By Juliet O’Neill
Until the pandemic, the ByTowne Cinema was never once forced to close its doors in the 31 years owner Bruce White has been on the job.
The widely-beloved repertory theatre was shut twice for a total of five months, four after the COVID-19 lockdown hit on March 15, and a month after Ottawa was declared a “red zone” on the eve of Thanksgiving.
Re-opened on Saturday, Nov. 7, the ByTowne is following strict provincial rules and city bylaws. Only 50 of the 650 seats may be filled, and patrons are kept at mandatory distances by caution tape on the seats. Moviegoers and staff are required to wear face masks. Seats and other surfaces must be sanitized between showings.
“It’s not an easy business to scale back,” White said in an interview. That’s because costs are steady no matter how large or small the audience. Is he complaining? No, although he’s sure 100 patrons could be safely seated. Movies are not an essential service, White said. “We’re fortunate to be open at all.” Plus, there is a time to complain and a time not to complain. “Now is not the time.”
He had to lay off three part-time employees, but they got government wage assistance. Revenue has plunged but the building itself is paid for and a government supplement has helped maintain salaries for three full-time staff. The ByTowne’s lively ad-filled newspaper, with a two-month calendar of upcoming shows and reviews of each one, is no longer printed. That’s because movie-distribution companies cannot make commitments that far ahead anymore. A printer-friendly calendar for three weeks at a time is online now, along with other content. The exception is the often-amusing “suggestions box” which may make a comeback.
Is White worried the theatre, which opened way back in 1947, will have to close for good? White is not a worry wart. He’s sanguine. “The rainy-day fund is getting drier and drier,” he said. But there is no real way to fathom the future, given big unknowns, notably the duration of the pandemic and government rules about people gathering. He empathizes with government officials who have “a monumentally difficult job.”
But it’s so far so good, the way White talks. It’s a problem to be solved by being nimble. The 50 seats are frequently filled. He speaks with a hint of pride about competently adjusting the cinema to the pandemic world, creating a “super safe” place to enjoy the big screen, and having grown-up customers who respect the rules. “So far we’re batting a thousand.” Indeed, he said, no cinema in the world has been reported as the source of an outbreak. While the big multiplexes in Ottawa are closed because they are restricted to 50 people per building, they have remained open in many other countries with fewer restrictions.
Maybe it should be a struggle, White said, but running an independent theatre is always a struggle and he’s trained for overcoming the odds. “I don’t feel that much different.”