The Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield is closing on November 9, following nearly two decades of providing movies, food, drinks, and community programming.
Owners Claudia Becker and Eugene Jarecki, Waitsfield, cited financial and staffing challenges, especially in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. They said their hope is for a collective effort – perhaps with a different model of ownership – to keep the building alive.
Becker and Jarecki bought the theater in 2005. They had already used the space to organize the Mountain Top Film Festival – a series of films about human rights issues – in the previous year, at what was then called The Eclipse Theater.
The festival was born from Becker’s experience using films in her classroom curriculum as a teacher. She said that she and Jarecki wanted to facilitate a shared space in which people could not only watch films together, but also have conversations around them.
COMMUNITY SPACE
The notion of the theater as a community space, then, became the premise of the Big Picture. Following the sale of the property, Becker presented their plan to the public using several homemade poster boards that outlined what they would offer: two theaters that would show films as well as hosting other performances, lectures and workshops, one theater with movable furniture that could serve as a multipurpose room for use by community groups, a café and bar open six days a week from early morning to midnight, plus an internet lounge area with Wi-Fi and a communal computer.
The goal, according to one of those poster boards, was “to provide an informal gathering space that counteracts the many isolating factors in our society.” A list of goals and tasks were laid out, like “make it fun and funky with eclectic furniture and décor.”
Becker and Jarecki, along with their staff, fixed the sound system and did a host of renovations.
When they first opened, they showed and movies and sold snacks, then eventually added dinner service, then lunch and breakfast, and stayed open seven days a week. Over the years, the space was used for indoor kids’ play groups, winter farmers markets, art festivals, dance classes, political candidate forums for the town and other events. “We really tried everything,” Becker said, “because back then, the mountain wasn’t as steep to climb as it is now.”
Becker said that rising overhead costs – everything from property taxes, to utilities, to insurance and costs associated with wastewater system maintenance – have made it harder for The Big Pic to stay afloat. While these costs were manageable in the years when programming was full, the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath caused tremendous losses in revenue. Growing housing insecurity, too, Becker said, made it harder to attract and retain staff.
‘A DIFFERENT MODEL’
“The vision we had, once upon a time, was a vision that was shaped by a different reality,” Becker said. “And now, with this new reality – new people in The Valley, and factors and paradigms we all have to meet, it just needs a different model.”
Becker and Jarecki are aiming to sell the property within six to nine months, working with community members to explore various options for collective ownership, like establishing a foundation that owns the building, setting up an endowment, or using a membership model.
Still, it could be a challenge. Becker pointed to how The Valley’s demographics have changed over the years, perhaps leading to less participation by locals in fostering a local economy.
“There’s a subtle but tangible difference in that a lot of people consume what’s here, but they don’t necessarily participate. They’ll spend dollars, but that’s a product, whereas if you take on an active role, that’s just a very different quality.”
Becker plans to host a public forum at The Big Pic in the spring, not just for community members to brainstorm possibilities for the property itself, but to share their future-oriented visions for the larger culture and identity of The Valley.
“A collective way of thinking is not a promise, but it is my hope,” she said of the property. “I do think there’s a possibility for it.”
