Rio Theatre

Last updated

Rio Theatre
Rio Theatre
Address1660 East Broadway
Vancouver
Canada
Coordinates 49°15′44″N123°04′14″W / 49.262095°N 123.070477°W / 49.262095; -123.070477
OwnerCorinne Lea
TypeLive Venue and Movie Theatre
Capacity 409 hard seats, 582 to standing room
Construction
Built1938
Renovated2006
ArchitectMax Breeze Downing
Website
riotheatre.ca
Rio Theatre interior, 2011 Rio Theatre interior Chris Richmond.jpg
Rio Theatre interior, 2011

The Rio Theatre is an independent, multidisciplinary art house in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Built in 1938, the Rio served East Vancouver primarily as a movie theatre until 2008, when new owner, Corinne Lea, began to add live music and multimedia and multidisciplinary art events. The Rio has since become a well known cultural hub in East Vancouver, famous for launching several successful public battles to save the theatre.

Contents

The Rio seats 409 people, including a balcony section. The projection room houses a NEC NC2000C digital projector that was installed in 2010. The venue includes a lobby with concession voted best in 2010 and 2011 for single-screen theatres in Vancouver, [1] a large stage, and a backstage greenroom for live performers.

Since its evolution in 2008, the Rio has hosted Hollywood blockbusters, local independent filmmakers, midnight screenings of cult classics, the toddler-friendly "Movies for Mommies" series, local and international film festivals, comedy festivals, queer film events, burlesque shows, screenings and tours for local public schools, political events, religious services, spoken word and other live performances, and local and international live music.

The Dear Rouge song "Meet Me At The Rio" is about the venue. [2]

History

Originally opened in 1938, the Rio Theatre was hailed as “ultra modern,” ”designed for perfection in sight and sound,” and ”Vancouver’s Finest Suburban Theatre”. The double bill on opening day featured James Cagney and Marjorie Daw in Something to Sing About and Ann Dvorak in She’s No Lady with tickets sold for 25 cents. [3]

Designed by Henry Alwyn Calladine, the theatre was "fireproof from foundation to roof...designed for comfort with special attention to perfection of enjoyment of pictures through sight and sound." [4] The initial seating layout had 800 seats with the first rows angled upwards to provide better view of the screen. The original seats were "duplicates of chairs used by King George and Queen Elizabeth" and manufactured by LaSalle Recreations Ltd. [5]

The theatre became a part of the Odeon chain of single screen cinemas across Canada, until 1955 when the rise of television closed the Rio Theatre–along with several other theatres across the city. [6] From 1959 - 1976, The Rio became The Rio Bowl–a bowling alley operated by Grandview Recreations. [7] It then returned to its original form as a movie theatre in 1982, this time as the Golden Princess Theatre showcasing Chinese films. [8]  In 2001, the theatre changed hands again, becoming Broadway Cinema.

Dispute with British Columbia Liquor Control and Licensing Branch

According to owner Corinne Lea, the Rio was at risk of business failure under a movies-only model, as indicated by the failure of all but two single-screen theatres in Vancouver by the end of 2011. [9] In 2010, Lea applied for a primary liquor license from the British Columbia Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, in order to attract more live music events where alcohol could be served. When the license was presented to Lea on January 18, 2012, the LCLB had inserted a condition, unique among any primary liquor license holder in the province, that "This establishment is not permitted to show movies or any type of cinematic screenings at any time", effectively banning the Rio from screening films at any point in the future, regardless of whether alcohol is being served. Lea has said she felt she had no choice but to sign the license or the Rio would need to shut its doors. [10]

Response to the LCLB decision ranged from a Facebook-centred community political action campaign, [11] targeting the LCLB and provincial MLAs to intervene, to national media attention. [12] Proponents involved in assisting the Rio Theatre in the short term, who also called on the province of British Columbia to amend its antiquated liquor laws in the long term, included British Columbia (BC) member of the Legislative Assembly Spencer Chandra Herbert, City of Vancouver councillor Heather Deal, and Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, among others. There wee no known opponents to the newly licensed Rio Theatre also continuing to show unlicensed general-admission movies. [13]

