The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) has announced a $16,000 award for General Operating Support (GOS) to the Crandell Theatre in Chatham, NY, for the 2019 calendar year. Funds will be used to support administrative services, year-round programming, and website development and management. As stated in the NYSCA guidelines, a GOS award represents an investment by NYSCA in an organizations ongoing work and is designed to reward exemplary practice in all areas of administration, finance, programming, and other organizational activities. According to the Crandell Theatre’s Executive Director Annie Brody, For a number of years NYSCA provided important project support for the Crandell’s nationally recognized FilmColumbia festival held annually in October. But this is the first time NYSCA has granted funds that recognize the overall quality of our programs and activities, managerial and fiscal competence, and public service.î…
The Crandell Theatre: Community living room
“The Crandell Theatre is not about making millions of dollars off of the newest box office hits. The Crandell is about making memories and sharing the experience with fellow moviegoers. As a non-profit organization, the Crandell continues to provide affordable prices and a safe place to relax and hang out with friends, family, and neighbors. Since 1926, the Crandell has been just that, the community living room: a venue made for sitting back, smiling, and enjoying the show. Friday nights at The Crandell is the subject of many fond memories for not only most Chathamites, but also many residents from surrounding towns. Many of the locals who were interviewed vividly remembered the excitement of a Friday night at the Crandell. Planning began at school. What movie was showing? Who was going? Should we meet at the Mini Chopper parking lot,…
“Tales of Europe,”
A series of five new, acclaimed releases from France and Italy, will make their exclusive regional premiere at Columbia County’s historic Crandell Theatre, July 13-19 (Chatham, NY – June 18, 2018)—The Crandell Theatre in Chatham, NY, will serve as the exclusive regional host for the premiere of “Tales of Europe,” a series of five new and acclaimed contemporary films from France and Italy—each of which screened at major international film festivals this year, including Cannes, Toronto and Rome, among others—from July 13-19, 2018. The Crandell Theatre is proud to host the only presentation of “Tales of Europe” in the tri-state area. Made by leading European filmmakers and featuring some of their most celebrated actresses, each of the five films will be screened twice—in its original language with English subtitles—during the seven-day event at the Crandell. Additionally, a Crandell Theatre members-only free screening of Catch the…
Crandell Voted Best Local Movie Theatre of 2018
The Crandell is honored to be recognized as the Best Movie Theater in Columbia County for the fifth year in a row (since 2014) and the Best Arts Organization (new category) by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Columbia-Greene Media. This year 4,500 voters cast more than 82,000 votes in two rounds of polling to select the “Best of the Best” in each of the more than 85+ categories.
A Year with Frog and Toad Kids
The Columbia County Youth Theatre (CCYT) will present two free performances of “A Year with Frog and Toad Kids” on the Crandell Movie Theater Stage. The performance will take place on Saturday, July 7th at 11:00am and 1:00pm as part of the 2018 Chatham Summerfest. “A Year with Frog and Toad Kids” is a 35-minute adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical based on Arnold Lobel’s books. The jazzy, upbeat score features music by Robert Reale with book and lyrics by Willie Reale. The story tells of two best friends who, throughout the seasons, celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique and special. Directed by Edgar Acevedo and Choreographed by Jamie Faxon-Baksa this collaboration between CCYT and the Crandell Theatre marks the third summer that the CCYT Performance Company has appeared on the theatre’s stage. This year’s performances…
After School Filmmaking Project Announces Film Lineup by Columbia County Students
(Chatham, NY) May 9, 2017 The Chatham Film Club has brought together students and filmmaker mentors to create a series of short films to be screened at the Crandell Theater on May 20th, 12pm. Middle school students from Chatham, Germantown, and Hudson worked within selected groups to come up with script ideas, take part as actors and learn the basics of directing and editing for each of their films. The Chatham Middle School student film is titled: ‘Snowed In’, and in a bit of serendipity the students had to work out filming logistics in the midst of the March snowstorm. Filmmaker mentor Susan Lucas says, “The underlying theme of the film is how we all try to balance outer actions with the voices in our heads. I was impressed with their ability to tackle the idea with honesty and humor!”…
