By Nadia Stuewer
The ByTowne is back! Lowertown’s beloved theatre closed on December 31, 2020, after 30 years of showing films on Rideau Street. It was yet another casualty of COVID due to shutdowns and low audience numbers when the theatre was allowed to operate.
In 2021, the theatre was sold to new owners Daniel Demois and Andy Willick and in May of that year, the cinema announced that it would be reopening. It finally reopened on September 8.
Andrez Banas, who does social media for the ByTowne, said that since then, “audience numbers are slowly increasing.” Like restaurants and other public venues, the return has been gradual as people’s confidence in attending events at large venues grows. Andrez has spoken to some regular patrons who were not ready to return to the theatre but found other ways to support the ByTowne, like purchasing a piece of merchandise. (The ByTowne offers t-shirts, mugs and tote bags for sale, as well as gift cards.)
If you haven’t been to the ByTowne since before the pandemic, what changes would you notice? The red plush seats are just as comfortable as they used to be. One big change is that the theatre now has a liquor licence and offers wine and beer along with their famous popcorn. In terms of COVID protocols, the ByTowne still requires masks to be worn inside the theatre, except when consuming refreshments. They required proof of vaccination longer than was mandated by the provincial government, but since mid-May patrons no longer need to show proof.
A return of the printed programme/calendar is unfortunately not in the works, despite popular demand. The website offers a printable monthly calendar which can be posted on your fridge, even if it’s not as visually appealing as the old one was.
The ByTowne still offers the benefits of memberships. The classic membership at $13.26 a year gives you $4.00 off the regular ticket price and a free film in your birthday month. Occasionally special events for members take place, such as the recent contest with the Dominion City Beer Club where patrons won a number of prizes including the grand prize of a three-month subscription to the Beer Club.
The Film Circle, a year’s worth of unlimited movies for $299, was extremely popular and sold out quickly. Andrez admits they underestimated the demand. They are considering bringing it back at some point. The website also shows a link to win free movies for life, but this contest is not yet available.
Did you know you can rent the ByTowne Theatre for a special event, like a birthday party, a wedding or a school outing? Yes, think of wedding receptions at the ByTowne, showing a movie that is meaningful to the couple. The ByTowne will customize the event.
For example, at a wedding proposal, the cinema showed a slide show of a couple’s favourite photographs. School visits are another special event. A very cool high school teacher rented the theatre to take his class to see Dune.
While the ByTowne is known as an art-house theatre, Andrez was eager to point out that the theatre offers a range of films, from big budget films like The Northman to horror (Men) and many genres in between. In May, it will show some retrospectives – Videodrome by David Cronenberg, the 55th anniversary screening of The Graduate, and Diva, a 1981 cinéma du look film.
It is the only venue in Ottawa to screen Official Competition starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas in a satire about the movie-making process. Check it out!
325 Rideau Street, https://www.bytowne.ca/ (613) 789-FILM