On Thursday night, June 28, the red carpet rolled out on Elm Street to celebrate the return of New Canaan’s historic movie theater, now envisioned as an "elevated community center" by Cinema Lab's CEO, Luke Parker Bowles. In an interview with April + Kelly Team at William Raveis, Parker Bowles highlighted the venue's transformation, which includes a pub in collaboration with popular local restaurant Elm, offering menu items such as a reimagined cheeseburger and fish & chips.
After the departure of Bow Tie Cinemas in January 2021, New Jersey-based Cinema Lab, led by Parker Bowles, secured a 10-year lease and embarked on an ambitious renovation plan to create a community-first, upscale establishment.
“It’s not a movie business; we are not a cinema company; we are a going-out company,” Parker Bowles explained. “There’s a pub here, two movie theaters, a members club upstairs, and event space. It’s somewhere you should be able to go any time of the day, whether to get your coffee in the morning, meet up with a friend for a drink, read a book, do your work, or have a Bloody Mary while your kids watch a movie," Luke told April + Kelly.
Originally opened on September 19, 1923, with the film “Down to the Sea in Ships,” the New Canaan Playhouse has a rich history. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the theater close in December 2020, the Playhouse has remained a cherished local institution. The town of New Canaan, which owns the building, found a new operator in Cinema Lab, which reopened the theater as The Playhouse on June 28, 2024, with a reduced seating capacity of 196 seats.
Cinema Lab's transformation of The Playhouse includes preserving the historical significance and charm of the original building while modernizing it to meet current ADA regulations and building codes. The renovation features a reimagined auditorium with plush chairs and tables, a bar serving alcoholic beverages, and a concession grab-and-go café. The exterior design remains true to its roots, with the façade and marquee intact, while the street-front windows offer a glimpse into a new cinematic experience.
For movie tickets and to learn more, visit The Playhouse. To learn more about Cinema Lab, visit Cinema Lab. To watch April + Kelly interview Luke, follow the duo on social media https://www.instagram.com/aprilandkelly/ *Image by Town of New Canaan (learn more here)