In response, the LCLB claimed that it was not able to alter its procedures due to the regulations of the BC Liquor Control and Licensing Act. The LCLB also stated that it was acting in the interests of "public safety" to prevent the possibility of minors consuming alcohol "in the dark", despite the fact that the Rio had agreed to not sell alcohol during general admission film screenings. [14] On February 9, 2012, the BC government announced that they were making changes to the province's liquor licensing rules to allow venues that serve alcohol to also screen movies, albeit at different times. [15]

Lea did not accept these limited restrictions placed on her business. She kept on with her campaign to change the BC liquor laws so that alcohol could be served during movies and live events. The battle took four months in total while the Rio Theatre struggled to survive, going severely in debt during this time. [16] In April 2012, the province's liquor laws were finally changed to allow all movie theatres with a primary liquor license in BC to serve alcohol during film screenings. Later in January 2013, Lea was awarded a Diamond Jubilee Governor General award for her successful battle to change the liquor laws. [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</i> 1975 film by Jim Sharman

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 independent musical comedy horror film produced by Lou Adler and Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. The screenplay was written by Sharman and actor Richard O'Brien, who is also a member of the cast. The film is based on the 1973 musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show, with music, book, and lyrics by O'Brien. The production is a tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s. Along with O'Brien, the film stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick and is narrated by Charles Gray, with cast members from the original Royal Court Theatre, Roxy Theatre, and Belasco Theatre productions, including Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a movie house, picture house, picture theater or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoria for viewing films for public entertainment. Most are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sex Party</span> Political party in Canada

The Sex Party was a political party based in British Columbia, Canada. The party was guided by the philosophy of the sex-positive movement. Among other points, the party advocated for reform of sex education in schools so that sexual issues are taught more gradually over time and included a more comprehensive coverage of them. They advocated for the repeal of laws that promote antisexualism, such as prostitution laws and censorship. They also supported making Valentine's Day a statutory holiday and renaming Victoria Day to Eros Day.

The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) is the governmental body responsible for distributing alcohol and cannabis products in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The BCLDB operates under the Ministry of Finance and was established in 1921. The BCLDB head office is located in Burnaby, with distribution centres in Delta and Kamloops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cory Monteith</span> Canadian actor (1982–2013)

Cory Allan Michael Monteith was a Canadian actor and musician. He made his acting debut in the television series Stargate Atlantis (2004), and had other roles in shows including Smallville (2005), and Supernatural (2005). During his career, he starred in over eighteen dramas and seventeen films, with Monte Carlo (2011), Final Destination 3 (2006), and Sisters & Brothers (2011), all becoming commercially successful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquor license</span> Governmentally issued permit to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages

A liquor license is a governmentally issued permit for businesses to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages.

Motion picture ratings in Canada are mostly a provincial responsibility, and each province has its own legislation regarding exhibition and admission. For home video purposes, a single Canadian Home Video Rating System rating consisting of an average of the participating provincial ratings is displayed on retail packages, although various provinces may have rules on display and sale, especially for the R and A categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eros Cinema</span> Cinema in Mumbai, India

The Eros Cinema is an Art Deco style cinema theatre located in Cambata Building at Churchgate, Mumbai, India. It has a seating capacity of 1,204 people per show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage</span> Theatre in Vancouver, Canada

The Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage is a landmark theatre at 12th Avenue and Granville Street in Vancouver, British Columbia, which serves as the main stage for the Arts Club Theatre Company. The Stanley first opened as a movie theatre in December 1930 and showed movies for over sixty years before falling revenues led to its closure in 1991. After years of threatened commercial redevelopment, the Stanley was renovated as a stage theatre between 1997 and 1998 and subsequently awarded status as a heritage building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Theatre (Atlanta)</span>

The Plaza Theatre is a movie theatre located in Atlanta, Georgia. Opened in 1939, it is Atlanta's longest continuously operating independent movie theatre and a city landmark.

