hour Horror Feast Also lucky for horror fans, the current Executive Director of The Little Theatre, Bob Russell is a fan of the genre himself. Through his influence, The Little has chosen to create its own horror film festival to celebrate Halloween in 2009. Called the 25-Hour Horror Feast, the festival may become an annual event should it prove successful. The festival will kick off on Friday October 30 at 10:30 P.M. with a quarter-mile zombie walk, featuring Rochester's own ROC City Roller Derby team (some of whom have made their own appearances as actors in locally-made independent horror films). The zombie walk ends at The Little Theatre giving participants a chance to enjoy food and live music in The Little Cafe, purchase tickets to showings, and peruse vendor tables (including one run by Rochester-based horror T-shirt company Fright Rags). At the stroke of midnight the Horror Feast begins with a showing of the classic independent horror film, Night of the Living Dead (1968) and continues straight through until 1:00 A.M. on November 1. The films for the "feast" were chosen to represent The Little's mission to show independent and foreign films as well as showcasing the work of local filmmakers and showing films that are considered classics. American independent films included in the Horror Feast (besides George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead) include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Evil Dead (1981), and May (2002). Foreign horror films being shown are Italian horror movies, The Last Man on Earth (1964) and Suspiria (1977). The Last Man on Earth, starring cherished horror actor Vincent Price, is being shown back-to-back with another Price classic, The House on Haunted Hill (1959). To represent local filmmakers, there will be a special horror edition of The Little's monthly Emerging Filmmakers showcase of locally produced short films as well as a showing of Days of Darkness (2007) featuring a live appearance by actress and Rochester native Sabrina Gennarino. The Horror Feast also includes the family film, Corpse Bride (2005), and a series of Edgar Allan Poe reading presented by local literary group Writers & Books. Tickets to the separate films can be purchased individually or all-together in a "Zombie Pass." Purchase of the pass gains the buyer access to all films (and the Poe readings) during the Feast, breakfast in the Little Caf�, a Horror Feast t-shirt, a copy of a brand new Edgar Allan Poe book, a reserved seat sign, and apparently there are more bonuses yet to be announced. For more information on the event as well as purchase of tickets visit The Little Theatre's official Web site (see Related Sites below). Visiting The Little Theatre In the yearly reader polls run by the locally published City newspaper, The Little Theatre has repeatedly won in the categories of both "Best Movie Theater" and "Best Place for a First Date." The Little's Caf� offers food and drink (including espresso drinks and wine), as well as displaying works by local artists and presenting live musical acts on a nearly daily basis. The Little's concession stand features popcorn with (gasp) real butter, as well as a selection of freshly-baked pastries instead of the standard multiplex snack choices. Besides the 25-Hour Horror Feast, The Little Theatre is host to a number of annual film festivals and even a jazz festival. In addition, the theater has had celebrity guests in the past, in the form of Rochester-bred actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert Forster. Forster has recently been involved in the festivities celebrating The Little's 80th anniversary also taking place in October 2009. The Little Theatre holds monthly programs, including a monthly showing of child-safe family films and its monthly showcase for short films made by local filmmakers. For further information on shows, events, or submitting short films visit The Little Theatre's Internet site (see Related Sites below).

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Related Sites
The Little Theatre, Rochester, NY Official Web site for the allegedly haunted art house theatre and film festival venue (including horror) in Rochester, New York.
Wikipedia: The Little Theatre Wikipedia's entry for the reputedly haunted Little Theatre in Rochester, New York.

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Images

Outside The Little Theatre on opening night for the 25-Hour Horror Feast 2009.
From: Tom G

A zombie poses next to the 25-Hour Horror Feast poster.
From: Tom G

Zombies and other horror fans outside the Litttle Theatre for Horror Feast 2009.
From: Tom G

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The above content is for informational purposes only. Before making any travel arrangements, it is highly recommended that you contact those in charge of the property to check for updated availability and hours of operation. While we do our best to keep this information updated, we cannot guarantee that it is completely valid and up to date. Any destination marked "Closed to the Public" is marked that for a reason and we discourage any visits or attempts to gain access to that facility. Similarly, take note of any "Travel Advisory" that may be associated with a destination. Finally, treat any location and its local residents with respect. Any vandalism and/or unruly behavior is completely despicable and only ruins the experience for future visitors.

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