Port Ludlow

Port Ludlow Voice Page 8
Rose Theatre Needs Help!
by Bev Rothenborg, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Movie fans are asked to help “The
Rose” convert to the digital age.
Courtesy photo
For many years, I have
been watching movies
and attending other events
at Port Townsend’s Rose
Theatre—and eating
popcorn too, of course.
I’ve often wondered how a
small theater in a charming
town can support such top
notch theatrical events.
Recently, I sat down with
Rocky Freidman, one of
the owners of the theater,
to find out how he does it
and to learn more about his
challenge. He is a 30-year
resident of Port Townsend
who spent seven and a
half years trying to satisfy his dream of opening a movie
theater. Finally the present location became available.
Originally built as a vaudeville house in 1907, it had
closed in 1958 and been converted to retail. Without any
collateral or funds, Rocky couldn’t get bank help so he
sold shares of stock that were purchased by 34 people
who, although some have moved away, have never sold a
share! Fast forward to now as the Rose Theatre celebrates
its 20th anniversary this summer. Successful from the
beginning, it is a sound business with a bottom line that
remains healthy.
Freidman alone makes the selection of the films being
shown and what a terrific job he does! Once a week he
travels to Seattle to preview, with other theater owners
and the press, new films that are being distributed. He
has found it important to diversify so he has added live
performances from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the
Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Theater of
London. I find it incredible that a 30-minute drive can get
you to a place where you can enjoy performances from
around the world!
Now here’s the challenge: the digital revolution is
changing the motion picture industry. Movie distributors
are converting to digital distribution. Projection of 35mm
film is rapidly disappearing. Existing equipment must be
retired and new computer-operated projectors installed.
Theaters unable to make this transition are facing closure.
The exciting news is that digital projection produces
a stunning image. And theaters will be able to present
movies in 3D!
Unfortunately, the cost to convert the two projection
booths in the Rose and the Rosebud is steep—$200,000.
The Rose does not have the ability to finance this
major capital expenditure out of annual earnings so
they are asking their loyal patrons to help by making a
contribution toward this historic transition.
There are many ways you can make your contribution.
Buy a seat or a bronze star or for a donation of $100, you
can introduce your first movie at the Rose! Donations
in any amount are accepted through PayPal via www.
rosetheatre.com or call 385-1039. Donations to the Rose
are not tax deductible.
Grab a Leprechaun
by Mary Kletti, Contributing Writer
Saturday, March 17 is Saint
Patrick’s Day, the day when
everyone claims to be Irish. Truth
be told, there are more Americans
of Irish origin than there are Irish
in Ireland. According to the U.S.
Census Bureau, 34 million United
States residents claim Irish ancestry,
or nearly ten times the entire
population of Ireland.
Many Americans
claim Irish ancestry
on Saint Patrick’s
Day.
Then there’s the fact that Saint Patrick was not Irish at all,
but born in Britain. Irish brigands kidnapped the lad when
he was 16 and took him to Ireland, where he was sold as a
slave and served in bondage for six years before escaping
to France. He later returned to his parents’ home in
Britain, where he had a vision that he would preach to the
Irish. After 14 years of study, Patrick returned to Ireland,
where he built churches and spread the Christian faith for
some 30 years.
Many myths surround Saint Patrick. One of the best
known—and most inaccurate—is that Patrick drove all
the snakes from Ireland into the Irish Sea, where the
serpents drowned. But snakes have never been native to
the Emerald Isle. The serpents were likely a metaphor
for Druidic religions, which steadily disappeared from
Ireland in the centuries after Saint Patrick planted the
seeds of Christianity.
The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1737
in Boston, which is very interesting, since it did not
become a national holiday in Ireland until 1903, and the
first parade wasn’t held in Dublin until 1931. Colonial
New York City hosted the first “official” Saint Patrick’s
Day parade in 1762, when Irish immigrants in the British
Colonial Army marched down city streets. In subsequent
years Irish fraternal organizations also held processions
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