The Safe Amplification Site Society, also known as Safe Amp or SASS is a non-profit organization that promotes the legitimacy of music and arts within Vancouver for participants of all ages. Safe Amp is a member-based organization, and relies on donations for funding. Many of the directors of Safe Amp are prominent musicians in the Vancouver community, including co-founder and general director Ryan McCormick of Collapsing Opposites and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. The organization was created with inspiration from such organizations as Seattle's The Vera Project and The Smell in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies</span> Annual event at multiple US locations

Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies is an annual event that began in 2011. At the Meet-Up, concert videos and films of the rock band the Grateful Dead are shown in movie theaters at multiple locations. Each yearly screening occurs only once. The event provides a venue and opportunity for the band's fans, known as Deadheads, to gather in celebration and camaraderie.

The British Columbia Patriotic and Educational Picture Service was a British Columbia provincial government department founded in April 1920 by the Liberal government of Premier John Oliver. The picture service was created to produce, acquire, distribute, and exhibit motion pictures promoting British Columbia and Canada–and in so doing, counter the nationalistic American content in Hollywood films. The legislation creating the service required that all BC theatres exhibit up to fifteen minutes of the service's films as part of each screening. Resistance to this requirement, coupled with the insertion of political propaganda into its films, made the picture service highly controversial, and it ceased most production and distribution in 1922–23.

Kevin Eastwood is a Canadian documentary filmmaker and film and television producer. He is best known for directing the Knowledge Network series Emergency Room: Life + Death at VGH and British Columbia: An Untold History and the CBC Television documentaries Humboldt: The New Season and After the Sirens. His credits as a producer include the movies Fido, Preggoland and The Delicate Art of Parking, the television series The Romeo Section, and the documentaries Haida Modern, Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World and Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitehawk Cinema</span> Cinema in Brooklyn, New York

Nitehawk Cinema is a dine-in independent movie theater in Brooklyn, New York City. It operates two locations, in the neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Park Slope. The theater, which offers a menu of food and drinks that can be ordered and consumed while patrons view films, was the first liquor licensed movie theater in the state of New York, and the first movie theater in New York City to offer table service.

The Hoover Theatre, also known as the Hoover Live Cinema and the New Hoover Cinema, was a theatre located at the junction of Balestier Road and Jalan Ampas in Balestier, Singapore.

References

  1. ↑ "® Best of Vancouver 2017 - Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly" . Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Dear Rouge finds upbeat energy from secluded formation of Spirit".
  3. ↑ "Ultra Modern House to Serve Grandview District". The Vancouver News Herald. April 7, 1938. p. 6.
  4. ↑ "New Modern Theatre on East Broadway to Open Thursday". Vancouver Sun. April 6, 1938. p. 4.
  5. ↑ "New Theatre Chairs Give Utmost in Luxurious Ease". Vancouver Sun. April 6, 1938. p. 4.
  6. ↑ "TV closes five city theatres". Province. July 11, 1955. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Prominent bowling alley proprietor dies at 58". Province. April 24, 1969. p. 23.
  8. ↑ Aaron, Chapman (December 10, 2013). "Backstage Past: Lights, camera, crime scene". Vancouver is Awesome.
  9. ↑ https://vancouversun.com/business/Curtains+fall+last+time+Oakridge+Cinemas/5935777/story.html%5B%5D
  10. ↑ Weichel, Andrew (January 23, 2012). "Councillor wants to end B.C.'s movie theatre booze ban" . Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Let The Rio serve liquor & show movies". www.facebook.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ "East Van cinema gains a liquor license, loses right to show movies". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. January 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Editorial: Rio Theatre shows need to fix our liquor laws". January 23, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Liquor Control and Licensing Branch clarifies Rio Theatre's licence". January 23, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  15. ↑ Kelly Sinoski (February 9, 2012). "Vancouver's Rio Theatre to resume alcohol sales". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Draconian liquor rules harm B.C. economy". April 11, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  17. ↑ Kronbauer, Bob (January 18, 2013). "Corinne Lea from the Rio Theatre to be awarded Diamond Jubilee Medal -" . Retrieved April 5, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.