Must-See Movie Palaces & Vintage Movie Houses Outside NYC
By Gothamist Getaways Jump into Gothamist Getaways, where we bring you stories about travel, food, new products and handy tips for making your trips—both near and far—more enjoyable. So kick back, dream about your next journey, and let us know if you have any hints for us—email travel@gothamist.com. At my local Brooklyn movie theater, they still request that audience members turn off their pagers. Although I can’t help but giggle each time the antiquated warning flashes across the screen, I do appreciate the grittiness of the theater and the old-school ’80s vibe. I’ve always been a fan of retro movie houses. In my youth, I interrogated my parents about their dates to the Kings Theatre in the 1960s, questioning them about the interior of the then-shuttered theatre and the possibility that Barbra Streisand was their usher. The economical luxury that…
Far from ‘Avatar,’ Stephen Lang performs one-man show to benefit Crandell Theatre
By Amy Biancolli, Times Union Photo by Jeff Vespa On screen, Stephen Lang can be an awfully scary guy. A veteran of villainous muscleheads and hard-nosed military types, he’s best known as Colonel Quaritch — that big, genocidal, buzz-topped security chief who terrorized the gentle blue bipeds of “Avatar.” But he’s at peace with this. At 61, he’s had decades of work and myriad roles spanning Broadway (as Happy Loman, Willy’s son, in a 1984 “Death of a Salesman” revival) and tough indie drama (as Paddy, the sloshed and abusive longshoreman of “White Irish Drinkers”). So he knows a good gig when he sees one. “If I get typecast at this point in my career as a tough old dude, I’m all right with that,” he said. “It’s better that than the ice cream man.” Chatting on the phone, Lang…
Digital age has small cinemas reeling
by Chris Churchill, Times Union CHATHAM — It sounds like an intriguing movie plot: Raise at least $100,000 — or die. But for many smaller movie theaters across upstate New York, that’s not a fictional drama. It’s a terrifying documentary. See, the movie world is at the cusp of a major shift. Studios, looking to save money, are going digital and will no longer release films on, well, film. The old-fashioned movie projector is going the way of the record player, or the eight track, or the (insert your favorite outdated technology here). Progress is progress, I guess. And as a newspaper employee, I can say with certainty that the movie business is hardly the first industry scrambled by the digital revolution. But for small theaters, often barely profitable, the price of progress can be staggering. The Crandell Theatre in…
Chatham Film Club hires its first director
The Chatham Film Club has an executive director for the first time in its 14-year history. The film club’s board of directors recently hired Annie Brody, an administrator and consultant with experience in nonprofit and small- business program management, marketing, and community service. She lives in Canaan, N,Y. ” The board is very pleased that Annie will be joining us,” says Sandi Knakal, president of the film club. “We were fortunate to have many strong candidates in the community, and she was chosen after an extensive search. We look forward to working with her as we continue to improve and renovate the Crandell Theatre.” Brody brings with her a diverse background. She was vice president of national programs for Earth Force, a nonprofit youth environmental organization, for five years in the 1990s and has most recently served as a consultant…
One year later, Crandell holding its own
By Tom Keyser, Times Union On Saturday, the day before screening “Project Nim,” the Crandell Theatre will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its reopening. It will mark the occasion by showing Buster Keaton’s 1926 classic silent film “The General” and a short silent film from 1927 called “Dog Shy.” Bernie Anderson will provide live piano accompaniment to both films. The movies start at 7 p.m., and admission is pay-what-you can. The money will go toward the ongoing restoration of the theater, operated for a year now by the Chatham Film Club. The club bought the Crandell after its longtime owner-operator Anthony Quirino died suddenly in January 2010, prompting fears that the theater, a beacon on Chatham’s Main Street, would close forever. It closed for half a year, reopening last July 9 under the new ownership. Peter Biskind, the author and…