The Shoebox Theatre joins Reo’s Video at 225 Hall St.

The Shoebox Theatre joins Reo’s Video at 225 Hall St.

Nelson, BC - Thanks to support received in 2021 from Telefilm and significant hands-on efforts from a team of staff and dedicated volunteers over the last three months, Nelson Civic Theatre Society (NCTS) is pleased to finally announce the launch of our newest addition: The Shoebox Theatre, complete with a fresh, new makeover of the historic Reo’s Video collection. These entities will be housed within our leasehold at 225 Hall Street, a growing hub and home for the Screen-Based Industry in our community.

Introducing The Shoebox Theatre

The Shoebox Theatre is a 20-seat space that responds to an ongoing need for a second, smaller space of films that may not attract a large audience for every screening.
“An average of around 700 films are released in North America each year, and we struggle to show 100 of them on the Civic Theatre Screen in a year,” explains NCTS Programming Director Jason Asbell. “The addition of The Shoebox will allow us to program films that are more commensurate with the anticipated size of each audience, and vastly increase the number of titles that we can bring into our community each year.”

It is also a great precursor to the three-screen renovation that NCTS continues to hold at the heart of its future stability and operations. The Shoebox Theatre will offer an early testing ground for more screens, and once the two additional theatres are added within The Civic Theatre’s leasehold, The Shoebox will still offer a unique service in a theatre space that really can cater to small private screenings and events. “We look forward to hosting bubble screenings and birthday parties, thematic educational film series, and topical discussions, and to meeting the interests of niche audiences,” says Jason. “In the cases of smaller gatherings, The Shoebox Theatre will enable events to feel robust with small numbers, whereas similar turnouts at The Civic Theatre can feel like they are being presented in a cavernous space.”

The New Reo’s Video

NCTS purchased Reo’s Video in 2020 as the business was at risk of closing permanently, thereby losing a film collection that has become part of the cultural fabric of our community.  However, only 50% of renters seem to have returned to enjoy selections from our library of more than 16,000 titles, continuing to put Reo’s Video in a precarious position for the future. “We know that streaming services and a general decline in cultural participation have had an effect on people’s choices of how to enjoy and consume entertainment across all cultural sectors,” notes NCTS Executive Director Eleanor Stacey. “While we hoped that Reo’s Video would have bounced back when it was reopened in March 2021, when it did not, we knew we needed to find another way to keep the collection intact and available to the public.  Our new plan at 225 Hall Street is aimed at doing just that.”

Reo’s Video is back with a sleek new storefront.  Space constraints limit our ability to display all the films in our collection, but they are still all available to the public.  They can be viewed on our website at civictheatre.ca/reosvideo or you can always just ask for titles when you visit the store.

Celebrating the Grand Opening of The Shoebox and the renewed Reo’s Video Collection

Beginning at 6:00pm on June 24, The Shoebox Theatre will be offering FREE Reo’s Video Collection screenings throughout the weekend.  What are we screening? That’s up to you!

All guests will have the opportunity to program screenings of films from the Reo’s Video Collection throughout the weekend, beginning at 6:00pm June 24.

Screening slots include:

Friday, June 24 at 6:00pm, 8:00pm and 10:00pm

Saturday, June 25 at noon, 2:00pm, 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm and 10:00pm

Sunday, June 26 at noon, 2:00pm, 4:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm and 10:00pm

Programming of G and PG films before 8:00pm

Programming of PG-13 and higher ratings from 8:00pm on

Details:

Selections must be made in person at 225 Hall Street. 

Film selectors are expected to attend the films they book, and encouraged to bring friends and family to enjoy movies with them.

Patrons may attend any films programmed (you don’t need to have picked them!)

Capacity within The Shoebox Theatre is limited to 21 patrons.

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