Category: Film & Media

Damage to the Iconic Acadia Cinema Marquee
By Wendy Elliott

Vandals have struck the neon tubing on the iconic Acadia Cinema marquee in Wolfville nine times since 2012.

The latest damage took place on a Sunday evening in February while a movie was being screened inside. The Wolfville Volunteer Fire Department were concerned about fire since the broken tubes were causing electrical arcing.

Vandals, who likely jump up and yank at the tubes, have caused the non-profit cinema co-operative nearly $5,000 in unnecessary repairs. Chris Siefert, who is one of the last artisans in Nova Scotia who can repair neon signage, calls the cinema marquee the icon of a dying art form. It may be the last of its kind in Nova Scotia. Certainly, Siefert says, the neon signs at the Oxford and Capitol Theatres in Halifax are gone. “I don’t know of any other marquees,” he says.

There is no doubt in his mind the damage is caused deliberately by vandals passing by. “For the tubes to be broken, they definitely have to be hit with something,” he said. “Either they’ve been batted at or someone has reached up and grabbed them.” Siefert adds, “that aggravates me. Some people say ‘oh it’s good for your business.’ But that’s not the way it should be. It’s a beautiful sign and the cinema is a heritage building now.”

The ‘Acadia’ neon marquee was installed in 1947 and quickly became an icon for Wolfville and today is a local landmark. “It’s a piece of history,” Siefert contends. “It’s seen so much.” Neon is not new technology and Siefert, with over 40 years under his belt, says he is one of the last repairmen in Nova Scotia – as is his colleague who is a tube bender. “The others got old. They retired or passed away and no one wanted to take it up.”

Contemplating the damage, Siefert notes, “you could say boys will be boys. But they don’t think about the ramifications. That marquee is going the way of the dinosaur. I wish they would understand that what they’re destroying eventually won’t be able to be replaced. It’s harder to get supplies and the suppliers are farther afield.”

Siefert, who comes up from the South Shore to make repairs, tries to keep repair costs down for the cinema coop. “I’ll try and keep it there a while long. I don’t want it to disappear on my watch.”

Cinema manager Mary Harwell says the board is “getting a quote to see if we could install a plexigass cover over the front stripes…in hopes of making it harder to reach up and whack the lowest tubes.”

Many area residents will recall that the cinema closed in 2000 and was dark for almost five years. A ceremony took place when the marquee was relit and Bill Zimmerman made a big prop switch outside on the sidewalk, which Mayor Bob Stead pulled to “relight the marquee”.

The theatre building goes back in 1911. The brick façade was extensively renovated last year after the provincial heritage designation was approved. The marquee is listed as one of cinema’s character defining elements.

Photo: Steven Slipp

2018-2019 Metropolitan Opera Live Stream Series
By Margot Bishop

Are you an opera buff? Whatever your level of love for opera, you will have a real treat in store with the HD live stream series from the Met in New York city. There are six operas this season still to be shown at the Cineplex in New Minas.

Revivals:

Bizet’s Carmen (Feb 2)

Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment (March 2)

Wagner’s Die Walkure (March 30)

Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites (May 11)

New Productions:

Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur (Jan 12)

When you go to the Met or another opera house, you see and hear the performance, as a member of the audience. When you go to the live stream HD performance at Cineplex, you see so much more.

You get to watch the scene changes between acts, rehearsals in other parts of the Met, visit other departments (costumes, archives), and even get to meet animal handlers. Operas like Aida have various animals, which have to audition for their parts, just like human characters.

What is really interesting is that not only are the principals interviewed but members of the chorus are introduced and tell us about their roles. If there are fight scenes, then the fight co-ordinator tells us the tricks of that trade. You even get tidbits of facts and history (did you know that the French opera companies would not stage a production unless there was a ballet sequence in it?)

This is a great season at the Met. If you have never been to an opera but have sometimes thought that it might be fun to see one, go to the Cineplex live stream HD transmissions from the Met, it is truly a great experience.

Al Whittle Theatre Screens Beloved Holiday Films December 17-22

Following the success of their Retro Blockbuster summer film series, the Acadia Cinema Co-op will present a week of fun, holiday-themed films this December at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville. You may have seen these seasonal favourites before, but now is your chance to see them on the big screen! Tickets are only $5, so take your whole family, bring a group of friends, or treat your co-workers. Celebrate the season of giving by choosing cinema tickets as a gift for party guests, or as an advent calendar surprise! Grab some popcorn and a hot chocolate, and settle in for a cozy evening at the theatre with these cinematic treasures:

Monday, December 17 (7pm): The series kicks off with the musical White Christmas (1954), in which a pair of successful song-and-dance showmen (Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye) team up with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen) to save a failing inn in Vermont.

Tuesday, December 18 (7pm): Home Alone (1990) is a slapstick comedy about an eight-year-old troublemaker (Macaulay Culkin) who must protect his house from a pair of burglars (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) when he is accidentally left behind by his family during Christmas vacation.

Wednesday, December 19 (7pm): Rotten Tomatoes calls It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) the “holiday classic to define all holiday classics.” The story follows a compassionate but desperately frustrated small-town businessman (James Stewart) in an encounter with an affable angel (Henry Travers), who shows him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Thursday, December 20 (7pm): In the goofball family favourite A Christmas Story (1983), a young boy (Peter Billingsley) attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

Friday, December 21 (7pm): What’s Christmas without a little action? In Die Hard (1998), seasoned cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) dodges bombs and bullets in order to save his ex-wife (Bonnie Bedelia) from a greedy terrorist (Alan Rickman) after she and others are taken hostage during a high-rise office Christmas party in Los Angeles.

Saturday, December 22 (2pm): Perfect for cinephiles with earlier bedtimes! This double-header matinee kicks off with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), an animated short based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book and narrated by Boris Karloff. After a quick break the fun continues with Elf, (2003) starring Will Farrell as a human raised by Santa’s elves who must leave his North Pole home to search for his real father (James Caan) in modern-day New York.

Tickets are available at the door or in advance at Just Us! Café in Wolfville. This film series is made possible with support from the Wolfville Business Development Corporation. Visit alwhittletheatre.ca or follow us on Facebook or Instagram to learn more!

The Women of Wolfville are Ready to Celebrate Care Giving
By Wendy Elliott

The Wolfville of Wolfville (WOW) believe that caring connects everyone.
The town’s unique community theatre group has built its 15th annual collective creation, Got Your Back!, on the theme of care giving.

“Care giving embodies kindness and empathy, which are both at the core of the human experience,” says Acadia University student Alisha Christie.
Christie is one of five community development students that have joined the WOW network of over 300 women across the Valley.

Actor and writer Gail Salmon says, “we all forget that caring is a way of life. Caring can be as small as not laughing at someone’s misfortune or saying something hurtful.”

“To many,” adds Oonagh Proudfoot, “care giving comes naturally,” but she adds, “celebrating it through this show will hopefully help us all reflect on and value it.”

Twenty-five WOW members, ranging in age from five to 65, have been preparing for several months for the production that hits the stage April 6 and 7.

Director Linda Wheeldon says the production will be full of storytelling, song, and dance. The cast will be joined by Wolfville’s new community choir, Our Tunes, which is directed by Heather Price.

Among the themes that WOW has looked at over the last decade and a half are: body image, hope, mothering, food and local history.

Got Your Back! will be staged at the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville. There will be three performances. The evening shows are at 7:30pm and the Saturday matinee starts at 2pm.

Proceeds from this year’s production will help several charities. Through their annual theatrical adventures, WOW has raised over $185,000 for charity since its first show, Vagina Monologues, in 2002.

Tickets for this year’s production are $12 students/seniors and $15 for adults. They are available at The Box of Delights Bookshop in Wolfville or at the door.